BY KARISSA MILLER
Iredell-Statesville Schools Director of Gifted, International Baccalaureate and Online programs Kelly Hinson shared with school board members an update on the IB programs on Monday evening.
I-SS first introduced the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in 2009 at South Iredell High School.
“The whole vision and purpose is that we wanted to provide access to any student across the district,” Hinson explained.
Hinson said that with the addition of an IB program at Statesville High School, I-SS will be able to provide accessibility to all students districtwide.
Now, I-SS offers an IB continuum, with the following offerings:
♦ Primary Years Programme (PYP) — Cloverleaf Elementary and Coddle Creek Elementary.
♦ Middle Years Programme (MYP) — Oakwood Middle School, The Brawley School and South Iredell High School.
♦ Diploma Programme (DP) and Career Related Programme (CP) — South Iredell High School.
♦ IB Candidacy Schools MYP and CP — Statesville High School.
In the Primary Years Programme, students learn about the learner profile traits, which include inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk takers, balanced and reflective.
“For those students who have the opportunity to begin (with the PYP) and continue all the way through, it offers that consistency and a natural fluid to their learning because they begin to think and approach problems in this way,” Hinson said.
During the presentation, IB Principals Andy Mehall, Carrie Tulbert and Robert Little shared details about different components of the IB model at their school.
International Baccalaureate schools provides research-based best practices in instruction, training with accountability and regular feedback. IB focuses on teaching children to think critically and challenge assumptions with a local and global mindset.
One common misconception is that IB is only for gifted students. Hinson said that it’s designed for all learners.
It’s also a popular choice offering that is part of the district’s approach to giving parents different options for how their child learns.
Parents’ Perspective
Parent and teacher Kellie Caudill told the school board about her children’s experiences in the Primary Years Programme at Cloverleaf.
“The thing I’m most proud of them was when they were in the fifth grade with their exhibition project,” Caudill said.
Her oldest daughter did a project on availability of education around the world. Her other daughter did her fifth-grade exhibition project on world healthcare.
Caudill explained that students are encouraged to take action with their units and their fifth-grade exhibition project. They write about it, research about it and learn everything they can about it.
“It’s important to them because it’s a topic they have chosen,” Caudill said. “They learn about it through a worldwide perspective and connect it to how will it impact me in Iredell County.”
Another reason she said that she likes the IB program is that her kids were able to learn Spanish at Cloverleaf.
“As a parent, it’s something I am very happy they get to experience a foreign language in elementary. In middle school they get to choose what foreign language they want to learn,” she said.
When they went on vacation, she said she was happy to see them interact with native speakers and tap into what they’ve learned. Her two daughters are now part of the IB MYP Programme.
Parent Michelle Lourcey shared with the board her daughter Elizabeth’s experiences in the IB program at Cloverleaf, Northview (now Oakwood) and South Iredell High School.
“What is special about IB, every child is known for how she or he learns. He or she learns from sixth grade to advocate for herself for her own education,” Lourcey said. “I never contacted teachers because Elizabeth contacted her own teachers.”
She watched her daughter develop strong academic and critical-thinking skills.
“At the end of Northview, she learned to think for herself. Make a claim and prove it, whether it was math or band. She had teachers that loved her and knew everything about her,” Lourcey recalled.
While at South Iredell High School, Elizabeth learned about who she is as a thinker and she never did busy work. Her goal was to attend the University of Florida.
“Her teachers worked with her to make sure she had the skillset,” Lourcey recalled.
Her daughter was able to earn 40 class credits, which meant she exempted every general education class, except for two.
“She transitioned with no problems. Nine hours away from home, she knew how to study. She knew how to organize her time. Most importantly, she knew how to think critically,” her mom said.