The IBO Mission - Education for Life

Through comprehensive and balanced curricula coupled with challenging assessments, the International Baccalaureate Organization aims to assist schools in their endeavors to develop the individual talents of young people and teach them to relate the experience of the classroom to the realities of the world outside.

Beyond intellectual rigor and high academic standards, strong emphasis is placed on the ideals of international understanding and responsible citizenship, to the end that IB students may become critical and compassionate thinkers, lifelong learners and informed participants in local and world affairs, conscious of the shared humanity that binds all people together while respecting the variety of cultures and attitudes that makes for the richness of life.

Requirements

All IB diploma candidates must complete six examinations over a two-year period (three at a Higher Level, three at a Standard Level). In addition, diploma candidates must complete a 4000 word Extended Essay, the Theory of Knowledge course, and the Creativity, Action and Service requirement. Upon achieving 24 total points (out of possible 45 points) in these endeavors, students are awarded an International Baccalaureate diploma.

IB Faculty

Administrator in charge Michael Matyas

Coordinator Michael Huff

Group 1 - English

Diploma Program Kathleen Kremins, Adrien Salvas, Adrienne Wardy

Dorothy Palme, Cara Kober. Franz Vintschger,

Pre-IB Kim Helsel, Deborah Karczewski, Douglas Kirk,

Group 2 - World Languages

Diploma Program Barbara Dunnick, Emily Koliopoulos, Gloria Zalacain

Sylvia Bubalo

Pre-IB Joy Burdette, Natalie Cahill, Jill Gihorski

Group 3 - Individuals and Societies

History Diploma Michael Stewart, Eric Heditsch, Michael Huff Chris Butchko

History Pre-IB Robert Kertesz, Russ Raffay, Kathleen Tucky, Chris Butchko

Psychology Diploma Jennifer Brown,

Economic Diploma Russell Raffay

Group 4 - Experimental Sciences

Physics Diploma Vincent Yannetti,

Biology Diploma Harry Bullock, Karen Martin

Biology Pre-IB Frances Mino

Chemistry Diploma Bruce DeBona

Chemistry Pre-IB Bruce DeBona, David Foster

Environmental Systems Chris Kerr

Group 5 - Mathematics

Methods HL Diploma Barabara Quinn

Methods SL Diploma Robert Acker, Timothy Rymer, Barbara Pagnotta

Discrete Mathematics Barbara Pagnotta

Computer Science Mark Lahey

Group Six Subjects

Music Diploma John Pierce, Gary Quam

Art Diploma Harry Douglas, Neil Marrero, Jessica Perry

Theory of Knowledge/Extended EssaysKathleen Kremins, Mike Scoblete

CAS CoordinationKathleen Tucky

Internal Assessment Due Dates

Group 1 English:

Orals December and May of 11th grade

World Lit paper Early November of 12th grade

Group 2 World Languages:

Orals teacher scheduled

1A orals late March, early April of 12th grade

Group 3 History/Psychology:

History Paper/Project May/June of 11th grade

Psychology December/January, year of test

Economics March of test year

Group 4 Sciences:

Project due February of testing year

Practical work late March of test year

Group 5 Math:

Portfolio M.P. 1 & 2 of 11th grade

Project for Studies M.P. 2 or 3 of 12th Grade

HL portfolio 11th grade expanded portfolio M.P. 2 or 3

Group 6 Art & Music:

Art Teacher determined

Music January of testing year submit tape of performance

Composition work February/March of testing year

Computer Science February year of test

Extended Essay:

Topic Selection May of 11th grade;

Rough Draft October of 12th grade

Finished paper Midterms of 12th grade

Theory Of Knowledge:

Orals late March senior year Essay-Mid February of 12th grade

Registration of Exams: November 7th (Advise IBC by 31 October)

Predicted Grades: April 1st

Internal Assessments: April 1st

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How is the IB diploma scored?

Every subject has a component called an “internal assessment”. This is completed and graded at Mendham High School. His grade equals 20-30% of your IB examination score (depending on the subject).. The balance of your IB grade is determined by examinations taken in May. These are graded by outside evaluated through out the world, within the IB system.

Each subject is scored from 1 to 7 points. A score of 24 is required to earn the degree. Up to 3 points can be earned as a bonus for the quality of TOK and Extended Essay requirements. Mendham students averaged 32 points in 2003 with a high of 40, while in 2004 MHS IB students averaged 33 points with a 39 point high grade.

How does a student complete the CAS requirement

IB diploma candidates need to complete 150 hours of “creativity, action, and service”. In most instances, these can be finished within Mendham High School. The general rule is the activity can not be part of a class requirement, nor can it be something in which the student has .received financial compensation. The time frame for CAS is July 1^st of 11^th grade through April 25^th of 12 th grade. Please see attached for detailed information

Will IB help a student in university admissions?

There are over 4000 colleges in the US. Each has its own admission standards. IB is the most demanding course of study at Mendham High School; this is noted on all applications. Past graduates have been accepted at the most competitive colleges

Will IB lead to college credit?

Every college has its on advanced credit policy. These range from sophomore standing (such as the University of California system), to credits for HL courses, to no actual credit but course wavers. Please go on line to www.ibo.org. Link though services, then university recognition, to the college of your interest.

What should the student do if the IB program becomes “overwhelming”?

Speak up! Consult the IB coordinator, or speak with your guidance counselor. Do NOT “suffer in silence”. This is the student’s education; each individual needs to become their own advocate.

What costs are involved?

There are registration, express mail , and examination fees. West Morris Regional High School charges the same as AP tests - $85 per test and extended essay.

Essential Elements of the IB Program:

Ø Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)

Ø Extended Essay (EE)

Ø Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

Creativity, Action, Service

What is CAS?

Ø  Creativity

This aspect of CAS is interpreted as imaginatively as possible to cover a wide range of arts and other activities outside the normal curriculum which include creative thinking in the design and carrying out of service projects.

This could involve doing dance, theater, music and art, for example. Students should be engaged in group activities, and especially in new roles, wherever possible. Nevertheless, individual commitment to learning an art form is allowed, where it respects the requirements for all CAS activities: that goals are set and the student reflects on progress.

Ø  Action

This aspect of CAS can include participation in expeditions, individual and team sports, and physical activities outside the normal curriculum; it also includes physical activity involved in carrying out creative and service projects. Action may involve participation in sport or other activities requiring physical exertion – such as expeditions and camping trips, or digging trenches to lay water pipes to bring fresh water to a village. Students should be encouraged towards group and team activities, and undertaking new roles, but an individual commitment is acceptable where the general requirements of CAS are met: goals are set and the student reflects on progress.

Incorporating the service element can enhance both creativity and action. Students involved in the arts and in physical activities might consider coaching young children, seniors in residential homes, street children and so on.

Ø  Service

Service projects and activities are often the most transforming element of the Diploma Program for the individual student; they have the potential to nurture and mould the global citizen. Service involves interaction, such as the building of links with individuals or groups in the community. The community may be the school, the local district or it may exist on national and even international levels (such as undertaking projects of assistance in a developing country). Service activities should not only involve doing things for others but also doing things with others and developing a real commitment with them. The relationship should therefore show respect for the dignity and self-respect of others.

WHAT IS not CAS?

What is, or what is not CAS is a question which coordinators are frequently asked. The asking of the question may show an inappropriate attitude. If CAS becomes a points-scoring exercise, rather than an interesting variety of activities that the student finds intrinsically worthwhile and rewarding, and which is mutually beneficial to the student and to his or her community, then its purpose is lost. It is important that the spirit of CAS be considered at all times.

Generally, CAS is not taking place when the student is in a passive rather than an active role. There should be interaction. If the student is passive, nothing of real value, either for the student or for other people, results from what the student is doing, and no real reflection is possible. In such circumstances the student will be able to meet the objectives of CAS only to a very limited extent. Examples of activities that at first sight would appear to be inappropriate are listed below.

¨      Any class, activity or project, which is already part of the student’s Diploma Program.

¨      An activity for which a student is personally rewarded either financially or with some other benefit (unless this benefit is passed on in full to a worthy cause).

¨      Doing simple, tedious and repetitive work, like returning school library books to the shelves.

¨      Working in an old people’s or children’s home when the student:

·        has no idea of how the home operates

·        is just making sandwiches

·        has no contact at all with the old people or children

·        actually does no service for other people.

(The above example can be applied to many other activities purporting to be CAS.)

¨      A passive pursuit, such as a visit to a museum, the theater, art exhibition,

¨      All forms of duty within the family.

¨      Religious devotion and any activity which can be interpreted as proselytizing.

¨      Work experience that only benefits the student.

¨      Fund-raising with no clearly defined end in sight.

¨      An activity where there is no leader or responsible adult on site to evaluate and confirm student performance.

¨      Activities which cause division amongst different groups in the community.

The following questions may help students determine whether or not an intended activity qualifies as CAS.

¨      Is the activity a new role for me?

¨      Is it a real task that I am going to undertake?

¨      Does it have real consequences for other people and for me?

¨      What do I hope to learn from getting involved?

¨      How can this activity benefit other people?

¨      What can I reflect on during this activity?

CONCLUDING COMMENT

It is not too much to suggest that CAS can assist in discovering the true meaning of life, and in finding one’s own place in the world by transcending cultural and socio-economic barriers. This “own place in the world” has a number of dimensions including:

¨      within oneself

¨      through interaction with others

¨      within a community

¨      within a period of history.

CAS is a privileged way to build one’s own place. It has transformed the lives of those who undertake a commitment to it. We trust that students will find deep rewards through their participation in CAS.

EXTENDED ESSAY

The Extended Essay offers IB diploma candidates a unique opportunity to engage in the process of personal research, to communicate ideas and information logically, and to develop their skills of analysis, evaluation and reasoning.

The Extended Essay is a piece of individual personal research, presented in not more than 4,000 words in one of the Extended Essay subjects of the IB diploma.

The list of Extended Essay subjects is not the same as the list of IB Diploma subjects and the Extended Essay subject chosen by the student does not have to be one of the subjects being studied for the Diploma.

The Extended Essay should be focused in its approach, but apart from initial teacher guidance, it should be the student’s own personal research, albeit at an introductory level.

Work Schedule

Junior Year (November-January)

Each student must identify a topic of research for his/her essay and find a teacher who is willing to supervise the work. It is crucial that his/her topic is limited, can be covered in depth within the essay word limitation and is within the student’s capabilities. The student is well advised to think long and hard before he/she comes to decision on a research topic. The supervisor must sign the sponsorship form.

Junior Year (February-April)

The student should meet with his/her supervisor on several occasions throughout this period to discuss background work, experiments and related matters. Many students do the bulk of their reading for the essay during their summer vacation; however, preliminary reading and research (as well as a skeleton draft of the paper) can be done during the Junior English research project. IB candidates are allowed to work on their Extended Essay rather than producing an English research paper. It is critical that the student should make sure that he/she has all the appropriate resources needed to complete the Extended Essay. If the student is writing an essay in one of the experimental sciences, he/she may be able to complete some of the experiments before the end of the school year.

Senior Year (Beginning of the School Year)

An abstract of the essay should be submitted to the supervisor by the end of the first week of the new school year. Also, by the beginning of October, a first final draft should be given to the supervisor. Having had the opportunity to make constructive criticisms, the supervisor will return the essay to the student for any necessary amendments. The supervisor will write a report on the student’s work. Given the importance of the essay, the comments written in the report may be incorporated into the student’s college recommendations.

Senior Year (October-November)

A second final draft of the essay should be submitted to the supervisor by the end of November. During the period October-November, it is extremely important that the student maintains weekly contact with his/her supervisor. The final draft may need further amendments, therefore, deadlines are important.

Senior Year (January)

Two final copies of the essay (one for the student, one for the library) plus the original (which will be sent to the examiner) must be handed in to the IB Coordinator before the end of January). Failure to meet the deadline may result in late entry and non-award of the diploma.

Examples of extended essays are kept in the library. They will give you an idea of what is expected. These are purely for reference and should not in any way be plagiarized, photocopied or removed from the library.

Plan your time carefully; it is not up to your supervisor to “chase you up.” You will not produce a decent essay if you leave everything to the last minute.

Theory of Knowledge

Rationale/Aims/Objectives

Focus: The focus in the IB Theory of Knowledge course is to examine what we know in the various fields of knowledge and how we know it.

Rationale: The subjects that we study in our high school careers are, perhaps of necessity, compartmentalized – History, Sciences, Mathematics, Foreign Language, Literature, etc. It is rare that students can view these disciplines under any larger perspective. This is essentially the aim of the Theory of Knowledge course – to view the knowledge disciplines from the perspective of knowledge itself, noting the similarities and differences in the formations of knowledge, and noting the strengths and limitations in the various approaches to knowledge.

What Theory of Knowledge is Not: TOK is not an epistemology course, per se, although by necessity it deals heavily with epistemological elements. The course is not just a history of the philosophy of knowledge or the philosophy of the mind, and specific philosophers are important only for the problems they raise and the solutions they offer. It is not solely a course in logic or “critical thinking,” though it touches on logic as an element of logic formation and justification in the first two marking periods, and by its nature constitutes critical thinking. It is not a course that promotes relativism over absolutism, for it approaches both of these positions with a critical eye to their strengths and weaknesses. Nor is it a course that sets out to change someone’s mind about moral, aesthetic, or religious issues.

AIMS of the Theory of Knowledge course:

to consider what it means to know something

to consider the relationship between knowledge and the world

to consider the strengths and limitations of different ways of knowing

OBJECTIVES of the Theory of Knowledge course:

to relate subjects to each other and to personal knowledge and experience

to understand and appreciate the importance of inquiry as a basis for knowledge

to recognize the biases inherent in each discipline

to apply recognized criteria to evaluate issues and questions from varying viewpoints

to appreciate the relationship of knowledge to culture

TOPICS of the Theory of Knowledge course include:

comparing four ways of thinking: analytical, empirical, moral, aesthetic

understanding the roles of language and logical argument in knowledge

examining different knowledge systems: mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, history

examining value judgment, bias, and culture across disciplines

TOK Assessment Policy and Procedures

Successful completion of the Theory of Knowledge course (TOK) is a requirement for all students seeking the full International Baccalaureate Diploma. TOK is a graded course. The grade will be averaged into the student’s GPA. All West Morris Mendham High School policies regarding absences, tardies, etc. will apply in determining the student’s grade.

1.      Marking period grade determinants: Each marking period’s grade will be based upon the following scale:

Class participation and discussion: 30%

relevant and positive participation in group activities and discussion

Journal entries / informal writing: 30%

completion of classwork and homework assignments

Essays/formal writing: 40%

approximately one essay per unit studied, of varying lengths

2.      “Official papers:” The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) requires that each TOK student submit an Extended Essay and a TOK essay on a prescribed topic to be externally assessed and present a formal TOK oral to be internally assessed. You will work on the Extended Essay during your junior year and hand in the completed paper at the beginning of your senior year. The TOK essay will be completed in the second marking period senior year. The TOK oral will be presented in the third marking period senior year.

3.      Small group project / presentation: Each marking period you will be required to participate in one small group project, involving the preparation and presentation of a segment of the lesson

In summary: Each marking period: Class participation: 30%

Journal entries / informal writing 30%

Essays / formal writing 40%

Internal Assessment: TOK oral

External Assessments: Extended Essay and TOK essay

TOK List of Topics and Basic Schedule

First Semester (junior year):

Course Introduction

-      overview, objectives, rationale, aims

-      requirements and expectations

-      concepts and definitions

Knowledge and Truth (Introduction)

Second Semester (junior year):

The Role of Language in Thought and Knowledge

Mathematics

Natural Sciences

Third Semester (senior year):

Social Sciences (Human Sciences)

History

Ethical Value Judgments

Fourth Semester (senior year):

Political Value Judgments

Aesthetic Value Judgments

Knowledge and Truth (Conclusion)

Course Review and Field Trip

TOK Journal

Since a good chunk of each marking period's grade in TOK will be based on a journal; perhaps it would be a good idea to describe just what the process involves on relation to the course.

Those of us taking French know that jour means day in English, and Spanish students recognize that dia comes from the same Latin base as does our word diary. The strictest definition of a journal, then, refers to the daily keeping of some sort of record. So, in that sense, our "journal" is not true to its strictest meaning, as we will not make daily entries. However, we will write at least once in connection with each class session and sometimes more. Writing will be done both in and out of class. For that reason, it will become your most important tool in the course.

While many of us have done this type of writing before, either for another class or for personal satisfaction, journaling in TOK will be at the core of the course. One of our main goals will be for us to learn how to intelligently "reflect" upon concepts and ideas, and no method more effectively generates, formulates and crystallizes the reflection process than this particular type of writing.

As we progress through the rather fuzzy, philosophical subject matter of TOK, we will constantly need to be clarifying our own thoughts, feelings, and questions by informally writing them down. Our journal entries will then help us to further pursue concepts of TOK by serving as springboards for our class discussions and as foundations for formal writing assignments.

What kind of "stuff" will we be stuffing our journals with? Many times, journal entries will be initiated by topics or questions posed by the teacher or student or guest, by reading assignments or videos, by something going on in another class which relates to our study. Regardless of the course, we will most often be writing within one or more of the following realms:

1. the intellectual world: recording our thoughts on - or analysis of - the topic at hand

2. the personal world: recording our feelings and/or experiences as they may be generated by issues that come up

3. the inquisitive world: recording questions we have as a result of discussion, reflection or reading about concepts as we cover them. A rule of thumb for questions should be: "What questions, if answered, would give me/us a better understanding of this material? (An implicit mission of the TOK course is to get all of us - not just the teacher - asking meaningful questions.)

Three things to remember about our journals:

1. We should be at ease with the informal, personal style of our entries. No one will be grading our grammar or spelling; our flow or coherence; our organization or handwriting. With this type of writing it is more important to "get it down" before we forget it. The only requirements are that journaling be "conspicuous" (we do it); and "relevant" (we write about the topic, concept or question under consideration at the time.)

2. While the style of our journal may be personal, its content is not. Our entries will be the reflective first step to a new idea or concept (to be followed by discussion), additions or changes to our original reflections as a result of that discussion or of further reading, or as the preliminary thinking for a graded writing assignment. We should be ready and willing to share all that we record in our journal with an outside audience. (At times, you will be asked to share your journal with a classmate, and the TOK teacher will read entries.) In other words, this is not a “Dear Diary” situation, a secret to be seen by none but the writer.

3.      You must have your TOK binder with you each time class meets. We will do a substantial amount of writing in class that will be a part of your journal as well as taking class notes.

All this being said, I hope that all of us (including myself) will find journaling in TOK not only a useful element in the successful pursuit of the course’s intellectual goals, but also an enjoyable personal (and social) writing experience.

TOK Course Procedures and Guidelines

You have before you the TOK course Aims/Objectives, Assessment Policy, and Calendar/Schedule. Now for some specifics to give you a clearer idea of what to expect in the class:

NO TESTS? You have undoubtedly noticed that there are no quizzes, tests or exams listed on the assessment page. Their conspicuous absence is not a mistake. This is because the material around which the Theory of Knowledge course is built does not usually lend itself to “right” or “wrong” answers. (Note: this does not imply that there are no right or wrong answers, just that we will not be overly concerned with them here.) Your grades will be based instead on your relevant discussion and writing upon the issues studied…your intelligent reflection upon the concepts and ideas we come across, and your application of the principles of critical evaluation of claims made.

ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTOR: Unlike in most classes you have taken and are taking now, the TOK instructor is not to be viewed as the source of knowledge about the subject. Indeed, there will be areas of our study where you are more informed than I, by virtue of your personal studies, aptitudes and interests. Yes, I have read and studied extensively in this area, and I do have strong opinions about some