December

📅Planning & Scheduling

• Ensure that any local or system-wide programs of study (or lists of offered courses) are up to date with current IB course offerings.

• Draft an IB schedule of classes for the next school year.

  • Try to resolve course conflicts that would hinder students’ abilities to meet the DP diploma requirements.

  • Test several year 11 (DP1) students’ schedules to avoid conflicts.

  • Also list specific scheduling requests for other, non-IB courses as necessary.

💁Supporting Students and Teachers

• Facilitate IB faculty meeting and collaboration.

• Update and check assessment calendar (particularly if tracking course assessments such as tests or quizzes on the assessment calendar in addition to IB assessments).

• Remind teachers to complete any required unit planners along with reflections.

For a personal touch, host an after-school holiday or semester break party or luncheon for IB students and faculty.

• Review applications for DP programme entry (if applicable) per your school’s admission policy.

Sample Application Review Process

• Students submit applications (on paper or via a Google form). Applications may include:

  • Personal statement explaining how the student fits the IB learner profile

  • Academic transcript

  • Name/email of an academic teacher for reference

  • Other info (GPA, number of absences, list of courses to check prerequisites)

• Contact teacher references for evaluation and comment.

• It’s best to keep this short. You could have teachers give a brief statement and identify “low, medium, or high” for areas such as academic performance, self-management/motivation, and fit with the IB learner profile.

• Ensure personal statements and any other information is blinded.

  • It is helpful to have a naming protocol for cohorts and applicants. For example, you might “letter” your cohorts and number your applications (D-01 would be the 1st application for cohort D, your 4th cohort).

• Make copies (or create a shared folder) so that the application review committee can view applicants.

• Meet in-person to make admission decisions.

• Communicate decisions to students and guardians.

• Have students return a letter or form formally accepting their spot in the cohort (you may also want to include the academic integrity policy or even your school’s IB handbook with their invitation letter.)

📗Registration and Records

• Register year 11 (DP1) students for the appropriate year 12 (DP2) courses.

  • This may be later in the year depending on your school and can be done entirely in ManageBac via the Diploma Plans worksheets. Students are able to select their DP Courses at any time in ManageBac.

  • For new programs, you may need to have your registrar or administration add new courses into your computer system with the appropriate course names and numbers for year 2 courses (this may vary by school or area).

💬Communication and Promotion

• Advertise IB elective offerings or individual courses open to course candidates.

Students or teachers currently participating in a specific class could visit ‘target classes’ to promote enrollment (for example, an IB Film student may want to visit an advanced literature or theatre class to explain and promote IB Film to students who may have the interest and skill set for the course).