Are you a freshman or a sophomore who is planning on attending college after you graduate from Pinole Valley High School? There is some great news! Pinole Valley High School may soon become an International Baccalaureate school. IB classes will be taught starting in the fall of the 2020-2021 school year!

• What are IB (International Baccalaureate) classes?

IB (International Baccalaureate) is a comprehensive set of advanced classes that all link together that are offered to you in your junior and senior year. These classes are taught in a way that will encourage you to meet your potential academically and they are taught in a way that will kind of stress you to become a more well-rounded person all and all.

IB classes are Honors courses and are recognized internationally as a qualification to get into a higher learning institution. If you are planning to stay in California and go to a UC after high school or that might be a possibility for you, if you earn an IB diploma with a total score of 30 or more points, you will enter the University of California as a sophomore. That is 1 year of college credit, which is awesome!

IB classes are going to look a little bit different than the classes that you are taking currently. Based on inquiry, there will be a lot more student talk than teacher talk, differentiated to meet the needs of all learners, focused on collaboration and teamwork and a lot of student input. IB classes are really skills-based.

In addition to going for an IB diploma, you will also take these classes as well:

Theory of Knowledge (TOK): A philosophical class on the nature of knowledge and how we know what we claim to know.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): A class that is equivalent to service-learning on steroids. It encourages you to do something with your brain, your body, and your heart.

Extended Essay: This is kind of a big one, don’t let it scare you! This is a 4,000-word research paper on the topic of your choice! You are going to take something that you are interested in, pose a question about it, and then find the answer to it through the guidance of a subject matter teacher.

There will be two different pathways to take:

Course Candidate: These are people that don’t want to do the whole thing or can’t fit it into their schedule because of something. You can take 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 individual IB classes just like people take AP classes right now, take the test at the end of them, and then get individual credit at your college or university for the individual class or classes that you took.

Diploma Candidate: These people are going to take 6 IB classes over the course of their junior and senior year.

• 10 reasons why the IB Diploma Programme (DP) is ideal preparation for university!

1. It increases academic opportunity: Research shows that DP graduates are much more likely to be enrolled at top higher education institutions than entrants holding other qualifications.

2. IB students care about more than just results: Through creativity, action, service (CAS) you learn outside the classroom and develop emotionally and ethically as well as intellectually.

3. It encourages you to become a confident and independent learner: For example, the extended essay requires independent research through an in-depth study.

4. It’s an international qualification: The DP is recognized globally by universities and employers.

5. Graduates are globally minded: Language classes encourage an international mindset, key for increasingly globalized societies.

6. IB encourages critical thinking: Learn how to analyze and evaluate issues, generate ideas and consider new perspectives.

7. DP students have proven time management skills: Take good study habits and strong time management to further education and the working world.

8. It assesses more than examination techniques: Learn to understand, not just memorize facts or topics and prepare for exams.

9. Subjects are not taught in isolation: Theory of knowledge (TOK) classes encourage you to make connections between subjects.

10. It encourages breadth and depth of learning: You are able to choose courses from six subject groups and study subjects at different levels.

*Based on IB research – www.ibo.org/research

• Who is involved in the IB (International Baccalaureate)?

Dayna Dibble is the IB coordinator at Pinole Valley High School, but she also does a lot of other coordinations as well. Ms. Dibble can be found in office C129, which is right next to  Mr. Nalic.