International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme

Authorized February 2008

Johnson High School is excited to offer students a rigorous, challenging and well-rounded educational experience with an emphasis on internationalism through our International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. With our country’s and community’s economies becoming more global in perspective, we feel that our students should not only recognize the importance of understanding one’s own community, but also communities around the world. The programme is designed to help students be successful in high school, college and life. 

"At UGA, students are evaluated in the context of what courses are offered at their high school. If an IB program is available, we like to see that students are taking advantage of some of the more difficult courses that are offered. A student's GPA and their high school courses are the best predictors of how a student will perform in their first college semester."

Kelly A. Ochs

Admissions Counselor

       University of Georgia  

JHS IB Diploma Programme Presentation

 This presentation is designed to help students and parents gain a greater understanding of
 the IB Diploma Programme and what it entails.

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IB Diploma Programme Curriculum

The curriculum for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) is prescribed.  Students must meet the IB DP requirements to receive the IB Diploma at the end of their two years of study. The IB curriculum is divided into six categories. The IB courses to be offered at JHS are:

For students’ junior and senior years, they will choose one course from each of the six groups. Of those courses, three must be at the standard level and three must be at the high level. Students can make their selection of courses based on their academic strengths and interests. The standard level courses have a minimum requirement of 150 course hours. The high level courses have a minimum requirement of 240 course hours and expand upon the curriculum offered at the standard level.

Core Elements of the IB Diploma Programme Curriculum

To help students prepare for the expectations of college and become aware of the positive influence they can have on their own community, the International Studies Program also requires three essential elements.

IB Diploma Programme Curriculum Hexagon Model

  
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Creativity, Action and Service (CAS)

In order to reinforce the IB philosophy that there is more to education than what occurs in the classroom, students will also participate in the CAS program of co-curricular activities consisting of 150 hours over two years. The student will be engaged in a combination of creative, aesthetic, athletic and community service activities.

CAS aims to challenge and extend the student by developing a sense of discovery and self-reliance, and encouraging development of individual skills and interests. Students must engage in activities that provide a good balance of creativity, action and service. 

CAS for Current IB Students 

JHS CAS Handbook 

 JHS CAS Documents 

All students must have their CAS activities pre-approved. CAS hours will not count until the CAS Coordinator (Ms. Griffin) has received and approved the students’ proposed CAS activity via the CAS Proposal Form. The CAS Proposal form can be typed and e-mailed to Ms. Griffin (amanda.griffin@hallco.org) electronically during the summer for approval.

 The CAS Summary Form and the CAS Self-Evaluation Form should be hand-written. Please put these in your CAS folder until school begins this fall.  

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Extended Essay (EE)

The extended essay, which introduces the student to personal research, will be based on a topic of the student’s choice, chosen from the official list provided by the IBO. Students are expected to have sufficient knowledge skills in the chosen subject. Students are encouraged to select an extended essay topic in a subject area studied by the student. The extended essay is written outside of the classroom on a student’s own time. Students begin the extended essay process in the fall of their junior year and submit their essays in the winter of their senior year. Each student will have an extended essay mentor, a faculty member who teaches in the subject area of the student’s extended essay topic.

 Please check back for availability of the JHS Extended Essay Guide.

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 Hall County IB Diploma Programme Handbook

For a comprehensive explanation of the IB Diploma Programme at JHS, please see the Hall County IB Diploma Programme Handbook. Select the link below to download the Hall County IB Diploma Programme Handbook (Adobe Acrobat format).

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Students Interested in Pursuing the IB Diploma Programme

Student Preparation for the IB Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is for students in grades 11 and 12.  Students planning to enter the IB DP are strongly encouraged to enroll in Honors and AP courses in the 9th and 10th grades to prepare for the level of rigor expected in IB courses. The key ingredients for students to be successful in the IB DP are self-motivation, a commitment to learning and academic preparation.

By the beginning of the Fall Semester of the 11th grade year, prospective IB students (who will graduate in 2010 or 2011) must have successfully completed the following:

• 9^th Grade Literature and American Literature
• Spanish I-IV or French I-IV

      (Note: For the Spanish ab initio course, students should have not taken any
       Spanish courses as this is an introductory level course)

• World History, Government (1/2 unit), and Economics (1/2 unit)
• Biology and Chemistry
• Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry

(Note: For students entering high school beginning in 2008, they will need to take Math 1 Accelerated and Math 2 Accelerated.)

• Minimum of 1 Visual Arts course (art, drawing, pottery, photography) IF the student is planning to take Visual Arts as his/her 6^th subject elective

For further details regarding students’ four-year plans and graduation requirements, please view the documents below.

Becoming an IB Diploma Candidate

The only requirement students must meet to enroll in the IB Diploma Programme at JHS is to have completed all prerequisite courses.  Additionally, students must complete the IB Diploma Programme interest form, secure two teacher recommendations and complete a short essay. (Students can download the IB Interest Form from the links below or the links in the Contact section. The IB Interest Form can be downloaded in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat format.) Although teacher recommendations are an important part of the application process, the final decision is the student’s with guidance from parents.

JHS Students Interested in the IB DP 

Johnson High School students can return their IB Interest Form and essay to Ms. Amanda Griffin (Room 400). Please have teachers return the teacher recommendation forms directly to Ms. Amanda Griffin (in person or placed in her school mailbox in the teacher workroom).

Hall County Students Interested in the IB DP at Schools Not Yet Offering the IB DP

All Hall County students are eligible to apply for the IB DP. Interested students can download an IB Interest Form from the IB Interest Form links above. Please return the completed IB Interest Form and essay to the designated counselor at your school. (If you do not know the designated counselor at your school, please contact Amanda Griffin at amanda.griffin@hallco.org or 770-536-2394 x1400.) Please have teachers return the teacher recommendation forms directly to the designated counselor. The counselor will then forward the completed interest packets to Amanda Griffin at Johnson High School.

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IB Online Resources

International Baccalaureate Organization 

International Baccalaureate Schools in Georgia 

General Regulations: Diploma Programme 

University Recognition Directory for International Baccalaureate

For students and parents interested in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Johnson High School, please complete the IB Interest Form (linked), the two teacher recommendations and essay.  Necessary forms are available here for download.  They may be downloaded in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat Format by clicking on one of the links below. 

Return the completed forms and teacher recommendations following the instructions listed in the Becoming an IB Diploma Candidate section above.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the IB Diploma Programme, please feel free to use the information listed below to contact Ms. Amanda Griffin, JHS IB Coordinator.

Ms. Amanda Griffin, IB Coordinator
Johnson High School
3305 Poplar Springs Rd.
Gainesville, GA 30507
770-536-2394 x 1400
770-531-3046 (Fax)

amanda.griffin@hallco.org