International Program to be Phased In
Eight Prince William County elementary schools will begin the transition to the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) at the start of the new school year. IBPYP schools offer well-rounded and rigorous programs of study that relate students’ classroom experiences to the real world through an international perspective. The program emphasizes the connections among multiple subject areas.
“Our students will have the benefit of an acclaimed program that will enrich their lives,” said Superintendent of Schools Steven L. Walts. “We are taking advantage of the wonderful diversity of cultures represented in our schools. The structure of the IB Programme will help students develop the perspectives, attitudes, knowledge, and skills that will help them live and work in a global society that becomes more complex every day.”
Contingent on approval of the Prince William County Schools 2006-07 budget by the Board of County Supervisors, Antietam, Buckland Mills, Dumfries, Ellis, Featherstone, Rosa Parks, Victory and Williams elementary schools will begin the transition to the IBPYP in September. Changes in the classroom will begin in the fall of 2006, though the schools will not earn the right to use the IB name until authorization visits confirm the successful implementation of these programs.
“The intent is to provide opportunities to interested students in all parts of the county, and to have adequate room to admit them,” said Walts. “The Primary Years Programme complements the elementary specialty programs we offer in foreign language; we are extending parents and students more choices, and this is exciting.”
Transfers for purposes of entering the program will not be permitted in the first year, but will be allowed for the 2007-08 school year and beyond, if students can provide their own transportation or utilize the School Division’s express bus service.
Primary Years Programme classrooms stress variety and balance, with attention given both to the pursuit of understanding and to the acquisition of knowledge and essential skills. Classrooms are characterized by collaborative and purposeful activity; they are also reflective places, where thoughtful consideration of issues, problems, and successes are valued.
Students will study language, social studies, mathematics, science, technology, arts, and personal, social, and physical education in accordance with the Prince William County Public Schools curriculum. As in all PWCS classrooms, parents are welcomed as partners; they are informed and involved, with clear roles to play in support of the school and their own children. "Research shows that students learn best when they have the active support of their parents. This program places a special emphasis on parental awareness and involvement,” said Walts.
The IBPYP is similar to both the IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) in grades 6-10 and the IB Diploma Programme, which usually includes students in grades 11 and 12. All three programmes develop student learning in specific subject areas. All three programs also have themes or concepts that help students connect ideas across subjects. Like the IB Middle Years Programme (grades 6-10) and the IB Diploma Programme (generally involving students in grades 11 and 12), the Primary Years version also emphasizes student responsibility to self and to community.
The Prince William County School Division currently has an IB Diploma Programme at Gar-Field and Stonewall Jackson high schools and the IB Middle Years Programme at Beville, Godwin, and Stonewall middle schools. "In our schools where the IB program is implemented, we have seen steadily rising student achievement. Our students compete favorably with other IB students around the world on their examinations," said Pam Gauch, associate superintendent for student learning and accountability.
“Like the IB programs in our other schools, students' participation in elementary school will be a further indication of excellence in their educational background," Walts added.
3/29/06
