Enhancements to LMSD’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
For implementation in 2021-22 for the IB Class of 2023.
The program documentation revised in September 2020 integrates these enhancements.
Current Program | Change | Impact | |
---|---|---|---|
English A, B | All native English speakers are required to take English A: Literature HL, a two-year course. All English Learners are required to take English B HL, a two-year course. | Addition of English A: Literature SL, a standard-level two-year course combined with the HL course.
Addition of English B SL, a standard-level two-year course combined with the HL course. |
Students take 3-4 HL (higher level) subjects. Our current model requires two of them to be English and History. The third can be selected from either the science, math, or elective groups, and students who request a fourth must choose math.
Students will be able to opt to take English and/or History SL and will therefore have much more freedom in selecting HL courses. Some combinations of classes will result in a senior year of 8 IB sets, so care should be taken to schedule US Government before graduation. |
History of the Americas | All students are required to take History of the Americas HL, a two-year course. This satisfies the graduation requirement of US History. | Addition of History of the Americas SL, a standard-level two-year course combined with the HL course. This satisfies the graduation requirement of US History. | |
4th HL subject | A 4th HL subject must be math. | Students can select freely 3-4 HL subjects. |
Sample course combinations that would be possible:
Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Sample 3 | |
---|---|---|---|
English | English A: Literature SL | English A: Literature HL | English A: Literature HL |
Second Language | Spanish B SL | Latin SL | French ab initio SL |
History | History of the Americas SL | History of the Americas SL | History of the Americas HL |
Science | Physics HL | Chemistry HL | Biology HL |
Math | Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL | Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL | Mathematics: Applications and interpretation SL |
Elective | Chemistry HL | Psychology HL | Music HL |
Comments | This STEM-oriented student would not be able to take two HL sciences and HL math because of the current requirement to take English and History at the higher level. Students may have a maximum of 4 HL courses. | This student would have had to choose either Chemistry SL and Psychology HL or the reverse because of the requirement to take History HL and the prohibition against HL science and HL elective. | This humanities-oriented student chose the least mathematically intense science while ensuring studying science for four years. In order to keep Music HL, this student would have been required to take a 1-year Biology SL class and would have no science senior year. |