The International Baccalaureate Program at Sumter High School is a rigorous two -year interdisciplinary curriculum for highly motivated students in the eleventh and twelfth grades. The International Baccalaureate Organization of Geneva, Switzerland administers the program. Begun in 1968 as a pre-university curriculum for geographically mobile students, the program offers a well-rounded experience emphasizing critical thinking and inter-cultural understanding among young men and women. Grants from the Twentieth Century Fund, the Ford Foundation and others support the continual development of the program.
Currently, IBO membership includes over 1470 schools in the in the United States, as well as in excess of 3670 worldwide. Only schools officially authorized by the IBO may offer the Diploma Program and present candidates for examination. The IBO is presently influencing the education of about 1,137,000 students worldwide. Currently there are 60 authorized programs in South Carolina (13 Primary Years, 20 Middle Years, 26 Diploma, 1 Career-Related Certificate Programs) with many more in the planning phase. Sumter High School became affiliated with the International Baccalaureate Organization in 2001 and graduated its first class in May of 2004. Those diploma and certificate recipients earned more than four million dollars in scholarships and were accepted at many prestigious colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Like Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses, students have the potential to earn college credit for International Baccalaureate courses. In the state of South Carolina most colleges offer course-for-course credit to students for HL (higher level) courses when they score a 4 or higher on a scale of 1—7 for their I.B. courses. Some offer credit for SL (standard level) courses. Even if there is not direct credit for these courses offered by an institution, students taking I.B. courses often excel on college placement exams and end up receiving credit in this way and/or are placed into much higher level courses for the subject area. For example, instead of a student having to take a 100-level Spanish or French class, that student may place into a 200 or 300-level foreign language class. Some colleges also offer scholarships for students who have been through the I.B. diploma program. While the potential to earn college credit is a nice perk of being a part of the International Baccalaureate program, it should not be the primary reason for participation. Students and parents are encouraged to consider the growth, not just academic but also personal, that a student will experience if a child chooses I.B. The nature of the program, stressing academic rigor and community/cultural awareness in a nurturing environment, creates an exceptional learning experience.
Students desiring to participate in the IB program at Sumter High School must enroll in a minimum of two courses.
South Carolina IB Schools
Currently, IBO membership includes over 1470 schools in the in the United States, as well as in excess of 3670 worldwide. Only schools officially authorized by the IBO may offer the Diploma Program and present candidates for examination. The IBO is presently influencing the education of about 1,137,000 students worldwide. Currently there are 60 authorized programs in South Carolina (13 Primary Years, 20 Middle Years, 26 Diploma, 1 Career-Related Certificate Programs) with many more in the planning phase. Sumter High School became affiliated with the International Baccalaureate Organization in 2001 and graduated its first class in May of 2004. Those diploma and certificate recipients earned more than four million dollars in scholarships and were accepted at many prestigious colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Like Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses, students have the potential to earn college credit for International Baccalaureate courses. In the state of South Carolina most colleges offer course-for-course credit to students for HL (higher level) courses when they score a 4 or higher on a scale of 1—7 for their I.B. courses. Some offer credit for SL (standard level) courses. Even if there is not direct credit for these courses offered by an institution, students taking I.B. courses often excel on college placement exams and end up receiving credit in this way and/or are placed into much higher level courses for the subject area. For example, instead of a student having to take a 100-level Spanish or French class, that student may place into a 200 or 300-level foreign language class. Some colleges also offer scholarships for students who have been through the I.B. diploma program. While the potential to earn college credit is a nice perk of being a part of the International Baccalaureate program, it should not be the primary reason for participation. Students and parents are encouraged to consider the growth, not just academic but also personal, that a student will experience if a child chooses I.B. The nature of the program, stressing academic rigor and community/cultural awareness in a nurturing environment, creates an exceptional learning experience.
Students desiring to participate in the IB program at Sumter High School must enroll in a minimum of two courses.
South Carolina IB Schools