IB World School Challenge
Bilingual Primary School scores high in the IB evaluation
Finally, the time of waiting is over. Right in time for the holidays we received our official report from the International Baccalaureate Organization, the IB. Just like we believe it should be for students and parents, the report did not bear any surprises and reflected the feedback we had already received in October from our site “visitors“. We have many reasons to be proud and to celebrate our accomplishments and can use the report to set goals for our improvements for the future. In the 10 areas considered we received a rating at and above the required level in 8 of the areas. In 2 areas we have the opportunity to further develop.
Virtual inspection of our IB World School values
Even though our visit was virtual the visitors were able to capture what we appreciate and value most of our school and community. As the report states “The school community honours individual and cultural differences by demonstrating caring, open-minded and respectful actions and interactions. The concepts of community, diversity, inclusion and compassion permeate and frame the work of all members in the school community“. To us – and the IB – this is the basis on which learning can begin to take place. Everyone at school needs to feel that they belong and are accepted for who they are.
New school campus as a part of the IB World School learning philosophy
Having shown our site visitors the plans (building and interior) of the new school building, the report clearly states that “the interior architecture of the new school building reflects the school’s emphasis on collaborative and self-directed learning“ and “the construction and interior design of a new campus clearly demonstrates a commitment to further develop the IB“. Since being an IB World School means to continually self-reflect and to strive to improve learning and teaching, we are also embracing our new challenge of restructuring the school and will ensure that it has a positive impact on student learning. One of the areas we had already identified as needing further development was fostering “agency“ in our students. The IB defines agency as “students having voice, choice and ownership for their own learning“. One of the main ways we will incorporate agency in our curriculum is by involving students in the assessment process. They will continue to self reflect and begin to be part of the assessment process for various tasks.
Furthermore, teacher support was an area we ourselves (in the self study) and subsequently the IB identified as an area with opportunity for further development. We will ensure that we work collaboratively on a structured approach to teacher professional development that will be tailored to the teachers’ needs, will ensure that students’ learning is optimized and that we are preparing our students for the future.
Should you be interested in viewing the whole report, please contact Leonie Julien at leonie.julien@if-koeln.de. We are very proud of all our students, teachers and the entire CIS/IFK community and thank everyone for their continued support!
Leonie Julien, Bilingual Primary School
