To become an international baccalaureate program is no small feat, and district level recognition as NYC’s district 13 is attempting is even more complicated to pull off. The reason is that the International Baccalaureate Organization has a years-long authorization process that schools must undertake complete with verification visits before a decision is rendered. I noted that there are 8 IB elementary school programs in NYC which is such a small number when you consider how many private and public schools exist to serve the nearly one million students living in the city.
Compared to gifted and talented programs which any school district can decide to stand up and implement in a wide variety of ways (6 to be exact), the international baccalaureate programs carry the weight of independent assessment and ongoing program evaluation which happens every five years. Clearing the hurdle of becoming an IB program is already an accomplishment in and of itself, the quinquennial review process is what I find fascinating (and in fact, I wish it were triennial to shorten the time to remediation if issues are raised). Let’s take a look at the authorization process.
Phase 1: Consideration phase (D13 complete)
The school compares the IB’s expectations with the school’s current situation to determine the tasks that will need to be completed to implement the program. At the end of the consideration phase, the school will be able to make an informed decision on whether to apply to become an IB World School (IBWS).
Once the school decides to start the authorization process, it has to complete several professional development activities during this phase.
Phase Two: Request for candidacy phase (D13 complete)
The school gathers the information needed to complete the school profile and “Application for candidacy”, and by assembling the requested supporting documents. Schools submit their application package, the IBO issues a response to the application, and it provides a decision on candidacy.
There are no additional PD requirements relating to the request for candidacy phase.
Phase Three: Candidacy (D13 in progress)
The school takes the actions necessary to meet the IBO’s requirements for authorization. These activities include but are not limited to:
- Building an initial understanding of the school’s status in relation to the requirements for authorization via a remote consultation with the school,
- Creating and implementing an action plan (over a few remote consultation sessions) for the candidacy period such as planning and documenting the school’s IB curriculum and plans for implementation, conducting the consultation visit, and developing or updating school policies to align with international baccalaureate program expectations, and
- Consultation visit where a consultant observes the school’s culture and facilities and reviews progress made by the school to meet requirements for authorization
When the school has completed the various tasks, it will decide if it is ready to apply for authorization. PYP and MYP candidate schools (all of district 13 falls into this category) need to complete at least one full academic year’s trial implementation. My understanding is that this is where the D13 schools going for authorization are now.
Completion of the required professional development requirements is a significant part of the candidacy phase. This is done by attending required workshops that depend on which of the four IB programs the school is applying for (PYP -elementary years, MYP – middle school, DP -11th and 12th grades, CP – career program).
Phase Four: Request for authorization (TBD)
The school gathers the information needed to complete the “Application for authorization” and officially applies for authorization as an IB World School. The IBO issues a response to the application that was submitted and resolves any MBTAs (if applicable; refers to matters to be addressed).
There are no additional PD requirements relating to the request for candidacy phase. At the end of the visit, the IBO issues a verification visit report.
Phase Five: Verification visit (TBD; likely April-June 2023)
The IBO (the worldwide governing body for the international baccalaureate program) visits the school to verify its readiness to become an IB World School. During the verification visit, the visiting team will gather evidence to confirm that the school has met all the requirements for authorization. The visit typically lasts two days, but the length of the visit may vary depending on the size of the school or specific attributes of the planned visit. I presume that since the D13 schools are going for authorization as a district, they will likely try to all be authorized at the same time and that visiting IBO team might have a longer stay.
Phase Six: Decision on authorization report (TBD; expected year end 2023)
IBO staff will review the verification visiting team’s feedback and determine whether the school has met the requirements for authorization.
The IBO’s Director General is ultimately responsible for deciding the outcome of all applications for authorization made by candidate schools. If the IBO grants the school authorization, it is granted on the condition of the school’s compliance with the Rules for IB World Schools.
Interestingly, this is a do or die decision. Should a school fail to gain authorization, it cannot appeal the IBO’s decision and must wait at least two years since the date of the letter sent by the IBO with the decision of denial to reapply.
Given that fees are due at various points of the authorization process, you have to hope that schools are being wise stewards of the time, money, and resources needed to gain authorization.
It’s shocking to me that more hasn’t been made public about District 13’s push to have international baccalaureate authorized schools – it’s a big deal if they get it! And the emphasis on critical thinking as well as having a global mindset for ALL students attending a school is in my mind a major game changer.
If we really want to address equality and belonging, this is it – offering all students the chance to learn how to think. It sounds silly when phrased this way, but thinking deeply and logically is what our kids need to succeed in the future. It’s not about what you know, it’s about how you solve problems with what you know.
