IB Diploma Program

IB Diploma students take one course from each of five different subject areas and an additional course from The Arts, Language Acquisition, Individuals & Societies, or the Sciences. Diploma candidates must take at least three but no more than four classes at the Higher Level (HL) and score at least 12 points total on those exams. Additionally, Diploma candidates must complete the 18-month Creativity, Activity, & Service (CAS) requirement, the 4,000-word Extended Essay (EE) requirement, and the coursework for Theory of Knowledge (TOK).

DP Course students may take one or more IB classes. In order to achieve a passing DP Course result, the student must complete all of the required coursework, including the Internal Assessments (IA), and score a 4 or higher on the assessments. 

Because we will not know the results of the IB assessments until July of the year the assessments were submitted, graduates will earn a John Adams Certificate of IB Diploma Candidacy or DP Course Candidacy. Furthermore, Diploma candidates earn an IB medal for their work.

Remember that it depends on whether you are IB Diploma ("full IB") or IB Course ("IB certificate" or "partial").

Use this course description guide and planner to help you determine which courses you could take regardless of IB Diploma or Course status: IB Course Offerings 2021-2022
 

Here is the SBCSC Course Description Guide for 2019-2020.

All course offerings are subject to change based on faculty availability and interest.

Much of the work performed in an IB course is college-level work, depending on the subject matter and level of the class. DP classes are often inquiry- and discussion-based where the student is invited to take the reins of their own learning. 

Please follow this link to an IB blog about preparing for college with your IB Course certificate or Diploma.

Additionally, follow this link to a list of U.S. universities and what they offer in terms of credit for IB coursework. Remember that you need to complete all parts of the assessment for the class in order to be considered for IB Course certificate or IB Diploma. Also, if you are applying overseas, make sure the university you are applying to accepts the IB Diploma and what the minimum score is to apply.

The Theory of Knowledge is a Core class and part of the IB Diploma Program curriculum. It is a required class for all IB Diploma candidates. As of February 2021, the class is two semesters long, and students take it during spring semester (S2) of junior year and fall semester (S1) of senior year. This may change as the curriculum has recently changed.

At Adams, we use some of the time in this class to prepare and work on the other Core requirements of the IB Diploma Program, notably Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay (EE).

Watch this video by Michael Dunn and the people at theoryofknowledge.net for a more in-depth explanation of what is studied in the Theory of Knowledge class. Of note, Mr. Dunn says that the TOK Exhibition is to be completed at the end of Year 1 or the junior year. This is a recommendation and not a requirement.