Parent Pride Meeting

1. Parent Pride Meeting IB Diploma Programme American International School Kuwait October 2016

2. Goals of Parent Pride • Create an environment that fosters open communication between home and school. • Develop relationships between home and school that promotes collaborative school improvement efforts. • Provide an avenue for parents to share their thoughts and ideas

3. Purpose of Parent Pride • Gather information and feedback about current practices; • Collect ideas about future direction and new initiatives; • Provide parents with information about the school; • encourage, and enhance  meaningful parental involvement; • collaborate with the parents to support student success; • Increase representative parent voice (not a forum for individual concerns).

4. School Improvement Plan • Organizational Capacity Objective #1: By 2020, AIS will demonstrate a more collaborative and transparent process for developing, implementing, communicating and monitoring organizational and long range strategic plans. • OC1 Goal #1: All stakeholders are committed to an ethic of organizational and long range strategic planning. • Action #1: Develop clear, transparent and inclusive structures for school planning.

5. What is the diploma programme? • The IB Diploma Programme is designed as an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, normally aged 16 to 19, for success at university and life beyond. • The programme is normally taught over two years and has gained recognition and respect from the world's leading universities.

6. The International Baccalaureate program’s mission statement • The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caringyoung people who help to create a better and more peacefulworld through intercultural understanding and respect. • To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of internationaleducation and rigorousassessment. • These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

7. Why the Diploma Programme? • Challenging: teaching high level thinking skills • Well-rounded curriculum • Internationally recognized curriculum • Scholarship opportunities • University credit • Early entry into the workforce

10. Minimum 1 hour per week for the duration of the program • 7 Learning Outcomes TOK, CAS and the Extended Essay must be covered over the course of the two-year program • A topic of your choosing • Maximum of 4000 words • Externally assessed • Advisor within the school • Theory of Knowledge : A course where students ask, “how do we know what we know?”. We look at the role language, sense perception, reason and emotion play in how we know what we know in Art, History, Science, Math, Humanities and Ethics. • What if I don’t want to do the Full Diploma Programme? • You can become a Diploma Courses Student and choose one or more of the DP courses. • Must complete three of the six groups at the “higher level” (240 hours) and three at the “standard level” (150 hours)

11. Group 1: Studies In Language and Literature Group 2: Language Acquisition Group 3: Individuals and Societies Group 4: Sciences Group 5: Mathematics Group 6: The Arts

13. Additional costs? • Registration fee (50KD one time fee unless you change programmes) • A fee for each of the exams (generally in the 30KD range)

14. University Admissions assumptions about the IB graduate • Critical thinking skills • Strong oral presentation skills • Community engagement • Reliable recommendations • Maturity & responsibility • Accepts challenges • Strong academic preparation • Valid GPA (because of the reliability of World Exams) • Top student • Consistent performance • International standing • Excellent research and writing skills

15. The top universities pursuing DP graduates • IB Diploma students are being consciously, if not aggressively, recruited by universities because universities are aware of the high quality skill set DP students have as they enter post-secondary education. • Three examples in Canada are (the university’s worldwide rank according to Times Higher Education is in parentheses): • University of Toronto (20) • University of British Columbia (30) • McGill (34) • This is just a small sample of the three best universities in Canada that are targeting Full DP students; Many of the top tier universities in the United States target Full Diploma Programme graduates in one way or another.

16. Getting the Grade Highest Possible Score = 45 • a 7 for each of the 6 courses = 42 • 3 points total for TOK and EE • has met minimum requirement for CAS • A Pass = 24 points • a total of 12 points on 3 Higher Level courses • a total of 9 points on 3 Standard Level courses • a pass on TOK and EE • has met minimum requirement for CAS

18. Where does AIS stand? • We are above the world average in overall points. The points scores are out of 45. • Average DP points score worldwide (May 2016): 29.88 • Average DP points score for AIS students (May 2016): 32 • Passing rate worldwide (May 2016): 78.54% • Passing rate at AIS (May 2016): 62.50% • Our highest score in May 2016 was: 39

19. Questions and presentation • If students or parents have questions beyond those we can answer at this presentation, please stop by room 209 or phone or email me at ildiko.murray@ais-kuwait.org. • If you would like a copy of the presentation, I would be happy to forward a copy to you so you can review the programme further.