Introductory Note
AtISBourMissionistodevelopindependentlearnersandinternationalcitizensinan environmentwhereallstudentsareincluded,challenged,andsuccessful.
Congratulations on reaching your final year of high school at ISB! We hope that this upcoming year is one that is filled with friendship, fun, and a sense of accomplishment! We know it will also be a time that includes hard work, time management,andbalanceofthemanydeadlinesanddemandsofaseniorstudent.
Regardless of your pathway, completing your final year at ISB can feel challenging. An ISB education, regardless of whether you are studying the IB diploma, IB courses, AP courses, BTEC diploma, or the US High School diploma, is recognised and respectedforitsrigour.Inordertohaveasuccessfulyear,youwillneedtobuildupon acombinationofskillsandattitudestobeabletoachieveyourfullpotential.Happily, thesesameskillsandattitudeswillbenefityouthroughoutyourlife.
As self-management and the ability to stay on top of your tasks and deadlines is a key to your success, we have developed this book to guide and organise your practices to manage your workload The academic processes and schedule have been carefully designed to meet the needs of each course while spreading out the workload as evenly as possible over the senior year. Please remind yourself of this intentasyouthinkaboutyourprogresstowardsthedeadlines
Theremaybetimesduringthisyearwhenthedemandsofworkfeelinsurmountable and your levels of stress might be elevated. If you experience these periods, please remember that you are not alone, and that there are people who are here to help you Whileparentsandfriendsareinvaluablesourcesofadviceandsupport,youare alsoencouragedtocommunicatewithyour:
Subjectteachers
Advisors
HighSchoolCounsellors
AcademicCoordinators
HSLeadershipteam
Wehopethatthisyearisatimeoflookingforwardtoyourfutureasanindependent young adult and reflecting back on the many years of education and experiences that you have undertaken. Your challenge for this year will be finding the right balance of living in the present with your family and friends and planning for your future study and careers! Along this journey, please remember that you have many peoplewhobelieveinyouandareheretosupportyouatISB!
Skill Development
With the advent of new technologies, schools and curricula have shifted to focus not only on content knowledge, but also on the transferable skills that students will need to be successful beyond high school. Over the course of your senior year, you will need to employ and develop these skills to be successful in your chosen pathway and to ensure that you can continue to learn and grow throughout your lives Below you will find some of the ways youwillemployanddevelopthesevitalskills.
Socialskills 1
Learning is a collaborative process, and so you will need to work constructively with other studentsandteachers Bydiscussingyourunderstanding,yourplans,oryourconcernswith others,youwillmakemoreprogressthantryingtogoitalone Attimesyoumayhavetouse your skills to resolve conflicts which might arise within school, or between your academic andsociallife.
2
Self-managementskills
An important step towards success is accepting responsibility for the tasks you have to undertake,andbeingabletomakegooddecisionsthatimpactyourworkandthatofothers Thesedecisionscouldbelongtermgoals,ortheplansthatyoumakefortheweekahead
Your learning schedule is designed to ensure you can achieve balance in your daily lives. Mostofyouwillhavetimeduringthedaywhenyoudonothaveclasses.Notethattheschool has many spaces where you can work during these study blocks It is essential that you approach your day with a plan for working effectively Remember that your potential successisdirectlyrelatedtoyourproductivity.Ifyoudonotusethetimewell,youcannotget thattimeback.
Lookingafteryourselfisanotherkeypartofsuccess.Thismeansthattimemanagement shouldextendbeyondschoolhours,ensuringthatyouadoptahealthylifestylethatincludes structuredworktime,butalsoenoughrestandrelaxation
3
Communicationskills
Asseniors,youwillhavetouselanguageeffectivelyinmanysituationstoachieveanumber ofpurposes Insomeofyourcourses,theseskillswillbeexplicitlyassessed Inothers,theskills mayhelpyouorganiseyourideas,decodeconnectionsbetweenideas,andfullyunderstand andusewrittenandverbaltexts.Outsideoftheclassroom,itwillalsobenecessaryforyouto communicatewithyourcounselloraboutallmattersrelatedtouniversityapplications.
Researchskills 4
Independentlearnersemployavarietyoftoolstogathertheinformationtheyneedandhave systemstomanagethisinformation.Youwillneedtoplanaheadtomakeeffectiveuseofthe informationyoucollect,andyouwillneedtouseskillsforreferencingtheworkofothers.This applies to any research you may do - from the research related to the subjects you are studying,toresearchintotherequirementsofyourchoiceofcollegeoruniversity
5 Thinkingskills
Your courses will require you to sharpen your thinking skills in many different ways. Sometimes you will simply need to recall knowledge, other times you will need to infer, analyse, evaluate, or use evidence to support a claim Understanding the different thinking skillsrequiredwillhelpyougrowasalearnerandwillstrengthenyourrevisionskills.Youwill then be able to target your revision strategies and use revision notes, flashcards, quizlet, Khan Academy videos, Kognity, past papers, or other methods to make sure that your learningisactive,regular,andgivesyoufeedbackonyourprogress
ThechartbelowisarepresentationoftheISBgradingstructureintheUpperSchool.
The chart also shows the alignment of the external grading systems from organisations of which we offer additional courses (IB, AP, BTEC) Courses that have IB, AP, or BTEC in the course title at ISB are graded using external criteria and descriptorsprovidedbytheiraccreditingbodies Thosegradesarethenconvertedto ISBgradesasrepresentedbelowandreportedassuchonISBofficialdocumentation.
Due to the transient nature of international school populations, and in line with our school’s mission and values, ISB does not weight grades, calculate GPA, or rank our students.
School-based assessment is used by teachers to monitor how well a student is progressing in a particular subject. This can include assignments, tests, quizzes, projects,ormockexaminations.Theseassessmentsarecreatedby,assignedby,and markedbytheteacher.Aschool-basedassessmentcanbesummativeorformative in nature, and is designed to help students understand assessment expectations, standards,andpractices
ExternalassessmentsforAPcoursesaretheAPexams.Theexamsaremarkedsolely byanexternalexaminer
APCoursesareexternallyscoredona1-5scale,eachrepresentinghowqualifiedthe student would be to earn credit at the university level for the demonstration of their knowledge. This grade comes solely from the external exam that is administered in Mayoftheacademicyearthatthestudentcompletesthecourse.
ThecourseofferedatISBisdesignedtohelpthestudentlearnthematerialaswellas prepare for the exam. ISB will award a US High School grade on its report on a 1-7 scalebasedontheconversionchartlistedabove.
Grading
For each unit, you will be asked to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding by completingtasksthatareassessedaccordingtocriteriaatdifferentlevelsofPass,Merit,and Distinction.Uponcompletionofaunit,youroverallgradeisdeterminedholistically:
IfyoudemonstrateallofthePasscriteria,youwillearnaPassfortheunit.
If you demonstrate all of the Pass and all of the Merit criteria, you will earn a Merit for the unit
IfyoudemonstrateallofthePass,Merit,andDistinctioncriteria,youwillearnaDistinction fortheunit.
Firstsubmissionofwork
Ineachunit,thereareusuallyseveraltaskstocompletethataresummativelyassessed
The BTEC programme models real-life situations, in that you are expected to adhere strictly tothedeadlinessetoutbyyourteacher.Thismeansthatyoursuccessdependsonplanning your time and managing your workload carefully. When submitting your work, you will need toensurethat:
Yousubmityourworkontimeandmeetthedeadlinegivenbyyourteacher
You also submit a completed Assessment Record Sheet at the same time you submit yourassignment/task.
Resubmissionofwork
TheBTECprogrammedoesoffertheopportunitytobuildonyourlearningandtoimproveyour grades if you do not get to the level you want on your first submission of your work. Hence, if you do not demonstrate any of the criteria at a point in time when you submit your work summatively for the first time, you are allowed to resubmit your work, as long as all of the followingrequirementsaremet:
1.The initial deadlines set in the assignment have been met, or the agreed deadline extensionhasbeenmet.
2The teacher judges that the student will be able to provide improved evidence without furtherguidance
3Theteacherhasauthenticatedtheevidencesubmittedforassessmentandtheevidenceis accompaniedbyasignedanddatedlearnerdeclarationofauthenticity.
WorkthatisbeingresubmittedcanbedoneinordertomeetPass,Merit,orDistinctioncriteria
Everytaskinaunitthatissubmittediseligibleforoneresubmission.Whenworkisresubmitted, thefollowingrequirementsmustbemetfortheresubmittedwork:
1Theworkcanbecompletedbythestudentwithnofurtherguidancefromtheteacher
2If the resubmission is an edited and improved version of the original work, then the new work must be clearly indicated in the work produced - for example, either in a different color,font,orhighlightedfont.
3.The resubmission assessment record sheet must be completed and submitted with the work
4The deadline for resubmission will be determined by the teacher, but must be within 15 workingdaysfromthedaytheassignmentandassessmentresultsarereturned
If, after the first submission and a resubmission of your work, you still have not demonstratedallofthePasscriteriaforaunit,youwillbeallowedtoretaketheunit atthePasscriterialevelonly,underthefollowingcondition:
You have met all of the conditions listed above in the Resubmission of Work section.
TheRetakeassignmentwillthenfollowtheseguidelines:
The retake will be a new task or assignment targeted only to the Pass criteria whichwerenotachievedintheoriginalassignment.Youwillnotbeabletoearna MeritoraDistinctiongradeforaretakeassignment.
The teacher must agree and record a clear deadline before the student starts a retake.Therewillbenofurtherresubmissionsorretakeopportunitiesfortheunit.
The student and the teacher must sign declarations of authentication as they bothdidfortheprevioussubmissions,andacompletedassessmentrecordsheet mustbesubmittedwiththeretakeassignment
As this is a model of continuous and on-going work, it is important to have welldeveloped self-management skills The BTEC model of assessment suits many learnersasthereisanemphasisonapplyingknowledgetoreal-lifesituationsandon usingdifferentmodesofcommunicationtoexplain,analyse,andevaluateconcepts incontext.However,thisdoesnotmeanthatthecourseiswithoutintellectualrigour, and the assessment structure of continuous and regular tasks that are set from the beginning of the course adds challenge. Students will be most successful if they develop and use strategies to organise their time and remain engaged with their teacherssothattheprocessofcontinuouslearningismosteffective
BTECGradeIndicators:
School-basedassessment
is used by teachers to monitor how well a student is progressing in a particular subject. This can include assignments completed in class or at home, tests, quizzes, projects,ormockexaminations.Theseassessmentsarecreatedby,assignedby,and markedbytheteacher Aschool-basedassessmentcanbeformativeorsummative in nature, and is designed to help students understand what the assessment expectations,standards,andpracticesare.
Internalassessment(IA)
is when a subject teacher marks the students work, and a sample is sent to an IB moderator and checked against worldwide marking standards and adjusted, if required. Internal assessments are set according to the subject, and each subject has a different weighting attached to its IA Internal assessment dates are spread overthe2yearsofthecourses,accordingtoourinternaldeadlinecalendar.
Externalassessments
are submitted to be examined externally. Unlike internal assessments, external assessments are not marked by their ISB teacher Instead, the mark is determined solely by an external examiner. Examples of external assessments include the ExtendedEssay,LanguageAHLessays,theTOKessay,andallfinalIBexaminations.
IBGradeDescriptors:
Assessing the IB Core Components
For IB Diploma students, successful completion of CAS, the EE, and TOK are a requirementforawardoftheIBDiploma.CASisnotassessed,butwillbereportedas completed or not. For TOK and the Extended Essay, up to three extra Diploma points are available The Extended Essay and the TOK essay and exhibition are measured againstassessmentcriteriaandstudentsareawardedalettergrade(A-E)foreach. Thetotalnumberofbonuspointsawardedisdeterminedaccordingtothefollowing matrix:
IB Course students may choose to complete an externally assessed CAS, EE, or TOK certificate Students should note, however, that Service Learning or CAS is a graduationrequirementforallISBstudents.
Theory of knowledge (TOK)
Criteria for Award of the IB Diploma
Thetotalnumberofpointsawardedis24ormore. CASrequirementshavebeenmet
Thereisno“N”awardedforTOK,theEE,orforacontributingsubject.
ThereisnogradeEawardedforTOKand/ortheEE. Thereisnograde1awardedinasubject/level.
Therearenomorethantwograde2sawarded(SLorHL). Therearenomorethanthreegrade3sorbelowawarded(SLorHL).
Thecandidatehasgained12pointsormoreonHLsubjects. Thecandidatehasgained9pointsormoreonSLsubjects.
Thecandidatehasnotreceivedapenaltyforacademicmisconduct fromtheFinalAwardCommittee.
Learning Support and Assessment
AtISB,inclusionisattheheartofourmissiontoensurealllearnersarechallenged,included, and successful. Access and inclusion arrangements for learning, teaching, and assessment are considered when a learner is identified as needing support through the Student Study Team process This support can be provided for documented long-term cognitive, emotional, or medical reasons, and can include accommodations for assessments, as well asaccesstolearningsupportservices.
The school can provide inclusive access arrangements for students taking external examinations that align with their normal way of working in the high school. The purpose of these arrangements is not only to ensure that all students have equal opportunities for success, but also to help students develop the academic and advocacy skills they will need in their post-secondary endeavours. The need for these arrangements is determined by the Learning Support department, in consultation with parents and teachers It is vital that students have up to date documentationtosupportarequestforaccommodations.
Ifastudentisdeemedtorequireinclusiveassessmentarrangements,anapplication is sent to the examining board for approval with the consent of the candidate and the candidate’s family Applications should be submitted as early as possible, and before 15 October of the student’s senior year or of the year of the examination, in ordertoqualifyforinclusivearrangementsduringtheirMayexams.
Access arrangements must not only apply to students during summative assessmentsbutalsobetheirusualwayofworkingthroughoutthecourseofstudy (thisincludesalltimedworkandformativeassessmentsthatarepartofeveryday learningandteaching).
Academic Integrity
Academic honesty and integrity expectations extend to all assessed and non-assessed school work - formative or summative - and to all documentation produced for use at ISB and for the university and college applications. It is the expectation at ISB that all work and documentation submitted by students is entirely their own All members of our community understand that integrity is the foundation of the development of independent, responsible, andcaringlearners.
Academichonestyandintegritymean:
citingappropriatelythosewhoseworkisusedinthepreparationofanassignment completing school work without the input of others whose knowledge of the task might advantagethestudentunfairly submitting work for assessment that is representative of the student’s own learning and not thatofothers,individuallyorcollectively maintaining a level of confidentiality and personal ownership of one’s own work, both assessedandnon-assessed
Conversely,academicdishonestymeans:
presenting work, ideas, words, images, data, or arguments of others (including AI) as one’s ownwithoutcitation(plagiarism)
copying or sharing work with others (unless specifically allowed) in any form (eg digitally sharing,downloading,inperson)inawaythatmisrepresentsastudent’sabilityorisintended tomisleadtheintendedaudience
presenting work as one’s own which has been completed with the assistance of others (such as a parent/guardian, other students, or tutors) or technology in a way that misrepresents a student’sabilityorunderstanding makinguporalteringreferences,quotations,statistics,etc.(fabricationorfalsification) giving or receiving aid on or for examinations, tests, quizzes, projects, etc. including using outside materials on an examination, test, quiz, project, etc. except when authorised by a teacher
duplication or resubmission of your own work that has already been assessed for same or crosssubjects unauthorisedpriorpossessionofassessmentmaterials facilitating other students’ acts of academic dishonesty - this includes providing other students with homework answers, test/quiz answers, original or photocopied essays, and relatedactivities
falsifyingCAS/Serviceexperiencesorsupervisorreviews gaininganunfairadvantageontimedassessmentsorexams Examplesofthismayinclude: failingtoobeyinstructions communicatingwithanotherstudentduringanexamination possessionofunauthorisedmaterial consulting material outside the testing room (e.g. in bathrooms) during a period of absence
behavinginanywaythatdisruptstheexaminationordisturbsotherstudents removing(orattemptingtoremove)ANYexaminationmaterialfromtheexamroom leavingthetestingroomwithoutpermission continuingtowritewhentoldtostop impersonatinganotherstudent stealingexaminationpaperseitherbeforeoraftertheexaminationhasbeenwritten
Academic Integrity for IB Students
“Academic integrity is a guiding principle in education and a choice to act in a responsible way whereby others can have trust in us as individuals. It is the foundation for ethical decision-making and behaviour in the production of legitimate,authentic,andhonestscholarlywork.”
InternationalBaccalaureateOrganisation,2023
“ItisanexpectationthatallIBstudentsunderstand(sic)
»theirresponsibilityforproducingauthenticandgenuineindividualandgroupwork »howtocorrectlyattributesources,acknowledgingtheworkandideasofothers »theresponsibleuseofinformationtechnologyandsocialmedia »howtoobserveandadheretoethicalandhonestpracticeduringexaminations
The IB defines student academic misconduct as deliberate or inadvertent behaviour that has the potential to result in the student, or anyone else, gaining an unfair advantageinoneormorecomponentsofassessment
Behaviour that may disadvantage another student is also regarded as academic misconduct. It also includes any act that potentially threatens the integrity of IB examinationsandassessmentsthathappenbefore,during,orafterthecompletionof theassessmentorexamination,paper-basedoron-screen.”
from“AcademicIntegrity,”InternationalBaccalaureateOrganisation,2023
Plagiarism
iswhenacandidaterepresents,intentionallyorunwittingly,theideas,wordsorwork ofanotherpersonwithoutclearandexplicitacknowledgment.Thisalsoincludesthe use of translated materials if they are not indicated and acknowledged In order to avoidacademicmisconduct,studentsmustacknowledgetheworkofothersthrough correct citation practices, both in the body of the text and in the bibliography, using thereferencingstyleselected
Collusion
is when a candidate supports academic misconduct by another student, for exampleallowinghisorherworktobecopied.
Misconduct
duringanIBexaminationincludestakingunauthorisedmaterialintoanexamination room,disruptivebehaviour,andcommunicatingwithothersduringtheexamination
Communicationaboutthecontentofanexamination
24hoursbeforeoraftertheexaminationwithothersoutsidetheirschoolcommunity isconsideredabreachtoIBregulations.
1 3 2 4 5
Duplicationofwork
is when a student presents the same work for different assessment components and/orDiplomaProgrammerequirements.
Accurate and clear citation is a key element to academic integrity Students should knowhowtoindicateandciteanymaterialthatisnottheirown.Pleasenotethatthis alsoappliestoanymaterialproducedbyorwiththeassistanceofAItools.
Students should be aware that any breach of IB regulations will result in serious consequences.
UsingArtificialIntelligenceToolsinIBCoursework
“ TheIBdoesnotregardanyworkproduced evenonlyinpart bysuchtoolstobe theirown.Therefore,aswithanyquoteormaterialfromanothersource,itmustbe clear that any AI-generated text, image, or graph included in a piece of work has beencopiedfromsuchsoftware
Thesoftwaremustbecreditedinthebodyofthetextandappropriatelyreferenced in the bibliography. If this is not done, the student would be misrepresenting content as it was not originally written by them which is a form of academic misconduct.”
Deadlines, work practices, and academic integrity
At ISB, the internal assessment calendar is produced in order to spread out many of the differentIBassessmenttasks.Theideaforthisistohelpyoumanageyourtimeeffectively,to allow you to focus more on exam preparation and Group 6 deadlines in the second half of theyear,andalsotoenableyouandyourteacherstochecktheacademicintegrityofyour workandassessit
Allstudentsareexpectedtorespectthesedeadlines.Arequestforanextensionshouldonly bemadeinextremecircumstances,suchasaprolongedillness.Failuretomakeadeadline can not only have negative consequences for you, but can also be perceived as a request for unfair treatment when compared to your classmates, and could well prevent teachers frompreparingyourworkforsubmissiontotheIBontime.Youarethereforeexpectedtouse thedeadlinecalendartocreateapersonalworkschedulethatdoesnotinvolveworkingona taskonlyinthelastfewdaysbeforeitisdue.
Teachers are also responsible for monitoring the progress of your work and for providing formal and written feedback on one draft Because of this, you are required to create all written work that is part of your IA or eCoursework using Google docs that are shared with yourteachers.
Thesubmissionofadraftontimeisavitalstepintheprocess Teacherswillstoreacopyof your draft before providing you with feedback This draft will be used as the final document intheunlikelyeventofyounotsubmittingafinalpieceofworkontime.
All your coursework will be checked for academic integrity. Faculty are required to declare that they believe that the work submitted is your own, and this means that they have to be confidentthatcollusionwithothersorplagiarismhavenottakenplaceandthatanyprimary data presented by you is authentic Missing deadlines can be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to prevent teachers from carrying out this duty and may result in work not being submitted.
Itisthereforeyourresponsibilitytoensurethat:
You do not work with other people, either inside or out of school, when completing an assessment,unlessyouareexpresslyrequiredtoworkinagroup. Youcorrectlyandcompletelyciteanyworkofothers(includingAItools)thatyoureferto oruseinyourwork.Thisincludesnumericaldataandimagesaswellastext.
You do not receive non-permitted assistance in the completion or editing of work, such as from friends, relatives, other students, private tutors, essay writing or copy-editing services,prewrittenessaybanksorfilesharingwebsites. Youareabletoprovideevidenceofthecollectionofanyprimarydata.
Bybeingfamiliarwithyourusualstyleofwriting,byfollowingtheprocessofdevelopingyour documents in Google, and by using internet checks including Turnitin, your teachers will be abletoverifytheauthenticityofyourwork.
Code of Conduct for IB Examinations
Both mock and externally-assessed examinations are governed by a strict codeofconducttomakesurethattheassessmenttakesplaceinafair,safe, and comfortable environment. All students will need to become familiar with theexpectationsforconductduringtheexaminations.
Arrivingfortheexamination
All students should arrive at school 30 minutes before the exams are scheduled to begin. When candidates are admitted to the exam room, they must enter in a quiet andorderlymanner.
Intheexamroom
Oncetheyareintheexamroom,studentsmustnotcommunicatewithanyoneother than the proctors for the duration of the exam. Apart from a transparent bottle of drinking water, no food or drink can be taken into the examination room, unless the candidatehasamedicalcondition.Theproctorwilltellcandidateswheretosit,and candidatescantakeonlythefollowingitemstotheirassigneddesk:
Pens,pencils,erasers,arule,pencilsharpener,highlighters,atransparentbottleof water
Acalculator(forexamswhichallowsitsuse)
A translating dictionary if approved by the Coordinator (permitted for all exams exceptlanguageexams)
Nobagsormobilephonesarepermittedintheexamroom.
No candidate is allowed to borrow anything from another candidate during an examination.
LateArrivals
Candidates are allowed into the exam room during the first 60 minutes after the beginningoftheexam.Afterthistime,theyarenolongerallowedintheexamroom. Candidates who are late without a valid reason will not be given additional time for theirexamination.
Endingtheexamination
Candidates must ensure that they complete the cover pages for each examination before they leave the exam room They must give all examination papers, answer sheets,androughnotestotheproctorattheendoftheexam.
Academicmisconductduringexaminations
All work completed during an examination and submitted for assessment must be the authentic work of the candidate. Any collusion, plagiarism, reference to unauthorised material, or communication between candidates may constitute misconduct.
Anyattempttogaininformationaboutthecontentsofanexamination,ordiscussan examination with a person or person outside of the school within the first 24 hours afterithastakenplace,alsoconstitutesabreachofIBregulations.
AnybreachesofIBregulationsorinstancesofacademicmisconductwillbereported totheIB.
Dedicated sessions will be held to familiarise all students with the rules and regulationspertainingtotheirexaminationsbeforethemockexamstakeplace.
Projected and Predicted Grades
AProjectedGrades
InadditiontotheISBgrades,whichreportonastudent’sachievementintheircourses todate,andawardedgradeswhicharegivenbytheexternalawardingbody(suchas the College Board or the IB), students may also receive projected grades to support their university selection and application process. The projected grades process begins in May of the student’s Grade 11 year These grades can subsequently be updatedtwice,inOctoberandDecemberofthesenioryear.
Projectedgradesservetwopurposes:
1.To provide feedback to students about their potential for attainment in their externally awarded assessments (such as IB, BTEC and, if required, AP). Teachers make these projections based on performance in school-based assessments and their professional judgment, given their knowledge of the futureassessmentsandofunitsofworkyettobecovered Theimportanceof these grades are to stimulate dialogue between teachers and students aboutstudentprogressandstrategiesforfutureimprovement
2In a student’s senior year, the projected grades are sent to universities and collegesalongwithreferencesandotherrequestedinformationinsupportof their applications. These projections are evidence based and “optimistically realistic.”Ifastudentisonaborderlinebetweentwogrades,theuppergrade willbemadeasthepredictioninsupportofastudent’sapplication.
Students should not lobby or negotiate grades with their teachers. If they have a concernabouttheirprojections,theyshouldspeaktotheircounsellors.
Please note that these projections are not shared with the IB or any other external assessment board or organisation, and they do not have any impact on a student’s awardedgrades.
IBPredictedGrades
ForstudentstakingIBexaminations,thesepredictionsaresubmittedtotheIBinMarch ofastudent’ssenioryear,buttheyarenotsubmittedtouniversities
TheIBusesthecombinedpredictedgradesfromallschoolstomakedecisionsabout grade boundaries after the exams have been completed. Under normal circumstances, these predictions have no impact on a student’s awarded grade, as theIBreliesonlyonstudentperformancetoawardagrade.
The predictions have to be as realistic as possible in order to assist the IB in grade award.Becausethesepredictionsaremadeaftertheprojectedgrades,thereismore evidenceavailabletoteachers Internalassessmenttaskshavebeencompleted,and in many subjects, mock exams have been written. For this reason, in some cases the predictedgradesmaydifferfromtheprojectedgrades.
Students and families receive notification of these predictions after the exam session inthelastweekofMay.
High School Counselling
The world is full of exciting options for post-ISB life, and the process of finding the opportunities that fit each individual is student-centred and student-driven. Students, in collaboration with their counsellors and parents/guardians, are encouragedtoembarkonajourneyofself-discoveryandreflectionastheyengage in thoughtful research, honest self-assessment, and increasingly independent decisions Atitsbest,studentsfindtheirvoiceduringthisjourney,astheyexploreand challengetheirassumptionsaboutthemselvesandtheoptionstheyareconsidering.
TheHighSchoolCounsellingTeamoffersstudentsandfamiliesthebenefitofover80 years combined experience in global university/college admissions! We run a team approach to comprehensive counselling; and while students will have an assigned counsellor, we have an open-door/above-board practice and will involve the expertise of another counsellor if the student would benefit from it The post-ISB process is student-led in that individual students have responsibility for all requirements and deadlines, as the counsellors guide, support, scaffold, and track theirprogressalongtheway.
Weallhaveacommonobjective: Workingtowardseachstudent’sgoalsandsuccess!
WhoaretheHighSchoolCounsellorsandtheSocialEmotionalCounsellor?
Location:CounsellingOffices,HighSchoolBuilding,Commons200,Rooms229-234.
Students’counsellorsaredeterminedbyfamilyname,unlessotherwisecommunicated onPowerSchool.TheSocial/EmotionalCounsellorisavailabletosupportallHighSchool students.
TipsforWorkingEffectivelywithYourCounsellor:
Be proactive in making appointments - there are QR Codes outside the office and linksinemailsignatures.
Ifyoucan’tfindatimetomeet,sendyourcounselloranemailwithpossibledaysand timesthatyouareavailable.
Remember your appointments. Be on time. If you have to miss your appointment, cancelaheadoftimeandbookanewone
Comepreparedformeetingswithyourlaptop,pen/paper,andquestions Takenotes
If you ever feel confused or disappointed by something said in a meeting, clarify whatwasmeantwithyourcounsellor.Wedobelieveinyou!
Provideatleast10workingdays(beforedeadlines)foralldocumentrequests. AbidebytheHighSchoolCounsellingSeniorAgreement(seeAppendix).
Pleasealwaysbeopenandhonestwithyourcounsellor!
ANoteonEmailEtiquette
Please try to avoid making requests by email. We receive many emails each day and might take longer to reply; it is usually more efficient to make an appointment instead. Remember, when sending emails, to practice professional writing style, politeness, and kindness. If you have emailed and do not get a response in what you feel is a timely manner,sendakindreminder
TheRoleoftheRegistrarinCollegeApplications
The High School Registrar, Ms. Anne Callender, is the go-to person for official school documentsthatmayincludetranscriptsanduniversity-specificforms.Youcanrequest the documents you need by completing the ‘University Application Document Request Form’foundintheMaiaLearningResourcessection.Pleasegive10workingdaysforyour documents to be completed and delivered Once completed, documents will be uploadedtoyourMaiaLearningMaiaDrive.
TopTipsforYourCollege/UniversityApplications:
ReferbacktothefoundationalworkyoucompletedinGrade11andoverthesummer Meetwithyourcounsellorregularlyandfrequentlyinthefirstsemester Beproactive-don’twaittobechased!
Usestudyblockseffectively
Buildabalancedlistofuniversity/collegeapplications Werecommendnomorethantenapplicationstotal Attendallrelevant/requiredworkshops&meetwithuniversityrepswhentheyvisit Meetdeadlinescomfortably Planandexpecttobefinishedbythewinterholidays!
ISBUniversityDeadlines
Theseareasummaryofinternaldeadlinesthatstudentsareexpectedtomeet:
October (oneweekbefore15October)
October (oneweekbefore1November)
November (oneweekbefore30November)
December (oneweekbeforeDecemberbreak)
UCASforOxford,Cambridge,Medicine, VeterinaryScience,Dentistry
US:EarlyDecisionandEarlyActionCanada: UniversityofTorontoandUniversityof BritishColumbia(UBC),McGill
US:UniversityofCalifornia
ALLapplicationswheresystemsareopen
ThevalueoftheInternalDeadlineandwhyshoulditbemet:
Thesedatesaredeterminedwithyouracademicworkinmind-toallowformore efficientworkflow.
As we have many students applying to many countries and many students applying to multiple countries, these deadlines help to ensure attention can be paid to each student’s process; if you miss an internal deadline, your application mayfalltothebackofthequeue
For some systems, Counsellors or the Registrar cannot send documents until you do;ifyoupushtheexternaldeadline,youmaynotleavetheschooltimetosupport yourapplication
Submitting an application before the external deadline ensures that a completed applicationcanbesent;itallowstimetofollowupmissingitems.
Applicationsthatpushtheexternaldeadlinearerarelyastudent’sbestwork. Ifyoumissanexternaldeadline,thereisoftennothingwecando!
ExternalDeadlines
Thesesystemsappearinorderofgeneralpopularityofapplication: (aguideonly;thesearesubjecttochangeonanannualbasis)
UnitedKingdom
2October:mostUKConservatoires.
UnitedStates
15 October: Medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine/science courses, as well as all coursesattheuniversitiesofOxfordandCambridge. 13January:Allothercoursesanduniversities. Thefollowingdatesareaguideonly:
15October-1December:EarlyActionorEarlyDecision December-February:RegularDecisionandEarlyDecision2
Checkthedeadlineofeachindividualuniversitytowhichyouareapplying. Beawarethatapplicationdeadlinesmaybeearlierforscholarshipconsideration
TheNetherlands
Deadlines are determined by the specific programme at a university and should be checked.Differentprogrammesatthesameuniversitycanhavedifferentdeadlines. Thefollowingdatesareaguideonly.
1 November - December 15: “Early Bird” applications for certain programmes and UniversityColleges.
15January:typicalforselectiveprogrammes,includingNumerusFixusandUniversity Colleges.
1April(non-EEA)/1May(EEA):someprogrammesoffer“rollingadmissions”andthis oftenisthefinaldeadline.
HomeCountriesandOtherEuropeanuniversities
Typically, deadlines are determined by the specific programme and individual university and should be checked by the student and communicated to the counsellor.
Canada
Deadlines,inanumberofcases,canbedeterminedbytheindividualuniversityand shouldbecheckedbythestudent.
Early-midNovember:earlyreviewatcertainuniversities(Toronto,McGill,UBC)
15January:typicaldeadlineforOntarioandmanyotheruniversityapplications
SouthernHemisphere
Most Southern Hemisphere schools work on a different timeline of application and study and do not open their application systems until the fall after graduation. In somecases,internationalstudentscanapplytouniversitiesduringthespringoftheir senior year. Students should check each university for its deadlines. Students can also consider if they want to start in January (start of the academic year) or July (midyear)
Satellitecampuses
There are many universities that have a satellite campus(es) at another location in the same country or indeed in a different country altogether. The benefit of these satellite campuses is that you often get a more attentive learning experience (smaller campus) in a location you want to be, while getting an education from a universityyouwouldn’torcouldn’tbeabletoapplytobecauseofthemaincampus’ location. In addition, you might find there are different entry requirements that facilitateyourapplication
Someexamplesinclude:
ArizonaStateUniversityHoChiMinh,DukeKunshanUniversity,EHLSingapore,George Mason Incheon, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia and Dubai, Lancaster University Leipzig, Northeastern London, NYU Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, SCAD Hong Kong, Temple University Japan, University of Nottingham China and Malaysia, University of WollongongDubai,UniversityofYorkEuropeCampus(Cyprus)
Each will have their own deadline and it could differ from the home campus of that university.
As members of a number of High School Counselling and University Admissions accrediting bodies and associations, ISB’s counselling team adhere to a number of practices that preserve integrity and effectiveness of our school and our students. Please carefully read the ISB HS Counselling Senior Agreement to understand these measures and why they are important to the success of post-ISB planning and admissions.
Pleasealwaysremember:webelieveinyouandwewanttoseeyousucceedatand beyondISB!
Senior Timeline
August
Senioryearbegins
Studentagreements(IB,Counselling,etc)sharedandsigned
September
Grade12Retreat/Workshops
CompletionoftheExtendedEssay
Post-ISBactionplandeveloped
October
RegistrationforIBandAPexamsandrequestsforassessment accommodationsfinalised(by15October)
ProjectedGradesusedinuniversityapplicationsareissued Oxbridge,UKMedicine,VeterinarianMedicineandDentistrydeadline (external)
November
ManyUSAED/EAApplicationDeadlines,UniversityofCaliforniadeadlines andmanyCanadianearlyapplicationdeadlines(external)
December
Internalassessmentformostsubjects(Groups1-5)arecompleted
ProjectedGradesmaybeupdatedforuniversityapplications
Internaldeadlineforalluniversity/collegeapplicationswithinsystemsthat areopen
SomeNetherlandsuniversityapplicationdeadlines(external)
January
UKUCASdeadline(external)
USuniversityapplicationdeadline(external)
AnumberofEuropeanuniversitieshavedeadlinesthismonth(external)
February
IBMockexaminations
IBCore:CAS/SLandTOKcompleted
March
APMockexaminations
AllremainingIBinternalassessments(particularlygroup6)completed
IBPredictedGradessenttotheIB
April
Lastdayofschoolforallseniors
Requestsforresultsservices(includinglegalisationofresults/diplomas) submittedtoISB
IBwrittenexaminationsbegin
May
IBwrittenexaminationsession
APwrittenexaminationsession
ISBwrittenexaminations
June
Seniorsreturntoschoolforgraduationrehearsal,awardsceremonyand seniortransitionactivities
ISBgraduationceremony
USHSTranscriptsenttouniversitieswhenrequired
July
APresultsavailableearlyJuly
IBresultsavailableon6July
Conditionaloffersforuniversitiesarefinalised
August
BTECresultsavailable
Useful Resources
WhatisanIBEducation?
Thisdocumentoffersanoverviewoftheprincipleswhich underpintheIB’seducationalprogrammes.
EffectiveCitingandReferencing
Thisdocumentprovidesgeneralguidanceabout citingandreferencingintheIB’seducationalcontext
GeneralRegulationsfortheDiplomaProgramme
Thesearethegeneralregulationsgoverningtheimplementation oftheDiplomaProgrammeandtheawardofanIBDiploma.
DiplomaProgramme-ParentPack
ThisparentpackprovidesanoverviewoftheDiploma Programmeandanswerssomefrequentlyaskedquestions.
AcademicHonestyintheDiplomaProgramme
Thisbrochureprovidesanoverviewoftheexpectationsforacademic honesty,aswellassomeguidanceforparentsandstudents.
BTECLevel3DiplomaQualification
Thissiteprovidesdetailedinformationaboutthedifferentofferings ofBTECqualificationsandcourses.
Senior Terms and Expectations
12thGradeRetreat
Atthebeginningofeachyear,ISBoffersactivitiesandlearningexperiencesfor seniors over one day. This is usually a combination of in-school activities and workshops, and a day where students go off-campus for team building and experientialexplorations Participationismandatory
StudyHall
Study hall takes place every Tuesday-Thursday from 16:00-17:00 to allow students a quiet, supported and supervised space to complete work. Students canbeassignedstudyhallbyateacherorvoluntarilyattend.
SeniorPass
TheSeniorPassisapassawardedtostudentstoallowthemtoleavecampus when they do not have classes at the beginning and the end of the day This passisaprivilegeawardedtostudentswhoareingoodacademicstanding.
LastdayforallSeniors
12thgradersinISBandIBclassestraditionallyfinishattendingschoolaweekor twobeforetheirexamsarescheduledtobegin.Theirlastdayofschoolasafull classisoneofcelebration,withorganisedactivitiesandevents.StudentsinAP and BTEC classes are expected to continue attending their classes 12th grade AP students continue until their exams are completed. 12th grade BTEC studentscontinueintheirclassesuntiltheyfinishtheirfinalprojects.
CelebratoryTraditions
There are multiple ways we celebrate Grade 12 students prior to graduation. This includes students leaving their handprints and signatures in the stairwell, the creation of a senior poster that they sign, and the colour throw in front of theChateau.Thesetraditionsoftenoccuronthelastdayforallseniors.
StudyLeave
After their last day of classes, seniors are officially on study leave While they are welcome to come to school to study and consult with their teachers, they arenolongerrequiredtoattendclasses.
GraduationWeek
Seniors are expected to be back in school starting on the Wednesday before graduation, which is traditionally held on a Friday night. There are multiple traditions that occur from Wednesday-Friday that include fitting for their cap and gowns, the senior parade through campus, and the senior award ceremony. Families should plan for students to be on campus Wednesday, ThursdayandFridayofgraduationweek
SeniorPrank
A North-American tradition, this is a well-intentioned joke that seniors play on the faculty and/or administration. The prank is agreed upon and approved by leadershipaheadoftimeinordertokeeptheprankwithinproperboundaries.
SeniorSkipDay
Also a North-American tradition, whereby students organise a day that they “skip” school and spend the day together This is not a school-sanctioned activity and students are not excused from school. Every year there are 12th gradestudentswhochoosetoattendallorpartoftheschoolday
SeniorTrip
The Senior Trip is a trip that is organised by the students to allow any seniors whowouldliketotravelandcelebratetheendoftheirsenioryeartogetherthe opportunity to do so. This is not a school-endorsed or sponsored trip. LeadershipandAthleticsrequestthatseniorsdonotplanthistripovertheISST tournament dates so that 12th grade athletes can participate in their final tournaments.
