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What is the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program?

 
The International Baccalaureate Program has a world-wide reputation for its academic rigor and focus on global citizenship. In the Primary Years Program, a balance is sought between the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills, development of conceptual understanding, demonstration of positive attitudes, and taking of responsible action.
 

Essential Elements of the Primary Years Program Curriculum

  • Knowledge-Significant, relevant  content that we wish the students to explore and know about, taking into consideration their prior experience and understanding.
  • Concepts-Powerful ideas that have relevance within the subject areas but also transcend them and that students must explore and re-explore in order to develop a coherent, in-depth understanding. 
  • Skills-Those capabilities that the students need to demonstrate to succeed in a changing, challenging world, which may be disciplinary or transdisciplinary in nature.
  • Attitudes- Dispositions that are expressions of fundamental values, beliefs and feelings about learning, the environment, and people.
  • Action-Demonstrations of deeper learning in responsible behavior through responsible action; a manifestation in practice of the other essential elements.

International Baccalaureate Mission Statement
 
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
 
To this end, the organization works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.
 
These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who understand that people with their differences, can also be right. 
Source: International Baccalaureate International: Making the PYP Happen, A curriculum framework for international primary education
 
What is an International Baccalaureate Candidate School? 
In order  to be recognized as an International Baccalaureate World School, all interested schools must apply and be accepted for candidacy. Alvin Dunn Elementary is honored to be accepted as a candidate school for this prestigious program. As a candidate school, we will be working closely with the International Baccalaureate Organization to provide an instructional program that includes all aspects of the International Baccalaureate curriculum. It typically takes about three years to develop all the units of instruction and other aspects of the written curriculum before becoming a fully authorized International Baccalaureate World School.
 
 
Additional Information:
 
 
Contact Information:
Yvonne Fojtasek, International Baccalaureate Coordinator
760-290-2000 x 3030