Great News from the IB!

Within the past week, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) made two momentous and welcome announcements.  First, it adjusted the final grades for May 2020, which means that many of our graduates now have higher marks than originally awarded. Second, the IBO cancelled many components of the May 2021 examination session.

After Diploma Programme (DP) results came out early July, about 700 schools from around the world submitted appeals to the IBO, arguing that the results were unjust and did not accurately reflect students’ achievement.  AISL was one of these schools, and we’re thrilled that our efforts paid off. The new 2020 grades better reflect our students’ actual achievement as well as the predictions our teachers made.  While there are still a few pending re-marks and appeals, we are very pleased with these new results. Congratulations, Class of 2020!

The second announcement has had a major effect on planning for the current Grade 12 cohort.  In some subjects, certain exam papers have been dropped entirely, and in others, whole curriculum units no longer need to be taught.  This represents a serious effort by the IBO to address concerns about lost instructional time due to COVID-19, and will relieve much of the pressure that both teachers and students felt about this school year.  While we are still awaiting further details from the IBO, we’re already adjusting our internal DP Assessment Calendar to reflect the lighter assessment requirements.

For those new to the DP this year, welcome!  I’ve met with all of the Grade 11’s in Advisory, and I’m excited to work with this new cohort of students.  On Tuesday 25 August from 15:30-16:30 CAT, Julie Baldry and I are hosting an informational meeting on the DP (link here). We’ll cover May 2020 results, introduce or review how the DP works at AISL, and answer any questions you might have about the year ahead.  We look forward to seeing you!

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