Table of Contents 2013: Celebrating 45 years of the IB ......................................................................1 Developing our programmes for the students of today and tomorrow ....................................2 Creating opportunities for sharing ideas and best practices ..............................................4 Delivering what schools really need .....................................................................7 Planning the future on the strength of our research ......................................................8 Expanding the global reach of IB Programmes ..........................................................11 Our commitment to educators .........................................................................12 Key Indicators ..........................................................................................14 Our supporters ........................................................................................16 2013: Celebrating 45 years of the IB As an organization with an ambition to create a better world Along with these marvellous opportunities come some through education, the IB ended 2013 with notable achieve- challenges. For example, many educators continue to bear ments that we celebrated together. The year saw great increasing pressure to “teach to the test”, emphasizing advancements in our work with countries around the world. memorization of facts as opposed to problem solving. The IB, true to its mission, is taking a counter approach; our fo- In October 2013, it was announced that Dr Siva Kumari cus remains on helping IB students gain lasting knowledge would become the seventh Director General of the IB and through innovative assessment methods, which have a the first woman to hold the post since its birth in 1968. She positive effect on teaching. This is particularly evident in the succeeded Jeffrey Beard, who successfully served the IB for new eAssessments that were piloted in 2013 in our Middle eight years. With a firm belief in the power of education to Years Programme (MYP) and are due to be launched in 2016. change the world, Dr Kumari is committed to ensuring that the IB remains focused on two significant aims for the or- The IB founders set out to teach students skills and knowl- ganization: providing the best programmes in international edge that could be benchmarked internationally, which is education for students aged 3 to 19 and serving its world- perhaps why the IB has stood the test of time. The questions wide and diverse body of schools well. we have to ask now are: What learning must be designed for the students who are born today? What other skills will The IB philosophy is being implemented in countries they need to learn? How will their learning need to evolve in that are seeking to internationalize their curriculums and response to a world in which there is an information explo- provide rigorous and holistic educational options for their sion? What personal attributes are needed in students to set students. In 2013, the IB continued to work closely with them up to successfully navigate this new world? government bodies to introduce IB programmes in new settings including Ecuador, Malaysia and Japan. These Our research initiatives remain integral to helping us plan initiatives are enabling us to work with educators around for the future. The studies we commission through research the globe and truly create a worldwide student body. The IB bodies are essential and help us discover more about our is also learning how its standards compare with the learning programmes, our students and the way education contin- standards of these systems. We are heartened by the fact ues to evolve, which subsequently provides direction for our that these systems are finding the IB to be a well-respected programmes in the future. worldwide educational provider. In this 45th year, we are most grateful for the many coor- During 2013, we reached a significant milestone in the life dinators and heads of schools who work with us. And we cycle of the IB and celebrated our 45th anniversary. Pausing are particularly thankful for the members of our IB Educa- to reflect on this historical moment has given us an oppor- tor Network (IBEN) who work closely with us and believe tunity to review our past, assess where we are today and, strongly in the IB philosophy. Their work and the work of most importantly, consider where we are headed. our schools inspire us every day. We will continue to strive towards supporting anyone who contributes to the IB in The landscape of education has changed dramatically over enabling our mission to further international education. the past 50 to 60 years. Information and communication technology is transforming the way that knowledge is gen- erated, disseminated and communicated in the classroom and this momentum will only grow exponentially. More and more children and adults will have access to education, which is becoming infinitely more global. 1 Developing our programmes for the students of today and tomorrow We believe strongly that our programmes are built on solid Our goal is to embed ATL across all IB programmes, making philosophical foundations and have endured because our it consistent and more coherent for students aged 3 to 19. community of schools is integrally involved in their evo- Teaching and learning that are explicitly organized around lution. However, we also believe that we must constantly ATL will support students in developing the attributes of the challenge ourselves to review and renew our programmes IB learner profile and, ultimately, in fulfilling the mission of to ensure they continue to meet the needs of our schools the IB. ATL terminology across the programmes will focus and students. on five sets of skills: research skills, social skills, communi- cation skills, thinking skills and self-management skills. The This renewal has been particularly evident in the MYP. response from the 140 DP pilot schools was enormously Through four years of consultation with IB World Schools in positive, and we are extremely grateful for their enthusiasm 46 countries, the MYP has evolved to include a more explic- and contributions. We will be able to publish many of their itly concept-driven curriculum, more flexibility for students ATL initiatives for the IB community. to choose individualized courses of study, and a suite of in- novative (optional) external assessments. Available in 2016, The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is undergoing an MYP eAssessment will provide optional external evaluation extensive, seven-phase review that aims to build on the for students in MYP year 5 that leads to the internationally existing strengths of the programme, increase access for recognized IB MYP Certificate. MYP eAssessment represents schools, and provide the best possible educational experi- a balanced, appropriately challenging model that comprises ence for current and future generations of young people. examinations and coursework. We are examining every aspect of the PYP framework, from its founding principles and philosophy to the support the IB Innovative, on-screen examinations in four subject groups provides for its implementation in schools. are externally marked by IB examiners, as is a portfolio of student work for language acquisition courses. Students Research and data gathered on the programme confirm also submit an ePortfolio of coursework for a perfor- that the underpinning educational and philosophical con- mance-oriented subject group that is moderated to inter- cepts are as relevant today as they were when the PYP was national standards. These assessments focus on conceptual launched in 1997. However, we want to challenge ourselves “It is exploring big ideas and new thinking in education to ensure the programme remains cutting edge, current and innovative.” Kathy Saville, PYP committee member understanding and the ability to apply knowledge in to improve the programme. We know that educators want complex, unfamiliar situations. They were constructed with more clarity in the articulation and communication of the the involvement of international assessment experts to offer curriculum framework and improved support for imple- robust and reliable assessment of student achievement in mentation. Both of these areas will be addressed as part of the MYP. programme development in 2015. In the Diploma Programme (DP), we introduced approach- The IB invited schools implementing the PYP to join the de- es to learning (ATL), which focus on the skills of learning bate around six key themes that were outlined in a consul- to learn. Such skills are fundamental to a world where the tation paper in early 2014. Feedback from our schools will information explosion requires us to constantly relearn. inform specialist teams, consisting of leading PYP practition- Employers and universities increasingly value skills that sup- ers and academic experts, and enable them to explore these port continual independent learning; they recognize that areas in more depth. academic knowledge alone is not enough. As a result of the ATL project, DP teachers will have more dedicated resources and support to engender these skills in their students. The aim of the review is to make the PYP the curriculum We have some exciting and innovative new courses in the of choice for international primary schools and educators pipeline. Global politics in the DP launches to all schools in and, perhaps more importantly, inspire current and future 2015; from 2014 we will be