The International Baccalaureate program is one of the most well-respected international educational organizations in the world. As a member of the IB program at Meadowbrook High School, students are held to the same standards as students from the best schools all around the world. Our students routinely go to top-ranked colleges such as UVA and Cornell. With IB, students can pursue almost any academic and career goal at the collegiate level and beyond if they are willing to put in the work.

Participants in the IB program develop their skills in all subject areas at a level that prepares them to excel in the world’s most prestigious colleges and universities.  The curriculum is firmly based in critical thinking development and promotes the development of self-initiation and problem-solving.  Students who achieve excellence within the IB program can expect to be rewarded by a variety of college recognition programs including:  college scholarships, preferential admission, advanced standing upon entrance, placement out of preliminary coursework, and college credit.  All teachers in the IB program are trained and monitored by the International Baccalaureate Organization, which certifies that their standards and expectations are upheld.

Ninth and tenth grade students attending Midlothian and Meadowbrook’s Pre-DP (IB) programs receive the benefit of completing the county and state-mandated SOL-based curriculum under the tutelage of teachers who have been trained by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Those teachers know what will be demanded of students when they enter what may very well be the world’s most rigorous academic program for high school students!

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. The IB learning profile represents 10 attributes valued by IB World Schools.  We believe these attributes, and others like them, can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities.

Inquirers

We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love learning throughout life.

Knowledgeable

We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

Thinkers

We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators

We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate collectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.

Principled

We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

Open Minded

We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view and we are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring

We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.

Risk-Takers

We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.

Balanced

We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives- intellectual, physical and emotional- to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.

Reflective

We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

As an IB Diploma student, you will not find a curriculum that focuses on a particular subject area or field of endeavor; students must develop strong skills in math and science as well as in English, history, and a foreign language. This is a broad curriculum that allows students to choose virtually any field of academic pursuit following high school.

The IB is a set curriculum developed, monitored, and assessed by an agency external to Chesterfield County Public Schools—the International Baccalaureate Organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

IB World Schools, such as Meadowbrook and Midlothian, must undergo a lengthy authorization process and are, in effect, licensed by the IB to offer the IB Diploma Programme. That authorization is reviewed every five years in order to ensure that the school is performing to IB expectations.

Teachers in the IB are required by the IB to be trained at an IB-approved facility.

Much of the work completed for the IB diploma is set and scored by examiners and moderators of the International Baccalaureate Organization, which ensures that the quality of both the instruction and the students’ work meets IB standards.

Students who score highly on their internal assessments – IB teachers conduct these assessments at Meadowbrook and they are externally moderated by IB – exams, and Extended Essay and complete their CAS Requirement are awarded a diploma from the International Baccalaureate Organization in addition to the Virginia Advanced Diploma.

Because the curriculum, instruction, and assessment are monitored by an outside agency, there is a high degree of reliability in IB Diploma results, and this reliability is recognized and rewarded by colleges and universities around the world through scholarship, placement, and credit award programs.​

For information about the International Baccalaureate Program worldwide and college recognition policies:

http://www.ibo.org

The IB is a demanding program that will serve the most advanced and gifted students well; however, although the IB is rigorous, students who wish to pursue an IB Diploma do not have to be prepared to begin the program the day they enter high school.  This means that virtually any highly-motivated student who is willing to dedicate himself or herself to developing skills can use the years in the Pre-DP program to prepare for the actual IB in 11th and 12th grades.  The most important characteristics of an IB applicant are: motivation; willingness, if necessary, to set schoolwork as a more important priority than employment or entertainment; the ability to organize and to manage several tasks at once; and the willingness to seek help when it is needed.  Finally, the successful IB student must be willing and able to engage in extra-curricular activities while also managing an academically demanding program.  

As an IB Diploma student, you will not find a curriculum that focuses on a particular subject area or field of endeavor; students must develop strong skills in math and science as well as in English, history, and a foreign language.  This is a broad curriculum that allows students to choose virtually any field of academic pursuit following high school.

The IB is a set curriculum developed, monitored, and assessed by an agency external to Chesterfield County Public Schools—the International Baccalaureate Organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

IB World Schools, such as Meadowbrook and Midlothian, must undergo a lengthy authorization process and are, in effect, licensed by the IB to offer the IB Diploma Programme.  That authorization is reviewed every five years in order to ensure that the school is performing to IB expectations.

Teachers in the IB are required by the IB to be trained at an IB-approved facility.

Much of the work completed for the IB diploma is set and scored by examiners and moderators of the International Baccalaureate Organization, which ensures that the quality of both the instruction and the students’ work meets IB standards.

Students who score highly on their internal assessments – IB teachers conduct these assessments at Meadowbrook and they are externally moderated by IB – exams, and Extended Essay and complete their CAS Requirement are awarded a diploma from the International Baccalaureate Organization in addition to the Virginia Advanced Diploma. 

Because the curriculum, instruction, and assessment are monitored by an outside agency, there is a high degree of reliability in IB Diploma results, and this reliability is recognized and rewarded by colleges and universities around the world through scholarship, placement, and credit award programs.​

For information about the International Baccalaureate Program worldwide and college recognition policies:

http://www.ibo.org

Meadowbrook offers French, Spanish, and Japanese for students Language B selection, and IB Psychology as an elective. For more information on students course options, you can look at the course pathway pictured below. Due to enrollment numbers, students who choose to leave the diploma program may not remain in any IB course and will need to return to their home school.