IB Program Overview
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is a rigorous, internationally recognized college-preparatory curriculum. It emphasizes critical thinking, cultural awareness, and ethical considerations, aiming to develop knowledgeable, caring, and reflective global citizens. More than 1.95 million students worldwide participate in IB programs. The program is offered in more than 5,800 public and private schools in more than 156 countries around the world. Of those, 1,922 programs are in the United States, and only eight are in Kansas. Shawnee Mission is the only district in Johnson County that has the IB Program. At Shawnee Mission Northwest, we offer the Diploma Program.
What is IB and why do students like it?
“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 other people, with their differences, can also be right.” (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2024).
To achieve this mission, IB experiences are designed to develop the IB Learner Profile with the goal to develop a community of people who respect themselves and the world around them.
Students like being in classes where students are engaged in learning. In addition to a rigorous academic curriculum, students are taught to critically evaluate contexts and their choices. Often our students want to know how and why things work the way they do, and these courses help our students achieve those goals.
SMNW IB Program
Students can participate in IB in two ways: Diploma Candidate or Course Candidate.
Course Candidates take up to five IB courses of their choosing.
Diploma Candidates are pursuing the full IB Diploma which is a second diploma that is recognized internationally. To earn the IB diploma, students complete and test in six IB subjects, write an extended essay of independent research guided by a faculty mentor, complete CAS, and participate in a critical thinking course called Theory of Knowledge. This advanced, comprehensive program of study offers an integrated approach to learning across disciplines with an emphasis on meeting the challenges of living and working in a global, technological society. It also helps students to develop critical thinking and writing skills, as well as time management.
For more information about participation, see the Curriculum Section.