International Baccalaureate® (IB)
Overview
Every student attending Jefferson-Houston participates in the International Baccalaureate® (IB) programme. We are an authorized IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), which includes grades PreK through 5th grade. We are a recognized IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), which includes grades 6th-8th. The IB programmes focus on developing the whole child so that they gain the intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills needed to live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world. The IB Learner Profile includes the elements that we seek to develop in all of our students.
IB Learner Profile
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.
As IB learners, we strive to be:
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 of 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 analyse 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 effectively, 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.
The IB learner 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.
IB Attitudes
Appreciation - Appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people.
Commitment - Being committed to their own learning, persevering, and showing self-discipline and responsibility.
Confidence - Feeling confident in their ability as learners, having the courage to take risks, applying what they have learned, and making appropriate decisions and choices.
Cooperation - Cooperating, collaborating, and leading or following as the situation demands.
Creativity - Being creative and imaginative in their thinking and in their approach to problems and dilemmas.
Curiosity - Being curious about the nature of learning, about the world, its people, and cultures.
Empathy - Imagining themselves in another’s situation in order to understand his or her reasoning and emotions, so as to be open-minded and reflective about the perspectives of others.
Enthusiasm - Enjoying learning and willingly putting the effort into the process
Independence - Thinking and acting independently, making their own judgments based on reasoned argument, and being able to defend their judgments
Integrity - Being honest and demonstrating a considered sense of fairness.
Respect - Respecting themselves, others, and the world around them.
Tolerance - Being sensitive about differences and diversity in the world and being responsive to the needs of others.
IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
For more detailed information about IB PYP, please visit the official IB Primary Years Programme webpage.
IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)
Important Policies
- JH MYP Academic Honesty Policy (PDF)
- JH MYP Assessment Policy (PDF)
- JH MYP Language Policy (PDF)
- JH MYP Special Education Policy (PDF)
IB-MYP events at Jefferson-Houston
- Consultant visited April 2015
- Submission of Application for Authorization prior to the 2015-2016 school year
- Teachers and administrators receive official IB-MYP training during the summer of 2015, 2016, and Fall 2016
- IB confirmation visit April 2017
IB MYP Academic Honesty Policy
Purpose/Philosophy
Students enrolled in Jefferson - Houston PreK - 8, a fully authorized IB World School are expected to strive to embody the attributes of the IB Learner Profile in all aspects of their lives. To that end, Jefferson-Houston expects and encourages students to display four attributes in particular as it relates to academic honesty.
Principled: Students act with integrity and honesty, a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences with others.
Inquirers: Students develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research, as well as show independence in learning.
Open-minded: Students understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories; and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from their experiences.
Reflective: Students give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experiences. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their academic and personal development.
Definitions
According to MYP: From Principles into Practice (2014):
Academic misconduct is behavior that results in, or may result in, the student or any other student gaining an unfair advantage in one or more assessment components.
Academic misconduct includes:
Plagiarism – the representation, intentionally or unwittingly, of the ideas, words or work of another person without proper, clear and explicit acknowledgement
Collusion – supporting academic misconduct by another student, as in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another
Duplication of work – the presentation of the same work for different assessment components
Any other behavior that gives an unfair advantage to a student or that affects the results of another student (falsifying data, misconduct during an examination, creating spurious reflections. Pg. 94).
How Jefferson-Houston Requires Academic Honesty
At the beginning of each school year students receive the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Code of Conduct document. This document outlines the school board’s expectations around student behavior. The ACPS Code of Conduct includes the honor code for ACPS students which defines and describes the consequences for academic dishonesty. Students and parents are required to sign and return the document as evidence that they have read and understand the policy.
The Alexandria City Public School’s Code of Conduct document states, “ACPS, including its students, faculty, and leadership, is committed to honorable behavior in all aspects of the academic life of our learning community. We trust one another to act honorably in our dealings with one another while recognizing that our diversity requires that we reinforce expected behaviors in order to ensure that all of us have a common understanding of the personal honor upon which we rely. We pledge to discuss our interpretation of honor and the mutual respect that is intrinsic to a learning community.
One of the most important elements of the honor to which we are committed is the belief that cheating, plagiarism, and other examples of academic dishonesty are serious breaches of academic integrity.”
To this end, students at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 receive explicit instruction regarding legitimate collaboration versus unacceptable collusion and plagiarism. The school librarian collaborates with teachers to identify instances where she is able to lead lessons around plagiarism and conducting research.
In order to provide students with helpful instruction on how to properly cite and acknowledge original authorship, Jefferson-Houston has chosen the Modern Language Association of American (MLA) as our reference system. As part of her instruction on conducting research, the school librarian will also instruct students on how to correctly cite sources using MLA bibliographic style.
Throughout the school year, individual teachers review and reinforce these teachings prior to students engaging in collaborative or individual projects and research work.
The School will:
- Ensure that all teachers review ACPS’ Code of Conduct with students and send home for parents to review and sign
- Keep a copy of the parent signature as a receipt that they are aware of the guidelines and consequences
- Ensure that all teachers are aware of Jefferson-Houston’s Academic Honesty Policy
- Promote the IB Learner Profile throughout the school year by requiring teachers to assess student behavior using the Learner Profile in addition to having students assess their level of attainment of the Learner Profile by self-assessing
- Ensure that all new teachers are trained in the principles and practices of IB Primary Year Programme and Middle Years Programme so that they understand the relationship between the Learner Profile, transdisciplinary skills, and Approaches to Teaching and Learning as they relate to academic honesty.
Teachers will:
- Reference the Learner Profile constantly throughout the school term
- Understand the abilities of their students and differentiate instruction accordingly
- Focus on developing transdisciplinary and approaches to learning skills which will aid in providing the confidence that students need to share their authentic work
- Teach students how to properly conduct research via the World Wide Web and cite sources using the MLA format
- Provide exemplars around the ways in which research should be conducted
Students will:
- Read and sign ACPS’ Code of Conduct
- Engage in lessons centering around plagiarism and citing information and sources using MLA style given by the school librarian
- Seek help from teachers or the school librarian when not clear on how to properly cite sources
- Self-assess or work with teachers to assess their intrinsic understanding of the Learner Profile
- Report any academic dishonesty they may observe