International Baccalaureate Vocabulary
The IB Organization (IBO)
1. IBNA: IB North American Region, headquarters in New York City. IBNA has responsibility for all IB programs in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
2. IBSA: IB South American Region, headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina. IBNA and IBSA do have joint meetings, in which case they call themselves IB of the Americas. There are also other geographical regions of IB, with administrative responsibility for the remaining areas of the world.
3. IBO: The IB Organization at its uppermost levels. IBO has two main administrative locations. Cardiff, Wales (UK) is the location of the IBO testing administration. Geneva, Switzerland is the location of the highest level of IB administration.
IB Programs
1. DP: The Diploma Program, which consists of an integrated curriculum for the last two years of high school (11th and 12th grades in the USA). The DP culminates in standardized testing (see External Testing, below), which in many countries serves as the basis for admission to post-secondary education. These tests are considered an alternative to the British level tests. For many years, this was the only program administered by IB. Typically, IBO approves only one high school per school district to offer the IB program. Poudre High School is the only Poudre School District High School to offer the IB program.
2. MYP: the Middle Years Program, which consists of an interdisciplinary curriculum for the equivalent of USA grades 6 through 10. MYP culminates with a Personal Project (see below), and is one route of admission into the IB Program. MYP is a fairly recent addition to IB. Currently, in PSD, there are 5 MYP schools: Lesher and Lincoln junior highs, Dunn and McGraw elementary schools and Poudre High School. 3. PYP: the Primary Years Program, which consists of a structured curriculum for the equivalent of USA grades 1 through 5. PYP is the most recent addition to IB. Its unofficial designation is "PeeWee IB" and currently offered at Bennett, Dunn and McGraw elementaries. 4. *Pre-IB: an unofficial term, used frequently in the USA. Pre-IB refers to a local school-designated curriculum (NOT an IBO-designated curriculum) intended to prepare 9th and 10th graders for entry into the official IB Program as Juniors and Seniors. PHS transcript terminology for the junior and senior year courses are designated IB instead of DP courses and ninth and tenth grade courses are designated pre-IB instead of MYP due to the need to clearly identify IB classes for universities.Middle Years Program Special Terminology
1. MYP: Middle Years Program; part of the International Baccalaureate Organization, geared toward students in grades 6-10.