Ferguson High School

I.B. Programs

The IB Program at John A. Ferguson High School

The educational philosophy of the IB Organization is found in its 1996 mission statement: Through comprehensive and balanced curricula coupled with challenging assessments, the International Baccalaureate Organization aims to assist schools in their endeavors to develop the individual talents of young people and teach them to relate the experience of the classroom to the realities of the world outside. Beyond intellectual rigor and high academic standards, strong emphasis is placed on the ideals of international understanding and responsible citizenship, to the end that IB students may become critical and compassionate thinkers, lifelong learners and informed participants in local and world affairs, conscious of the shared humanity that binds all people together while respecting the variety of cultures and attitudes that makes for the richness of life.

This program offers a strong liberal arts curriculum based on selecting one subject (as available at the school site) from each of the six subject groups: Language A1 – first language, including the study of selections from world literature; Language A2, B, and ab initio – second modern language; Individuals and Societies – history, geography, economics, philosophy, psychology, social anthropology, business and organization, information technology in a global society, history of the Islamic world; Experimental Sciences – biology, chemistry, physics, environmental systems, design technology; Mathematics – mathematics HL, advanced mathematics SL, mathematical studies, mathematical methods; Arts and Electives – art/design, music, theatre arts, Latin, classical Greek, computer science, a third modern language, a second subject from group 3 or group 4, advanced mathematics SL, a school-based syllabus approved by the IBO.

In addition, students must complete a course called Theory of Knowledge, an extended essay (a 4,000 word research paper), a CAS (community, action, and service) project, and sit for international examinations.

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