Royal Palm Beach High School recently reached an important milestone toward implementing the county’s newest International Baccalaureate diploma program when its application for candidacy was accepted by the IB organization.
RPBHS will officially become an IB Candidate School on Sept. 1, beginning the process to become an official IB World School. RPBHS received approval in April from the school district to pursue the IB initiative.
“Achieving candidate status validates our core belief that Royal Palm Beach High School has the infrastructure in place to become an IB World School,” Principal Jesús Armas said.
Activities required of the school during the consideration phase included an investigation of the IB philosophy, identifying resources for implementation, developing an action plan and attending the first level of professional development required by the IB organization.
The school’s administrative team attended a professional development program offered by the Florida League of International Baccalaureate Schools (FLIBS) from June 16 to June 19 in St. Petersburg to fulfill the requirement and learn from other IB World Schools in the state.
“The IB conference was extensive,” Assistant Principal Crystal Amado said. “From discussion regarding master board design to IB course curriculum, learning about IB student and teacher characteristics and details of IB examinations, the training offered a wealth of information.”
During the candidacy stage, the school will begin the process of authorization, which includes staff training and a school visit from a team of IB representatives. Once authorized, RPBHS will become an official IB World School — one of six schools in the school district to offer the IB program.
Since receiving approval from the district to establish an IB program, RPBHS has been accepting applications from interested incoming ninth graders. To date, the school has received 40 applications and will continue to accept applications throughout the summer.
“This unbelievable number of applicants in our first year speaks to the need for an IB school in the western communities,” Armas said, thanking Amado and IB Coordinator Laurie Cotton for their work.
To learn more about the International Baccalaureate curriculum, visit www.ibo.org. Information regarding the Florida League of International Baccalaureate Schools can be found at www.flibs.org.
