The IB program will allow selected 11th and 12th grade students to earn an IB diploma in addition to their regular high school diploma. The IB curriculum is recognized for its academic rigor and its ‘international mindedness' exposure. Students working for an IB diploma will be required to take a full IB schedule that includes courses in Language 1 (English), Language 2 (Spanish), Individuals and Society (Social Studies), Mathematics, Experimental Science, and Visual Arts. Students will also take end-of-course exams that will be assessed using international standards. The IB program has additional requirements of an extended essay, a Theory of Knowledge course, and 150 hours of documented creativity, action, and service.

Franklin High School is the first public school in Wayne County to offer the IB Diploma program. Faculty members have been trained in the areas of Administration, Coordination, Visual Arts, History of the Americas, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, English and Theory of Knowledge. At the training sessions, teachers spend 3-5 days learning about international perspectives regarding pedagogy, curricular requirements, and standards of assessment.

Students in the Class of 2011 will be the first class eligible for the diploma program. There will be seats available for students currently attending Stevenson or Churchill High Schools, but those students would have to transfer to Franklin before their junior year. Efforts are underway to allow eighth grade students who wish to be an IB diploma candidate the opportunity to enroll at Franklin as they begin their ninth grade year.

For more information contact Franklin's Coordinator Molly David at mdavid@livoniapublicschools.org or visit the International Baccalaureate site at ibo.org.