Beaverton Principal: New Funding Opportunities in Oregon

International Baccalaureate (IB), which offers quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools, says the criteria for a new source of funds to help high school students succeed in Oregon is a perfect fit for the IB approach to education.

Two years ago voters in the state passed Measure 98, the High School Success Fund. It directs the Oregon legislature to set aside at least $800 per high school student annually to school districts and charter schools with approved plans for how they would spend the funds.

The measure calls on districts and charter schools to identify and focus these new resources specifically to support students that current programs are not successfully reaching or impacting. District and charter school administrators must submit their High School Success Plans by the end of March; the state expects to announce its funding decisions by June.

IB, which already is in place in 39 schools in the state, says this will allow for existing programmes to grow and for the introduction of new ones.

“There is significant research that demonstrates the success of the International Baccalaureate’s Diploma, Career-related, and Middle Years Programmes (which covers students from 11–16-years-old) as a way of meeting the specific goals for Measure 98,” says Bob Poole, regional development specialist, IB. “Specifically, IB is successful at expanding college level opportunities, career and technical education opportunities, access, post-secondary success, higher graduation rates and engagement for all students.”

“Our state’s new requirement for High School Success Plans creates an excellent opportunity for schools and districts to include International Baccalaureate,” says David Nieslanik, principal, Southridge High School in Beaverton. “IB has provided our students with a rigorous curriculum, prepared our students for success in post-high school programs, and has allowed our students opportunities to build career-ready skills while in high school. As we share our work with other schools, we celebrate and highlight how the IB program has positively impacted our students and learning community."

Oregon universities strongly value the IB curriculum and have reached a consensus on minimal scores and transferable credits for IB courses. In particular, the University of Oregon and Oregon State University have published policies that are very welcoming to IB students. A recent study of students at the University of Oregon’s Honors College found that IB students were better prepared for college for both academic and non-academic factors.

Further details are available at http://blogs.ibo.org/universityadmissions/2017/12/20/expanding-opportunities-for-ib-students-becoming-vocal-in-spaces-that-matter/.

About International Baccalaureate

In 2018, the International Baccalaureate (IB) celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Pioneering a movement of international education in 1968, the non-profit foundation now offers four high quality and challenging educational programmes to students aged 3-19 years old. Through a unique curriculum with high academic standards, we champion critical thinking and a flexibility for learning by crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries. The IB currently engages with more than 1.4 million students in over 4,775 schools across 153 countries. To find out more, please visit 50years.ibo.org.

Media contact:

Colleen.Duffy@ibo.org

School/district contact:

Bob.Poole@ibo.org