STATE COLLEGE — The State College Area School District Board of Directors approved the phasing out of the International Baccalaureate Programme from the State College Area High School that has been in place since 2019 at a meeting on Monday, Nov. 4.
The International Baccalaureate Programme aimed “to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect,” according to the SCASD website. Until the school board meeting on Monday, Nov. 4, State High was an authorized International Baccalaureate World School. As a part of this, 11th and 12th grade students at the high school were offered the option of participating in the IB’s Diploma Programme and the Career-related Programme.
“We recognize the value of the IB Programme and acknowledge the impact that the program has had on the students involved in the program,” the district administration said while
Recommending the phasing out of the IB Programme during the meeting.
“However, after careful consideration and analysis, we believe this change will better align with our current educational priorities, financial resources and our comprehensive plan.”
According to a news release from SCASD, enrollment and completion of the IB Diploma Programme has decreased. According to the release, only 20 students are currently enrolled in the IB Programme.
The board voted 4-3, with Deb Anderson, Amy Bader, Jackie Huff and Anne Demo in favor and
Peter Buck, Aaron Miller and Dan Kolbe opposing. Though Carline Crevecouer and Gretchen Brandt
were not present, a motion made by Buck to postpone the vote until the full board was present was
voted down 4-3.
The district administration noted in their recommendation that the lack of flexibility in scheduling courses for the program were one of the reasons for the phasing out of the program.
The district has a policy which requires the board to approve waivers for courses that have fewer than 12 students. According to the release from SCASD, “21 of the 39 IB courses — compared to only 40 in total out of the entire high school course catalog — needed the waivers,” this school year. “This in turn has meant larger class sizes or sections elsewhere, presenting instructional challenges for teachers,” the statement noted, which the district administration used to explain how the phasing out of the program would allow for school staffing assignments to be revisited and class sizes to be reduced.
“Additionally, this phase-out creates an opportunity to revisit some of the staffing assignments at
the high school,” the recommendation noted. “In doing so, it should provide the ability to reduce class sizes and increase support for student learning through tiered interventions, as well as classroom support for high-need students.
“We will also evaluate offering new courses and electives as we move through the curriculum review process for each department. These objectives are in direct alignment with our district’s comprehensive plan.”
According to SCASD, the IB Programme requires between $117,000 to $138,000 to maintain, with an additional $13,000 fee paid to the IB organization.
“Transitioning away from the IB Programme will enable us to reallocate teaching resources more effectively,” the recommendation said. “This change will facilitate better alignment of our teaching staff with course requests from students and provide more capacity to support our Multi-tiered Systems of Support Tiered Interventions, including our Learning Centers and the Academic Center for Enrichment. There is also the strong potential to reduce class sizes across the high school master schedule.”
The district plans to phase out the IB Programme over a three-year period which will allow current students to complete their studies.
