Gar-Field High School receives authorization to offer the IB’s newest program

 Gar-Field High School Receives Authorization to Offer the IB’s Newest Programme

Prince William County Public Schools has received notification from the International Baccalaureate Organization Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, that Gar-Field Senior High School has been fully authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme.

This news comes after a year-long formal authorization process.

Administrative Coordinator of IB at Gar-Field, Brian Bassett, said, “The authorization process is a tough journey. The IBO makes you plan it, build it, then measure it; sends in an inspection team, then makes you go back and successfully address any issues that may exist, then authorizes you. This was the result of several years’ worth of work and professional development by curriculum supervisors in CTE and Specialty Programmes; Principals, both past and current; and teachers.”

Gar-Field Senior High School is the 7th school authorized to offer the IBCP in Virginia, 75th in the United States, and 103rd globally. The IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) began as a pilot program in 2004 and became available in 2012 to all interested IB World Schools offering the Diploma Programme.

“Similar to the IB Diploma Programme, the IBCP is another option for our students in grade 11 and 12,” GF IBCP Coordinator Michelle Schneider explains. “Students must take a rigorous academic schedule that includes Diploma Programme courses and an approved career-related program. These two components are bridged by a set of specially designed IBCP core requirements that include second language development, service learning, an Approaches to Learning course, and a reflective project in their chosen career pathway.”

“The IB Career-Related Programme will help us reach an even broader student population by allowing students with passion in various CTE fields an earlier opportunity to specialize in a particular chosen career field,” says Gar-Field Principal, Dr. Cherif Sadki.

Current career pathways available to Gar-Field students interested in pursuing the IBCP Certification include: Project Lead the Way Pathways, Marine Corps Junior ROTC, Teachers for Tomorrow, and over 10 different career clusters offered through the Virginia Department of Education.

“Receiving our authorization is a shared achievement. The collaboration between core academic subjects and CTE electives is where we need to be in order to prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow. I am encouraged with the dialogue and potential for authentic interdisciplinary learning and application. To me, it is one more way an IB education helps break down walls of communication and perception,” says Bassett.