International Baccalaureate Program in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD

The IB Diploma Programme is an open enrollment program offered exclusively at Samuel Clemens High School. Students from outside the Samuel Clemens High School attendance zone are eligible to request a transfer to Samuel Clemens High School for the purpose of completing the IB Diploma Programme. 

IB Diploma Programme 

Imagine a worldwide community of schools, educators and students with a shared mission to empower young people with the values, knowledge and skills to create a better and more peaceful world. This is the International Baccalaureate (IB). The Diploma Programme (DP) aims to provide an education that enables students to make sense of the complexities of the world around them, as well as equipping them with the skills and dispositions needed for taking responsible action for the future. They provide an education that crosses disciplinary, cultural, national and geographical boundaries, and that champions critical engagement, stimulating ideas and meaningful relationships. The International Baccalaureate® (IB), and the Diploma Programme (DP) in particular, enjoys a high level of respect and recognition among the world’s higher education institutions. For students, success in the IB often results in advanced standing, course credit, scholarships, and other admissions related benefits at many universities.

IB Learner Profile

The International Baccalaureate learner profile describes a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. The Diploma Programme is committed to the development of students according to the IB learner profile. The profile aims to develop learners who are: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. 

Curriculum and Assessment in the IB Diploma Programme

In the DP, the curriculum consists of six subject groups and the three elements of the DP core, comprising theory of knowledge (TOK), creativity, activity, service (CAS) and the extended essay. At least three and not more than four subjects are taken at higher level (240 teaching hours), while the other subjects are taken at standard level (150 teaching hours). The extended essay asks students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the DP subjects they are studying. The world studies extended essay option allows students to focus on a topic of global significance which they examine through the lens of at least two DP subjects. Theory of knowledge develops a coherent approach to learning that unifies the academic disciplines. In this course on critical thinking, students inquire into the nature of knowing and deepen their understanding of knowledge as a human construction.  The theory of knowledge (TOK) course encourages students to become more aware of their own perspectives and assumptions through an exploration of the fundamental question of how we know what we know. Creativity, action, service (CAS) involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme. Creativity encourages students to engage in the arts and creative thinking. Action seeks to develop a healthy lifestyle through physical activity. Service with the community offers a vehicle for new learning with academic value. The three strands of CAS enhance students’ personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning and enable journeys of self-discovery.

College Admissions and Credit Policies

In adherence with Texas Senate Bill 111, Texas public universities “shall grant at least 24 semester credit hours or equivalent course credit in appropriate subject areas to an entering freshman student for successful completion of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. The institution may grant fewer than 24 semester credit hours if the student received a score of less than four on an examination administered as part of the diploma program.” A survey of more than 4,000 students conducted by the International Insight Research Group in partnership with the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) showed that the acceptance rate of IB students into Ivy League universities is up to 18% higher than the total population acceptance rate. The gap is even more significant for top-ranked universities outside of the Ivy League, where it is 22% higher, on average.