International Baccalaureate

Admissions Procedure

Entry to North Central High School

The decision to participate in the International Baccalaureate program is a process that begins prior to entering North Central High School. The decision requires that students along with their parents make an appointment to meet with the IB coordinator. Although this conference is most frequently scheduled during the eighth grade, a meeting needs to occur whenever a student decides to participate in the IB program in order to discuss program options, required classes, or possible conflicts. At this initial meeting, students should bring evidence of their ability to perform in an honors curriculum. Usually a report card from their middle school or grades from the most current high school semester is sufficient.

Ninth Grade

During the second semester of the freshman year, students who have taken an honors curriculum and maintained an A or B in these courses need to register for Advanced Placement United States History for their sophomore year. Although this is a junior level class, all pre-IB sophomores must take the course to be ready for European History during their junior year.

Tenth Grade

Pre-IB Sophomores who have continued to earn A’s and B’s in their honors classes and who have decided to pursue the IB diploma, are now ready to make a formal application to the program. This is a three-step process.

Step I-Teacher Assessments

Pre-IB students will obtain recommendations from teachers in their five core classes: English, foreign language, social studies, science, and mathematics. Students will give forms designed for this purpose to their teachers who will complete them and return them to the IB coordinator.

Step II-Student (and parent) Self-Assessment

Pre-IB students along with their parents will complete a self-assessment in order to determine if working for an IB diploma is the best choice. This assessment is similar to the ones their teachers have made.

Step III-IB Coordinator and Student Meeting

Prior to pre-IB students making course selections for the junior year, which includes Theory of Knowledge, a final appointment with the IB Coordinator should be scheduled in order to review both the teacher and the students’ evaluations and make plans for the final two years of high school.