IB at Brandon Academy

In a continuation of my series of academic interests and growth of our students, I will be focusing on Brandon Academy’s selection of the International Baccalaureate program.

The IB program, as it is known, is a global instructional ideology that has become quite popular in the United States, and especially in Florida, in recent years. IB presents a challenging and visionary curriculum for students and gives them a distinct advantage over their peers in non-IB schools.

Brandon Academy’s selection of the IB program was driven mainly to give our students an advantage on college applications in conjunction with many common educational philosophies. In this modern world of hyper-competitive college admissions, IB stands above all other programs including AP course work and Honors programs when the time arrives for college applications.

Throughout our school we will see more and more of the positive effects of IB as we prepare our students for the academic rigors of Pre-IB and, eventually, the IB Diploma Program. All of our students will benefit greatly throughout the length of their education by striving to fulfill the IB Learner Profile, which includes: open-mindedness, caring, balanced, knowledgeable, thinkers, risk-takers, reflective, communicators, inquirers and principled. I truly believe these are traits we all seek for our children.

In addition, IB also drives community service and spirit through its Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) program that focuses students on becoming community and global leaders. Through community service, out of school activities, active participation in off campus causes, the student will gain a greater appreciation and understanding for the challenges in the 21st Century. Understanding viewpoints from all parts of the world and getting involved will foster a holistic approach to education.

In October, International Baccalaureate will visit our campus and we will be proud to share our students’ successes. Our classrooms will exhibit these learner profile traits as a reminder to our students of their goals. From our youngest three year olds to our high school students, we are helping to develop the global leaders of tomorrow.