Leander ISD Superintendent Dan Troxell, Ph.D., announced that 87 percent of Leander High School’s Class of 2016 International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Candidates received their IB Diploma.
“On behalf of the district, we congratulate our 2016 IB Diploma recipients,” Troxell said. “This is the most rigorous academic opportunity for high school students, and we are pleased that more students are successfully pursuing the prestigious IB Diploma.”
LISD also reported that 71 Leander HS students took 196 IB Exams in 2016, and 89 percent met criterion on those exams by receiving a passing score of 4-7. This is a Leander HS IB record, improving upon an 83-percent pass rate in 2015.
The average score of Leander HS students who earned the IB Diploma was 33 points—the highest average score ever achieved at the school. This surpasses the global average IB diploma score of 30.07 points.
“Because of its challenging demands, we are confident our IB Diploma recipients are well-prepared for their postsecondary endeavors,” Troxell said.
In order to earn the IB Diploma, students must take six IB courses (at least three of them over two years), score a total of at least 24 points on cumulative exams, and complete the 4,000-word Extended Essay, pass the Theory of Knowledge class, and demonstrate a two-year commitment to Creativity, Activity and Service.
There are many benefits associated with earning the IB Diploma. These range from increased admission rate at top colleges, to significantly higher probability of graduation from college in four years, to actual college credit at a Texas public university. For example, the State of Texas awards at least 24 college credit hours for the IB Diploma, according to Texas Education Code [TEC] §51.968, 2005.
One hundred percent of the Leander HS IB Diploma Programme (DP) class of 2016 are headed to colleges and universities across the country, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rice University, the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and others. They join an IB DP alumni community of nearly 1.5 million graduates in 136 countries around the world.
“We are so proud of the accolades the IB DP students have achieved at Leander HS,” Lisa Nucci, director of college and career readiness, said. “The level of commitment these students and their IB teachers have demonstrated to the IB DP is truly amazing.”
LISD has Primary Years Programmes (PYPs) at Mason Elementary School and Grandview Hills Elementary School, as well as the IB DP at Leander HS, an IB World School since 1999. Additionally, Vandegrift High School is in the Authorization phase to become the district’s second IB DP. This fall, 153 students will begin their ninth-grade year with the intention of becoming VHS’s first IB Diploma class in 2020.
ABOUT IB
Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a non-profit foundation, which offers four high quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools. For close to 50 years, IB programmes have gained a reputation for their rigor and high academic standards, for preparing students for life in a globalized 21st century, and for helping to develop citizens who will create a better, more peaceful world. Currently, more than 1.3 million IB students attend over 4,500 schools in 147 countries. To learn more, please visit www.ibo.org.
