International Baccalaureate Programme
Goshen High School is currently offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program through the end of the 2023-2024 school year. The IB Diploma Program is a demanding, two-year program of curriculum and service that meets the needs of highly motivated secondary students. The Diploma Program offers a comprehensive and integrated approach to learning that prepares students for rigorous assessments in six subject areas during grades 11 and 12. Students must also complete Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS), a 4,000-word essay of original research, and a Theory of Knowledge course. The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) awards its diploma to students who perform successfully on the six external examinations and fulfill all other requirements of the program at an authorized IB world school.
Students who do not wish to pursue the full diploma may take individual IB courses and receive certificates for successfully completing the IB assessments. Individual IB courses will continue to be offered at GHS after the 2023-2024 school year when the Diploma Program is discontinued. Our students find these courses to be great preparation for college and may receive college credit at certain universities.
- Relationships matter and are the center of learning
- Inquiry-based academics for all
- Extra-curricular opportunities for all
- Respect and open-mindedness for different ideas and cultures
- Las relaciones son importantes y son el núcleo del aprendizaje.
- Las actividades académicas están basadas en la indagación.
- Existen oportunidades extracurriculares para todos.
- Existe el respeto y la mentalidad abierta hacia las diferentes ideas y culturas.
How is the IB program different?
The International Baccalaureate aims to do more than other curricula by developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. The IB program is different because:- it encourages students to think critically
- it encourages students to consider both their local and international environment.
“I have learned what it is like to work at the level of a college student. IB courses have further helped me in knowing how to study and work hard in preparation for college-level curriculum and expectations.” –former GHS IB student
Creating International-Minded Learners
There are ten attributes valued by the IB World Schools that can help people become responsible members of local, national, and global communities. As IB learners, we strive to be:Diploma Programme Courses at GHS
- Group 1: Literature
- Group 2: Spanish, French, German
- Group 3: History, Psychology
- Group 4: Biology, Physics, Chemistry
- Sports, Exercise and Health Science
- Group 5: Math Studies
- Group 6: Music Theory, Visual Arts
- Theory of Knowledge
- Extended Essay
Individual Courses
Students who do not wish to pursue the full diploma may take individual IB classes and receive certificates for successfully completing the IB assessments.- Plagiarism: representing the ideas or work of another as one’s own, intentionally or unwittingly, without proper, clear, explicit acknowledgment.
- Collusion: supporting malpractice by another student, for example, allowing work to be copied or helping others cheat. (showing quiz/test answers, inappropriately sharing GoogleDocs, sharing test questions with other students before they have taken the test)
- Duplication of Work: presenting the same work for a different assignment or assessment.
- Copying another person’s assignment or allowing someone else to copy your assignment.
- Substituting synonyms for another person’s word choices or restating someone else’s ideas in your own words without crediting the source.
- Handing in another person’s work as your own.
- Dividing questions on an individual assignment so that several students answer a portion of the assignment, permitting each other to copy answers. Although group work and cooperative learning are often encouraged, individual assignments must remain the work of the individual student. Always ask your teacher if an assignment may be completed with others. Do not assume it is allowed.
- Copying sentences, phrases, paragraphs, or pages from books, websites, or other sources without providing citations. Writing should be either original or attributed.
- Using intellectual property (pictures, graphs, diagrams, quotes, books, films, music recordings, television, or any other media) without proper citations.
- Taking answers from a classmate’s quiz or test paper, using a crib/cheat sheet, or sharing answers during a testing situation.
- Falsifying data, conclusions, and answers and presenting them as fact.
- Stealing, taking images of assessments.
- Discussing exam questions in any manner with students who have yet to take the exam.
- “Principled: act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice, and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups, and communities. They will take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.” ©International Baccalaureate 2014
- Strive to emulate and apply the qualities of a learner as depicted in the IB Learner Profile.
- Request clarification, when needed, of expectations for assignments.
- Take pride in their original thoughts and work.
- Utilize appropriate citations and include works cited.
- Refuse to participate in any form of academic dishonesty.
- Accept responsibility and consequences for their actions.
- Strive to emulate and apply the qualities of a learner as depicted in the IB Learner Profile.
- Teach and practice the ATL research category skills under information research and media literacy to develop student understanding of academic honesty practices
- Model appropriate citations for works cited.
- Support student understanding of plagiarism, collusion, duplication of work, fabrication, and cheating.
- Design assignments that do not lend themselves to academic misconduct.
- Provide students with clear expectations for individual assignments.
- Provide students with clear expectations for assignments that allow for collaborative work.
- Provide students with clear guidelines as to the range of permissible resources used on a particular assignment.
- Provide students with ongoing support on the requirements for citing and acknowledging original authorship.
- Provide guidance on the distinction between valid collaboration and unacceptable collusion.
- Advise students on what constitutes intellectual property and authentic authorship.
- Provide students with clear expectations of the possible consequences of unethical conduct.
- Strive to emulate and apply the qualities of a learner as depicted in the IB Learner Profile.
- Consistently and fairly apply penalties for infractions of this policy.
- Provide ongoing support for the school community in understanding and implementing the Academic Integrity Policy.
- Familiarize themselves with the GHS Academic Integrity Policy.
- Discuss academic integrity and possible consequences with their student.
- Help students know how to avoid academic dishonesty when confronted by peers.
- Communicate with appropriate staff regarding academic integrity questions or concerns.
- Tier I – Daily homework, practice assignments, in-class work that is not a test or a quiz, helping others to commit academic dishonesty.
- Tier II – Papers, tests, using notes on a test or quiz unless stated that it is appropriate to do so, plagiarizing another’s words or ideas in a paper, sharing the content or structure of a test or quiz with another student before that student has taken the assessment, helping others to commit academic dishonesty, repeatedly violating Tier I.
- Tier III – Externally moderated/scored assessments such as IB Internal Assessments and written examinations or state standardized tests. Major class assignments, projects, and papers, obtaining a copy of the test prior to the test. Helping others to commit academic malpractice. Participating in large scale (3 or more students) academic dishonesty.
- Tier I – Verbal warning, redoing the assignment for partial credit, loss of credit for the assignment
- Tier II – loss of credit for the assignment, assigned course on academic integrity, an additional assignment given
- Tier III – Failure of a course, withdrawn as an IB candidate, notification to an outside agency in the case of IB, AP, or dual credit. Automatic review of the case by the Academic Integrity Panel. Parent/Guardian will be notified by the grade-level principal and may attend the panel hearing.
- Tier I: No appeals. The classroom teacher's decision is final.
- Tier II: The student may appeal the decision of the teacher. The Academic Integrity Panel will examine the facts of the case after student and teacher input is given.
- Tier III: Automatic appeal. Once a Tier III violation has been reported the Academic Integrity Panel will automatically examine the circumstances and apply consequences. The consequences will be communicated to the parties involved in a timely manner.
- When an instance of academic dishonesty is found by a teacher, the teacher will conduct the initial investigation.
- When evidence is collected, the case is reported to the head of the panel.
- The head of the panel informs the grade-level principal of the incident. Grade-level administrator contacts parents and informs the student of the upcoming panel meeting.
- The head of the panel sets up a time and place for the panel to assemble.
- The teacher will present evidence, answer questions, and discuss possible consequences with the panel. When finished, the teacher leaves. This is to protect the teacher-student relationship because it is the panel, not the teacher, who makes the decision about consequences.
- The student is called into the meeting to give their account of the incident. Members of the panel ask questions, discuss academic integrity, and make the experience one of learning rather than punishment.
- The student leaves and is informed they will be called to the office to hear the panel’s findings.
- The panel deliberates and comes to a consensus as a group on consequences, then adjourns.
- The teacher who brought the case will be informed of the panel’s decision.
- The next school day, the head principal calls the student in question to the office and talks to them about their consequences.
Purpose of Assessment
The GHS mission statement as well as the IB Learner Profile, IB Mission Statement, and IB Approaches to Learning are the basis for our assessment philosophy and assessment policy at GHS. The philosophy of assessment at GHS is that the purpose of assessment is to give accurate and timely feedback to teachers and students as well as to gather evidence that reflects on what students know and can do. In accordance with the IB Mission Statement, GHS strives to instill a growth mindset in students in order to develop life-long learners. Standardized Assessments Students at GHS are required by federal, state, and school corporation rules to take a variety of standardized tests throughout their time as students. These tests include, but are not limited to ISTEP, WIDA, ASVAB, SRI, and PSAT. Voluntary standardized tests may include the SAT and ACT. International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Assessments Students who participate in the IB Diploma Programme are also required to take the IB assessments at the end of their courses in the IB Programme, which are externally assessed. In addition, the DP has a variety of required Internal Assessments that are completed and graded in school but are externally moderated. Class Assessments Students at GHS will take a wide variety of formative and summative assessments as part of every course they take. The purpose of formative assessments is to improve/adjust instruction and to give student feedback. The purpose of summative assessments is to measure student mastery. Some methods of assessment include writing, multiple-choice, oral, project, presentation, and performance. Retakes of assessments may be allowed in some classes. Assessments are criterion-based and authentic, using the MYP assessment rubrics. It is also expected that teachers will include questions on their end-of-course assessments that exhibit varying levels of Depth of Knowledge (DOK). Teachers implement these in-class assessments at their discretion and at times when it is best for collecting evidence of where students are in their learning. Teachers then analyze student work and performance in both course-alike groups using the Data-Driven Instruction (DDI) protocol. Special Needs Assessment Students at GHS who have an Individualized Education Program plan (IEP), 504 plan, or Individualized Language Plan (ILP) receive a number of different services to ensure that assessments truly measure learning. School personnel regularly adapt assessments for different levels of students, provide help by reading assessments to students, scribing for students, allowing assessments to be typed or hand-written, providing language support for English language learners, etc. More information can be found in the inclusion policy. Grade Reporting Grades are continually available to parents and students online through Skyward. Grades are calculated every nine weeks, and report cards are distributed one week after the end of each grading period. Students may receive weekly grade reports in their SRT. The grade tracker form is used in all 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade SRT rooms. Graduation Requirements To graduate from Goshen High School, a student shall have completed one of the mandated pathways and have met the requirements set forth by the state of Indiana. The credits shall be so arranged that the student will receive a broad general education. Cumulative Records Policy for Students Each student’s educational records are maintained by GHS, used for school purposes, and available for review by the student and/or his or her parents. At the beginning of each semester, the student will be given an updated transcript that contains the student’s GPA and rank in the class. If the student has any questions, he or she should immediately contact his or her counselor. Students can review these records at other times with their counselor by setting an appointment. Weighted Grades An extra point will be awarded for IB, AP, and dual-credit courses that have external assessments. Weighted grades will be used for class ranking purposes. The student transcript will show the GPA on both the 4.0 and 5.0 scales. The following scale is used to figure grade point averages: A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3.0, B- = 2.67, C+ = 2.33, C = 2.0, C- = 1.67, D+ = 1.33, D = 1.0, D- = .67, F = 0 International Baccalaureate and Academic Honors Diplomas Students may wish to pursue specialized diploma opportunities to enhance consideration for admission to higher education. These diploma programs are International Baccalaureate and Academic Honors Diploma. Academic Honors require additional mathematics, science, and world language courses, with credits totaling 47 or more and with no grade below a C- and a GPA of 3.0. Check with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Coordinator for a specific plan for the IB diploma; however, the Theory of Knowledge class, the Extended Essay project, and CAS work (Creativity, Activity, and Service) are all part of the IB diploma. The IB diploma is recognized worldwide for academic excellence. Students are highly encouraged to pursue these degrees. Specific requirements for these diplomas are available online and in the Goshen High School Bulletin of Courses. Graduation recognition- Summa Cum Laude: Students with a weighted Grade Point Average of 4.0 or above.
- Magna Cum Laude: Students with a weighted Grade Point Average of 3.75-3.99.
- Cum Laude: Students with a weighted Grade Point Average of 3.5-3.74.
- Cathy Demeyer, Head of School
- Matthew Nichols, IB Coordinator, DP Instructor
- Specific Learning Disabilities
- Emotional Impairments
- Cognitive Impairments
- Speech and Language Impairments
- Visual Impairments
- Hearing Impairments
- Physical Impairments
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- General Education Classes
- Special Education Classes
- English Language Classes (EL)
- High Ability Classes
- Hearing Impaired Program
- Visual Impaired Program
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech and Language Therapy
- School Social Worker
- School Psychologist
- Counselors
- Summer School Classes
- APEX (Online) Classes
- Student Resource Time (SRT)
- Alternative Schools (Merit Learning Center, Goshen Online Academy)
- 504 Plan
- Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
- Individualized Language Plan (ILP)
- Homebound Academic Support
- School Nurse
- Special Needs and English Language Paraprofessionals: Group and 1:1
- Assistive Technology
- Small-Group Instruction
- Differentiation, both for remediation and enrichment
- Scribe
- Reader
- Extended Time
- Prompting and Cueing
- ENL Support
- Behavioral Modifications
- Alternate Testing Environments
- Accommodated Materials and Assessments
- Paraprofessionals