A Curriculum
For an international community
Our Curriculum
A Curriculum
For an international community
The curriculum we follow at ISD is the perfect fit to meet the needs of our diverse and internationally minded community. The International Baccalaureate® (IB) curriculum is the most respected and widely followed academic program in international schools. It spans our youngest students through to our Grade 12s.
INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
At ISD, we offer the Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Years Program (MYP) and Diploma Program (DP) of the IB.
There are many benefits to the IB:
- It encourages students to think critically and challenge what they are told.
- It’s independent of governments and national systems, so incorporates best practice. from a range of international frameworks and curricula.
- It encourages students to consider both their local and international environment.
- Research shows that IB students perform well on international academic assessments, and often better than students on other programs.
- Diploma Program graduates are better able to cope with demanding workloads and time-management challenges and feel more prepared for college-level coursework involving research than students from non-IB schools.
THE IB LEARNER PROFILE
At ISD, we all aspire to the attributes of the IB Learner Profile.
Primary Years Programme
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) prepares our young students, from the ages 6 to 11, to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in and contribute to the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both within and beyond the classroom.
Middle Years Programme
The IB Middle Years Program is a five-year program and our curriculum for Grades 6-10 – that’s our students aged 11 to 15.
The MYP builds on the inquiry-based PYP program and prepares students for the rigor of the IB Diploma Program. The MYP curriculum is an innovative, academically challenging curriculum that aims to develop critical thinking, multilingual, conceptual learners with a range of complex approaches to learning.
IB Diploma Programme
The IB Diploma Program (DP) is a challenging two-year curriculum for our oldest students, aged 16 to 18 (Grades 11 and 12). It leads to a qualification that is widely recognized by the world’s leading universities. Research suggests that there are many benefits to the DP. The programme aims to develop students who have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge – students who flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
Choosing IB Subjects
The Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum is made up of six subject groups courses and the DP core, comprising theory of knowledge (TOK), creativity, activity, service (CAS) and the extended essay.
Diploma Program Course
Students choose courses from the following subject groups: studies in language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and societies; sciences; mathematics; and the arts.
Students may opt to study an additional sciences, individuals and societies, or languages course, instead of a course in the arts.
Students will take some subjects at higher level (HL) and some at standard level (SL). HL and
SL courses differ in scope but are measured according to the same grade descriptors, with students expected to demonstrate a greater body of knowledge, understanding and skills at higher level.
Each student takes at least three (but not more than four) subjects at higher level, and the remaining at standard level. Standard level subjects take up 150 teaching hours. Higher level comprises 240 teaching hours.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 | Group 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
English A Language & Literature HL/SL |
English B HL/SL | Business Management HL/SL | Biology HL/SL | Mathematics Analysis & Approaches SL/HL | Visual Arts HL/SL |
| Bengali A Literature HL/SL | French B HL/SL | Economics HL/SL | Chemistry HL/SL | Mathematics Applications and Interpretation SL | Music HL/SL |
| School Supported Self-Taught Language A Literature SL | Spanish ab initio SL | Global Politics HL/SL | Physics HL/SL | Theatre HL/SL | |
| French ab initio SL | Environmental Systems and Societies SL |
Experiences at ISD
Exceptional Learning
Carnegie Mellon University
ISD partners with renowned US college Carnegie Mellon University to bring its world-leading research-backed robotics programme to our school.
Service Learning
ISD Service Saturdays is a student-led initiative that supports our MYP Service as Action and DP CAS Programmes.
Barça Academy
We are proud of our international partnership with FC Barcelona which brings Barça Academy, the official football school of FC Barcelona, with presence in 34 countries around the world to Bangladesh.
