PW International Baccalaureate Policies

Admission Policy
IB Career-related Programme
 Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
IB World School
Revised 5/15/24

Any student who is enrolled at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School may apply to The International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) and will need to complete the following responsibilities. 

Student Responsibility:  

Students considering the CP at PWHS are strongly advised to become familiar with the general characteristics of the programme, which can be found on the PWHS’ website, by attending an informational meeting or setting up a time to meet with the Programme Coordinator.  Students should be interested in one of the identified career-related pathways and agree to participate in the necessary coursework (two SL courses & chosen career-related study pathway), core components requirements (Service Learning, Language Development, Reflective Project and Personal and Professional Skills) and assessments (both internal and external) associated with the certificate program.

Students who are interested in the programme will submit an application by the designated due date & time.  The application process is designed to help potential candidates understand the Career-related Programme and provide them with opportunities to reflect on their personal goals for the programme.  In addition, the application serves as a means to collect important data and permissions that are required by the IB Organization.

Components of the application include:

• Student Information: Election Registration
• Declaration of Understanding 
  • IBCP Expectations and Requirements
  • Academic Code of Integrity
  • Permission to Release Data
  • Permission to Inclusive Assessment Measures
  • Obligation to Complete IB Assessments 
• Personal Statement (2)
• Recommendations (2)
• Interview (by invitation only)

School Responsibilities:

The CP Team determines selection criteria and may include an overview of a transcript, discipline history, attendance and overview of the student’s application items, including personal statements and recommendations. Once all application requirements are complete, The CP Team will review them and determine acceptance collectively.  The Team may also request an interview with the student during this process.

The school will inform students of acceptance status via school email prior to course selection of their sophomore year.

 

Assessment Policy
IB Career-related Programme
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
IB World School
Revised 11/20/24

Assessments are an integral component of teaching and learning in the International Baccalaureate Career Program (IBCP) at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.  Our school’s assessment policy reflects our commitment to fostering student learning through thoughtful and intentional evaluation practices. We believe that effective assessment empowers students to achieve their personal and academic goals, supports a culture of lifelong learning, and aligns with the IB’s philosophy of holistic education. Assessment practices are designed to be fair, transparent, inclusive, and reflective of both IB standards and local requirements.

General Assessment Beliefs

• Assessments drive the curriculum and are aligned with the written and taught curriculum and when applicable, teachers collaborate on the planning, evaluation and implementation of common assessments.
• Curriculum and assessments are aligned vertically, building on prior knowledge, skills, and concepts, and students are provided opportunities to illustrate their learning formatively and summatively. 
• Assessments are designed to align with course outcomes, state standards, and CP aims and objectives and are varied to provide students multiple ways to demonstrate their learning. 
• Assessments are learner centered, inquiry-based, and authentic in nature.
• Support and/or modifications will be provided to students identified with special educational needs, including arrangements made with International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) for candidates with assessment access requirements.
• Both internal assessment tasks and external assessments are used as an integral part of the curriculum and will support learning in the classroom.  
• Internal assessments will be collaboratively evaluated to ensure consistency.
• Teachers conduct regular internal moderation sessions to ensure consistency in marking.
• Samples of internally assessed coursework are reviewed to meet IB standards.
• Teachers will review feedback from the IB on assessment evaluation and will be reviewed and implemented each year. 
• All external assessments will be overseen by the coordinator to ensure the IB standards and practices are being upheld. 
• Students are responsible for their learning and therefore are expected to use assessment criteria to help them synthesize information, apply their learning, ask questions and solve problems. 
• Students are responsible for making a reasonable effort in all assessments including internal and external assessments in all components of the programme. 
• All work submitted for assessments is expected to be the student’s own work and represent the student’s own effort and abilities; students are expected to fully follow the guidelines outlined in Academic Honesty & Integrity Policy.

Formative & Summative Assessments

A balance of formative and summative assessments are implemented to ensure a holistic understanding of student progress.  

• Formative assessments

  • Formative assessments are designed to provide ongoing feedback to students and teachers, fostering a deeper understanding of concepts, skills, and objectives.  Through formative assessments, students will have a variety of opportunities to show their learning, gain feedback and make necessary adjustments to progress towards learning objectives.  By emphasizing growth and learning over time, formative assessments support the IB's mission of developing reflective, independent learners.
     

• Summative assessments

  • Summative assessments in an IB class are designed to evaluate student learning at the end of a unit, term, or course. These assessments measure students’ achievement of specific learning objectives and IB programme criteria, providing a comprehensive picture of their understanding and skill development. They are aligned with the IB philosophy of fostering critical thinking, inquiry, and a holistic view of education, ensuring students are prepared for future academic and professional challenges.

Grading and Feedback Responsibilities

• School Responsibilities:

  • Ensure collaboration and awareness on teachers’ part of grading and feedback processes in IB course and Core work
  • Provide opportunities for parent, student, and teacher feedback on grading practices
  • Facilitate both physical and electronic methods for easy, flexible, communication between teachers, parents, and students
     

• Teacher Responsibilities:

  • Provide feedback in a timely manner.
  • Maintain transparent and consistent grading expectations 
  • Assign grades to summative assessments and provide feedback to formative assessments.
  • Allow students opportunities to reflect on and use teacher and peer feedback 
  • Use the digital platforms of Canvas and PowerSchool to communicate feedback and progress.
  • Maintain a gradebook through PowerSchool where students, parents and administration can view grades.
  • Conduct conversations with students and parents on grading inquiries. 
     

• Student Responsibilities:

  • Maintain consistent awareness of grades and progress in Canvas and PowerSchool.
  • Communicate with teachers when there is a concern about their grades
  • Use any feedback provided to make adjustments to work

Reporting Grades and Expectations

• School Responsibilities:

  • Ensure that parents and students know that course transcript grades are different from examination grades for the IBO
  • Provide a platform for teachers to use to report grades
  • Follow district and state guidelines for reporting grades and credit on student transcripts
     

• Teacher Responsibilities:

  • Follow district expectations for reporting grades at progress periods
  • Adhere to the regular reporting cycles outlined by the school, including progress reports, conferences, and summative reports to communicate progress to students and their families. 
  • Maintain a regularly updated grade book using PowerSchool 
  • Communicate the translation of IB grades to the local grading scale to students and parents:

 

Student Responsibilities:

• Communicate any reporting inaccuracies to their teachers and the IB coordinator.

Language Policy
IB Career-related Programme
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
IB World School 
Revised 11/21/24

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School recognizes that language is central to learning, personal identity, and cultural understanding. All educators, regardless of discipline, are language teachers, and they play a vital role in facilitating communication and fostering language development. Our language policy aligns with the IB's commitment to multilingualism, inclusion, and equity, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive academically and personally. And where necessary, students’ heritage languages and cultures are valued and used as a bridge to new understandings and growth.

Language Development Across the Curriculum

• All teachers are language teachers and are responsible for fostering students' linguistic skills, including listening, speaking, reading, writing, and critical thinking, within their subject areas.
• Teachers integrate content-specific vocabulary and communication strategies into their lessons, ensuring students develop the language skills necessary for success in all subjects.
• The curriculum includes opportunities for students to share and engage in learning of students’ cultural heritages and linguistic diversity.
• In all courses, resources are available for students to remediate and build upon prior knowledge.

Learning Additional Languages  

• All students are required to learn at least one language in addition to their home/personal language/s in the IBCP at PWHS.
• Language acquisition experiences and lessons are available through our Language Development Core Component, offering options for students to explore both the linguistics and culture of their chosen language. 
• The programme acknowledges and respects the languages of the wider community by:
  • Integrating local languages and cultural references into lessons and learning experiences.
  • Hosting cultural events that celebrate linguistic diversity within the school and community.
  • Providing peer mentorship or tutoring opportunities for IB and ELD students.
  • Engaging with families to educate on supports and services provided by PWHS. 
• PWHS promotes multilingualism by encouraging students to use and value all their languages as assets for learning, development and growth. 

Inclusion and Equity

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School is accessible to English Language Learners and resources are in place to support these students including: 

• The implementation of the modifications and accommodations based on World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) can do descriptors. 
• Access to translation services, communication apps (Talking Points), interpreters, materials and resources for students and their families. 
• Instructional support and resource room check-ins with the English Language Development teacher
• World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) testing, progress monitoring and reflection for growth. 
• Opportunities for parent-teacher conferences to support student’s language development and progress.
• Opportunities for students to maintain and develop their home/personal language/s through:
  • Access to bilingual resources, including texts, websites and digital tools.
  • Language clubs, cultural organizations and mentorship programs.
  • Support for students to use their home language in appropriate academic contexts.
  • Language course for heritage speakers
• Staffing that includes both English Language Development and World Language teaching expertise.

Inclusion and Special Education Policy
IB Career-related Programme
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
IB World School
Revised 11/19/24The Colonial School District, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) and the IB Career-related Programme follow all requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Act mandated by the United States Department of Education.  

The stated purpose of the IDEA is:

• to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living;
• to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected;
• to assist States, localities, educational service agencies, and Federal agencies to provide for the education of all children with disabilities;
• to assist States in the implementation of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families;
• to ensure that educators and parents have the necessary tools to improve educational results for children with disabilities by supporting system improvement activities; coordinated research and personnel preparation; coordinated technical assistance, dissemination, and support; and technology development and media services;
• to assess, and ensure the effectiveness of, efforts to educate children with disabilities.

In accordance with this law and Pennsylvania School Code (Chapter 14), Plymouth Whitemarsh High School provides, without cost to parents, screenings and evaluations, appropriate programs and services to all students thought to be exceptional and in need of specially designed instruction and related services. Services are provided for the full range of disabilities listed below:

• Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder
• Blindness/Visual Impairment
• Deafness/Blindness
• Deafness/Hearing Impaired
• Developmental Delay
• Emotional Disturbance
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairments
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury

Special education instruction is aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. A guiding principle in delivering instruction to students with special needs is that standards-based instruction provides a solid foundation for all students to master the academic content, skills, and competencies for lifelong learning, independence, and professional growth. 

Gifted Services

In compliance with Pennsylvania School Code (Chapter 16), services designed to meet the unique needs of gifted students are provided. Students are identified individually based on guidelines and regulations embodied in state law under Chapter 16. Students who possess superior intelligence scores or who meet the multiple eligibility criteria indicating gifted ability by the gifted Multidisciplinary Team are provided with a program of specially designed instruction to meet the outstanding intellectual and creative abilities of the student. Gifted instructional services for eligible students are delineated on a Gifted Individualized Education Plan and address areas of demonstrated gifted achievement. 

Services for Protected Handicapped Students

In compliance with state law (Chapter 15) and federal law (Section 504), Plymouth Whitemarsh High School provides services, related aids and/or reasonable accommodations needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from the school program and extracurricular activities. In order to qualify, a student must have a physical or mental disability which substantially limits a major life activity. If an evaluation and subsequent parent/school team determine that a child is eligible, a service agreement noting reasonable accommodations in regular education is developed. 

PWHS and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) is accessible to all students, including those with IEPS, 504 Plans and GIEPs.  All students who intend to pursue the program are advised to consider the rigor and expectations as curricular decisions are made.  Support documents in an IEP, 504 Plan and GIEP should be designed with the intention of maximizing success in formal IB assessments.  The International Baccalaureate Organization provides assessment accommodations according to its own standards, which may or may not be consistent with those documented in an IEP, 504 Plan and GIEP.  Only those assessment accommodations authorized by IB will be provided for IB assessments.

School Responsibilities:

Plymouth Whitemarsh High School conducts ongoing child-find activities for the purpose of identifying students who may be in need of special education and related services. Additionally, teachers who suspect a child may need services can make a referral to the Student Support or Child Study Team to explore regular education support and classroom modifications. Multidisciplinary evaluations (MDE) follow for those not making sufficient progress with those supports. All information gathered under this process is confidential and may be available to the parent on request.

Students with IEPs, 504 plans or GIEPs can access support listed in their plans as well as from their case manager in the Special Education Department. Case Manager/Special Education Teacher is responsible for overseeing the gathering of information, writing, holding meetings, implementation, and monitoring of student’s, classes, schedules, home and school communication, teacher and administration communication and mental health agencies. They also progress monitor that goals are being met.

Teachers (regular education and special education) are responsible for following all the specially designed instructions to meet the needs of students who have IEPs, 504 plans or GIEPs.  

All support structures that are available for all students at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School are also available to CP students including academic support, Extended Learning Time (ELT), The Writing Center, and bonus block teacher help sessions.  

Student Responsibilities:

Students with IEP, 504 plans or GIEPs are responsible for attending school and following the plan written in the IEP, 504 plan or GIEP document.  Any student who is in need of additional support is encouraged to contact the IB Programme Coordinator.

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities:

Parents can request an evaluation of their child from the school at any point.  If their child qualifies for an IEP. 504 or GIEP, they are required to attend (minimally) one annual IEP meeting each year. Parents are encouraged to contact the IB Coordinator if they feel their child needs additional support at any time during the programme.  

 

Academic Integrity Policy
IB Career-related Programme
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
IB World School
Revised 5/15/24

One of the hallmarks of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) is that it respects the students as mature learners, capable of engaging in a challenging academic curriculum and maintaining responsibility for their academic achievement. As a result, the programme requires that students maintain the highest degree of ethical standards.  

It is essential that students understand and uphold all tenants of this academic honesty and integrity policy.  If students have any questions or are unclear of the expectations, they should contact their teacher or the CP Coordinator. 

Statement and Definition of Malpractice

Cheating, plagiarism and collusion of any kind are unacceptable, and disciplinary action will be enforced. Examples of violations of such offenses include but are not limited to the following: 

• Using or having available for use material that may provide assistance on an assessment other than what your teacher may specifically allow; 
• Receiving unauthorized help during an assessment (including submitting assignments that were edited or otherwise contributed to by tutors, family members, etc.);
• Providing unauthorized help to another student prior to or during an assessment; 
• Submitting someone else’s work or a close copy of it as your own (including using AI to produce work on your behalf);
• Providing your work to someone else, who then submits it or a close copy of it as his/her own, regardless of whether that was the intent of providing the work; 
• Collaborating on an assignment unless you are specifically told you may do so; 
• Copying or paraphrasing published or unpublished work and submitting it as your own without appropriate citations (plagiarism); 
• Signing any documents meant to be signed by a supervisor, facilitator or parent (forgery); 
• Completing documentation dishonestly (i.e. including false information). These guidelines apply to all work completed for a class, graded or ungraded, such as classwork, homework, summer assignments, etc;
• Using any artificial intelligence technologies to create, develop, write or craft information and then present this as your original work;
• Falsifying hours for the CP Core in logs and/or portfolios.
• Submitting the same work for multiple assignments without clear addition, improvements, edits and/or revisions for the intended purpose.

Guidance and Support to Uphold Academic Integrity 

Guidance and support in upholding the academic honesty and integrity policy will be provided; however, it is the primary responsibility of a student to seek guidance should they have questions or are unclear in any way of the policy.   

Collaboration Guidance

The governing principle should be that unless your teacher specifically indicates otherwise, the work which you do should be entirely your own.  If you are unclear about expectations of working in partners or with a group at any point, clarify the situation with your teacher or the CP Coordinator before making an error.  

Plagiarism Prevention

When including other people’s and ideas in your writing or presentations (paraphrased or directly quoted), it must be cited to avoid plagiarism.  Instructions on citing sources will be provided to students in the Personal and Professional Skills Course and students may also utilize the PW Writing Center for further clarification.  In addition, all papers and presentations will be submitted through Turnitin.com, a web-based program that will provide students a report of citable content in their writing.  This site will also be used to monitor students’ work for plagiarism; the IB will also conduct random checks of candidates’ work for plagiarism using a similar web-based program.  Using and submitting work produced by AI as one’s own is prohibited and should be avoided. 

Role and Responsibilities

Students:  

Students are expected to uphold all tenants of this academic honesty and integrity policy at all times.  If a student has confusion about the policy, it is his or her responsibility to ask a teacher or the CP Coordinator for clarification.

Teachers:  

Teachers are expected to support students’ knowledge and understanding of this policy, providing guidance of appropriate collaboration and citation practices.  Teachers are also responsible for reporting any suspicion of malpractice to the CP Coordinator and PW Administration.

School:  

PW is expected to enforce this policy and conduct thorough investigations in the event that malpractice is suspected.  In the event that an investigation yields that malpractice has occurred, the PW administration will enforce appropriate sanctions.  

Investigations of Malpractice and Sanctions

Any infractions of this code may constitute grounds for disciplinary action, academic sanctions, revocation of an acceptance to the IB Career-related Programme, and/or removal from the IB Career-related Programme at any point during the two years of participation.  If malpractice of this policy is suspected, PW Administration along with the Head of School, CP Coordinator and teachers will open an investigation to determine appropriate consequences.