Manheim Township High School to offer International Baccalaureate program
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Updated Feb 03, 2011 22:40
By BRIAN WALLACE, Staff Writer
Manheim Township High School has won approval to start an International Baccalaureate curriculum in the fall.
It will be the second Lancaster County high school, along with McCaskey, to offer an IB program, which emphasizes a liberal arts education with a global perspective.
But unlike McCaskey, Manheim Township will enroll primarily students who intend to earn an IB diploma, which is recognized by colleges and universities worldwide.
McCaskey's program, which is in its 13th year, is open to all students, but most of them do not pursue an IB diploma.
Manheim Township has spent the past two years developing its curriculum, training teachers and undergoing scrutiny by the International Baccalaureate Organization, which approved its application Monday.
"I'm really excited about it," Larry Penner, an English teacher who serves as the school's IB coordinator, said. "It's a new opportunity at the high school that Township kids haven't had before."
The school will offer IB classes in English, German, French, Spanish, chemistry, physics, math, history of the Americas, theater and visual arts, along with a theory of knowledge course. Core courses will run for two years; the others will run for one year.
IB classes differ from advanced-placement courses in their international focus and emphasis on critical thinking, Penner said.
"Students look at subjects from the point of view of various cultures," he said, and are encouraged to "see connections across disciplines and take a more active part in deciding what issues to explore."
Penner said the IB program will require teachers to expand their knowledge base as well.
For example, he'll be teaching an IB English course next year that includes literature by Egyptian, Chilean and Russian writers.
"It stretched me as a teacher a bit to read literature outside of what you normally teach in high school, so I'm excited about that," Penner said.
Some assignments in IB classes will be graded by IB educators from across the globe.
About 18 Manheim Township sophomores have applied to enroll in the two-year program, which will be offered to juniors and seniors, Penner said.
The school has the capacity to enroll up to 60 pupils in the program, including students seeking an IB diploma and those taking IB courses as electives.
To be eligible, a pupil must maintain at least an 85 percent average through 10th grade and have completed three years of a foreign language, as well as geometry and Algebra 2.
Manheim Township will pay an annual fee ranging from $6,900 to $10,000 to participate in the program, Penner said.
Implementing the curriculum did not require hiring any new faculty, but the district had to train about a dozen teachers at a cost of about $1,500 per teacher.
That training was paid for with stimulus funds provided through the state that were earmarked for new curriculum programs, said Tim Williams, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and technology.
The district is purchasing some new teaching materials for the IB program, mainly English texts, but most materials already were available at the school, Penner said.
When it starts offering IB courses in the fall, Manheim Township will join an exclusive group.
Only 20 other schools in Pennsylvania have IB programs, according to the organization's website. In all, more than 3,100 schools in 140 countries offer IB programs.
bwallace@lnpnews.com
Read more: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/347468#ixzz1DVQITPYG
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