Field Elementary is now an IB School

International Baccalaureate program prepares
students for college

Cory de Vera
News-Leader

At the end of February, Field Elementary Principal Nancy Colbaugh got the news she'd been waiting for: Field was accepted as an International Baccalaureate World School.

The school earned the designation after four and a half years of planning, teacher training and developing its program as an IB candidate school.

In December, officials from Canada and Texas visited the school for two days to observe every class, examine lesson plans, and speak with teachers, parents and students to verify that the school was meeting international standards first established in Geneva, Switzerland. Written submissions had to be approved by offices in New York and Cardiff, Wales.

The day after getting the official letter, Colbaugh said she woke up at 4:30 in the morning and realized her school would be listed on the official Web site of the International Baccalaureate Organization.

"That's when it hit me," she said.

Back in 2004, Field was one of 13 elementaries ordered by school district leaders to figure out a way to increase enrollment or run the risk of closing.

Colbaugh and a school committee proposed implementing the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. Some of her parents had children in Central High School's International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and were intrigued by bringing the IB curriculum approach to an elementary school.

The high school diploma program is respected worldwide for its rigorous college prep curriculum. To earn the IB diploma students must take a series of essay exams, submit recorded oral exams in a foreign language, and fulfill activity requirements. Students who earn an IB diploma typically have at least some IB classes count toward college credit, and many think it puts them in good standing for college scholarships.

While the IB Diploma program is for disciplined and motivated students, the Primary Years Program shouldn't be thought of as a program only for the most motivated students, said IB coordinator Cheryl Fadler.

Instead, IB Primary Years emphasizes getting students to ask questions, conduct their own research, and then present what they have learned.

"It's about taking knowledge they've gained and applying it to a new situation," said Fadler. "What we hope for IB students is through a unit they will begin to wonder and have ideas about the ways they themselves can make the world a better place."

For instance, after studying about Afghanistan, one grade at Field held a book and school supply drive for children in Afghanistan.

While other schools may teach character traits, IB schools select traits that contribute to good learning, such as being open minded, said Fadler.

Another difference from a typical school is that IB schools must teach students a second language. All Field students study Spanish.

Brooke Mathews, the parent of daughters in first and third grade, said she was skeptical knowing her oldest was going to enter kindergarten in a new program. But she came to love the IB approach.

It's a very hands-on, said Mathews. One of her favorite lessons came when her daughter was in first grade. Students learned to make an incubator, and watched as baby ducks hatched. Then they got to take the baby ducks home.

"They had to figure out what they could eat, and what they couldn't eat," said Mathews. "I'll never forget how exciting it was."

Read the entire news story here.