by Angie Briceño | Jun 7, 2022
At the end of the 2017 school year, Futuro Verde received its certification as an International Baccalaureate World School. The International Baccalaureate Organization evaluates schools that acquire this certification every five years. It has been five years since our certification and for some months now we have been working on preparing for the evaluation by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
But, what does the IB Diploma Program evaluation process for schools around the world consist of?
According to the International Baccalaureate Organization, the primary objective of IB program evaluation is to help schools continually develop their capacity to implement IB programs in order to have a greater effect on student outcomes through the development of teaching and leadership practices (2).
The evaluation of the Diploma Program in the school engages the school in a process of reflection that allows us to understand which aspects of the program are being developed effectively and which need further development. This reflection is done in conjunction with students, families, the board of directors, teachers and staff members who are directly involved in the implementation of the program.
The evaluation consists of three distinct parts:
- The preliminary review, where the school reviews and updates the information that was provided at the beginning of the certification process. This section includes a survey of parents with children who are attending, have attended or will attend the Diploma Program the following school year.
- A process of self-evaluation, collaboration and reflection in which different stakeholders participate and where families and students are invited to participate in the process.
- Finally, a visit to the school, which in our case will take place on April 19, 20 and 21, 2023.
Once this evaluation process is completed, the IB Organization provides the school’s leadership team with the findings of the process and recommendations for the school.
For those families and students directly involved in the evaluation process, a form will be sent to them so that they can collaborate with the reflection process.
by Khalida Lockheed | Oct 20, 2021
Transitions
The transition to an International calendar has made the timing of the end of this school year and the beginning of the next school year feel odd. This is the time of year when, traditionally, we would be planning our end of the year activities, the closure of the school year coinciding with the closure of the calendar year. This year, however, we will be celebrating the culmination of primary school’s 6th graders on October 14th, but we won’t be celebrating the culmination and graduation of our 12th graders until the end of November, long after the next school year and the new IB cohort begins!
Looking Back
Our November 2021 IB cohort is preparing for their final exams and finishing up any last minute touches to their coursework which will finalize their time, not only as IB students, but Futuro Verde students. Some of this cohort have been Futuro Verde students since the school’s founding, 13 years ago! They are anxious and stressed, simultaneously looking ahead to their future plans and studies, while reflecting back on their time at Futuro Verde. They will be hosting our last Peace Practice of the year and of their student careers on October 7th. It will be an opportunity and a space for reflection.
Looking Ahead
Our May 2023 IB cohort is anxiously looking forward to beginning their journey as IB students. They have made their course selections and are enthusiastic to begin. Highlights for their upcoming year include Theory of Knowledge for all 11th graders, the new Psychology course, and exciting organized CAS experiences and retreats.
Finally, as with all transitions, changes, and new beginnings, we welcome Karol Madrigal to her new position as IB Coordinator and Curriculum Coordinator. With over 7 years of experience at Futuro Verde and currently working as the Curriculum Coordination at CINDEA, she is more than qualified to take on this new position. While our students will miss having her teach them in the classroom, she will now have the opportunity to positively impact students of all ages at Futuro Verde. As for myself, I will be continuing to assist with IB Coordination during the process of having our IB authorization verified during the 2022 and 2023 years and am delighted to be returning to teach Visual Arts at the secondary level.
During times of transition and change, life requires us to embody the IB Learner Profiles of being reflective while simultaneously being risk takers. The greatest growth happens on the trapeze of life when we let go of one trapeze and fly towards the next.
by Javier Sánchez Cáceres | Oct 7, 2021
On August 3, our twelfth grade students, accompanied by the principal Angie, teacher Javier and teacher Adriana, participated in an unforgettable experience full of adventure, challenges, laughter and above all, meaningful learning.
Crossing obstacles by holding on to ropes while maintaining balance, climbing a wall with concentration and canopy jumping at full speed were the main activities that the students were part of. One of the values that we can rescue the most during this experience was to see how support and teamwork stood out, achieving not only to bond the group, but also to enjoy extreme activities in a healthy way.
The group also had time to relax in the swimming pool, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the place, walk in a maze full of natural beauties, have delicious breakfast and lunch, and to finish, a cup of coffee accompanied by homemade sweet bread.
Thanks to this experience, our students were able to relax and enjoy in order to recharge their energy and determination for their last months of study in our institution.
“Look deeply into nature and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein
by Khalida Lockheed | May 7, 2021
The International Baccalaureate is not only for Diploma Program students, 11th and 12th graders. The IB Organization offers programs in the Primary and Middle years, preparing students to be global citizens, transdisciplinary thinkers, and well rounded people.
Like other IB schools in Costa Rica, Futuro Verde, is not authorized as a “continuum school” offering all three programs. However, by offering the capstone Diploma Program, in order to properly prepare students to be successful has required that we align the primary and middle years’ curriculum to IB.
What does this mean?
It means that all teachers, at all levels, must learn about the IB programs and ensure students are meeting the required standards.
Furthermore, the IB programs and courses are continuously undergoing revision with updates and thorough course program review and revision every seven years. IB encourages teachers to participate in this process making it a collaborative product.
Okay, you say, it makes sense that teachers and students should learn about and practice the IB program at their level. But what about families? As parents of students in a private school, it is clear that education is an important value in your family. Why it is important for parents to understand the program of study of their children became more apparent during the last school year when the pandemic sent students home for virtual learning.
We all experienced school in a new way over the last year!
To this end, we invite you to visit this space for more information and an overview of the IB. In addition, we will be organizing parent meetings to further inform and learn about the IB programs and what it means for students at every level.
Keep tuned!
by Khalida Lockheed | Nov 30, 2020
This has been a challenging year for all students, but for our 12th graders, finishing internal assessment tasks and preparing for exams with the uncertainty of whether or not these exams would, in fact, take place, was particularly challenging and stressful. The wonderful news is that they were all successful in completing and handing in all their work and uploading it to IB to be examined externally by IB examiners. Furthermore, Futuro Verde was one of only three IB World schools in Costa Rica to elect to hold in-person exams, permitted by both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. After in depth investigation regarding the required health protocols and the methods and algorithms used by the IB to calculate scores when no in person exams are conducted, it was clear that it was in our students best interest to sit the exams, if possible. Worldwide, roughly 75% of IB students sat exams with only 25% electing the alternative assessment route.
On November 13th, the 12th graders finished their last exams, which were sent off via DHL to England to be distributed internationally for assessment. Final scores will be released to the students in early January. We are so proud of their achievement, no matter what their scores! Meanwhile, our 12th graders are wasting no time as they prepare university applications, find employment while they wait for university admission, and prepare for their graduation.
by Angie Briceño | Jul 11, 2020
Over the past few weeks, we have all gotten to know our 12th grade, and 2nd generation International Baccalaureate students, through Tuesday’s social media posts “Portraits of a Graduate”.
2020 is a very different year for the 12th graders, where what was to be a last year of memories together in class has ended up being an isolated experience in each of their homes, working towards a common goal of obtaining the International Baccalaureate degree. What we can conclude from these “portraits’ is that Futuro Verde has been not only a portal of knowledge but also a family, for this group of students. The relationships and friendships they have established at Futuro Verde will be forever carried in their hearts. Futuro Verde has been an extremely important part of their lives and they have been important to the growth and evolution of Futuro Verde. Many of them have been with us since elementary school, others joined us at the beginning of high school. We have seen them grow as students and also as people. We have watched their trajectories and we can agree that today they are citizens of the world and are ready to go out and give the best of themselves and contribute to making our world a better place. We wish them all success!
