The IBO has
asked each school to make this document available to all members of the Skyline
IB community. It documents the rules and
expectations for all schools authorized to offer the IB diploma.
Rules for IB World Schools: Diploma Programme
Article 1: Scope
The International Baccalaureate Organization
(hereinafter “the IB Organization”) is a foundation that has developed and
offers three programmes of international education entitled the “Primary Years
Programme” (PYP), the “Middle Years Programme” (MYP) and the “Diploma
Programme”. It authorizes schools to offer one or more of these programmes to
its students.
An IB World School® is a school that has been
authorized by the IB Organization to offer one or more of its programmes.
This document describes the rules that apply to those
schools that have been authorized as IB World Schools to offer the Diploma
Programme.
When used herein the term “legal guardians”
encompasses parents and individuals with guardianship of any IB student
enrolled in the Diploma Programme. If a student (hereinafter “candidate(s)”) is
of legal age, the school’s duties towards legal guardians specified herein also
apply towards the candidate.
Article 2: Acceptance of IB Organization regulations
and procedures
IB World Schools (hereinafter “school(s)”) agree to
comply with the General regulations: Diploma Programme and with the
procedures as set out in the current Handbook of procedures for the Diploma
Programme (formerly the Vade Mecum and hereinafter
“handbook”) that governs the administration of the Diploma Programme.
Article 3: Reference to the IB Organization’s function
and its programmes
3.1 The IB
Organization is independent from schools. Schools must make it clear to the
relevant authorities and legal guardians that:
a. the sole responsibility for the implementation and
quality of teaching of the Diploma Programme rests with the school
b. the sole responsibility for any shortcomings in the
implementation or quality of teaching of the Diploma Programme is borne by the
school
c. the award of the International Baccalaureate diploma
(hereinafter “IB diploma”) or certificate(s) is the sole prerogative of the IB
Organization and not of the school.
3.2 A school is entitled to present itself as an IB
World School and to use the “IB World School” logo only in connection with the
IB programme(s) that it has been authorized to teach. This right lapses
immediately if authorization is withdrawn.
Article 4: Responsibilities of the IB Organization
4.1 The IB
Organization will allow IB World Schools to deliver the Diploma Programme and
to use the related materials under the conditions provided in these Rules
for IB World Schools: Diploma Programme.
4.2 The IB Organization will establish assessment
procedures and administer examinations where applicable and will ensure their
integrity.
Article 5: Responsibilities of schools
5.1 Schools
are responsible for ensuring that they can implement the Diploma Programme in
conformity with the school’s obligations under local and national laws.
5.2 Schools are responsible for the quality of
teaching of the Diploma Programme, and they undertake to hold the IB
Organization harmless with regard to any legal action taken by candidates or
their legal guardians as a result of any shortcomings.
5.3 Schools must ensure that the Diploma Programme is
properly funded, is effectively delivered and is administered according to the
regulations and procedures of the IB Organization. Each school must appoint a Diploma
Programme coordinator to administer the programme and give him or her the opportunity to attend training workshops that have
been approved by the IB Organization.
Rules for IB World Schools: Diploma Programme
5.4 It is the policy of the IB Organization to make
its examinations available to all candidates from IB World Schools who have
fulfilled the school’s academic requirements to register for IB examinations.
No candidate will be excluded by the IB Organization on the grounds of
nationality, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, religious
affiliation, disability or infirmity. The IB Organization will make all
reasonable efforts to enable candidates to participate in its assessments. A
number of special arrangements are outlined in the document Candidates with
special assessment needs and in the handbook.
5.5 Schools must implement their duties under these
rules in a manner that enables the foregoing policy to be upheld.
5.6 It is the school’s responsibility to determine
whether it can enroll a candidate with special needs into the Diploma
Programme. Schools must ensure that legal guardians and candidates themselves
are aware of the special arrangements for assessment made by the IB
Organization for candidates with special needs. A school must not make special
arrangements for assessment without the IB Organization’s prior approval.
5.7 Schools must ensure that teachers of the Diploma
Programme are knowledgeable about the curriculum and assessment requirements
set out in the Diploma Programme guides and supporting materials. To this end, it
is the school’s responsibility to obtain all relevant up-to-date Diploma
Programme guides and supporting materials from the IB Organization and to
provide opportunities for teachers of the Diploma Programme to attend training
workshops that have been approved by the IB Organization.
5.8 Schools are responsible for ensuring that legal
guardians and candidates are properly informed of all Diploma Programme
requirements, notably the content of the curriculum, and all relevant aspects
of examinations and assessment, and for ensuring that candidates are registered
for examinations in an accurate and timely manner according to the deadlines in
the current handbook. It is the function of schools to administer diligently those
aspects of the organization of the examinations for which they are responsible
in accordance with the procedures described in the handbook.
5.9 When candidates enroll in the programme, schools
have the duty to supply candidates and legal guardians with a copy of the General
regulations: Diploma Programme. Schools undertake to hold the IB
Organization harmless with regard to any legal action taken by candidates or
their legal guardians in which non-receipt of the General regulations:
Diploma Programme constitutes one of the grounds of such action.
5.10 Under article 5 of the General regulations:
Diploma Programme, candidates retain copyright in materials submitted for
assessment purposes, but are deemed to grant the IB Organization a
non-exclusive, charge-free, worldwide licence to reproduce the materials under
certain conditions. However, they have the right to claim exclusive copyright
in their work, which they may choose to do under exceptional circumstances. The
school must facilitate this claim on request, in accordance with the procedure
described in the current handbook.
5.11 Schools
must ensure that all fees are paid in accordance with the scales of fees and
timetable for payments currently set by the IB Organization.
5.12 For use of the IB Organization’s secure online
services, notably IBNET, IBIS and the online curriculum centre (OCC), schools
must control the allocation and use of usernames and passwords and ensure that
teachers are aware of the terms and conditions.
Article 6: Review and evaluation procedures
6.1 Schools
must be open to visits from representatives of the IB Organization for reviews
of a school’s implementation of the Diploma Programme. These visits can be made
at any time with reasonable advance notice. The IB Organization will also
conduct unannounced inspections of schools during periods of examinations in
order to monitor compliance with the General regulations: Diploma Programme and
the current handbook.
6.2 A general evaluation of a school’s implementation
of the Diploma Programme normally occurs at five-year intervals. Schools are
expected to conduct a self-study in preparation for this evaluation process.
6.3 Schools are expected to have a mechanism in place
to respond to the recommendations and, where appropriate, matters to be
addressed in the evaluation report.
Article 7: University recognition
The IB Organization actively promotes wide recognition
and acceptance of the IB diploma as a basis for entry to courses at
universities and other institutions of higher education, but the requirements
of individual institutions and the relevant authorities of a country are
subject to change beyond the IB Organization’s control. The schools, Rules for
IB World Schools: Diploma Programme therefore, have the duty to make it clear,
including in relevant documents such as enrollment forms or promotional literature,
to all legal guardians that the recognition of an IB diploma by a specific
university and the relevant authorities of a specific country cannot be
guaranteed. The schools are also responsible for informing legal guardians
about the specific requirements for recognition in all countries and
universities where such requirements
exist, particularly as they affect subject choice in the
Diploma Programme. The schools are solely responsible for the consequences of
any failure to clarify the foregoing points with legal guardians and the
schools undertake to hold the IB Organization harmless with regard to any legal
action taken by candidates or legal guardians as a result of any such omission.
Article 8: Property and copyright of the IB
Organization
8.1 The
content of the curriculum and its assessment for all of the IB Organization’s
academic programmes (PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme), as well as all materials
produced by the IB Organization in any form relating thereto, remain the sole
property of the IB Organization and are protected by copyright. Consequently, a
school is not entitled to create any courses of its own that are derived from
an IB curriculum and/or materials, no matter whether the courses are deemed by
the school to be ancillary to or preparatory to an academic programme of the IB
Organization.
8.2 Furthermore, the IB Organization is the owner of
internationally registered trademarks, including its logos and the word devices
in its official languages of “International Baccalaureate”, “IB World School”
and “IB” in various forms. Consequently, a school is not entitled to use the
terms “International Baccalaureate” or “IB” (in any language) to identify its
own courses and may only make reference to the “International Baccalaureate” or
“IB” in relation to its own courses if the school clearly explains in its
communications and marketing materials that such courses are not developed or
endorsed by the IB Organization.
8.3 A school’s authorization hereunder encompasses a
non-exclusive right to teach the Diploma Programme and to use the related
materials supplied by the IB Organization within the limits and in the form
defined in the
Rules and policy for use of the IB’s intellectual
property (hereinafter “IB
Organization’s IP policy”), as updated from time to time. This right is limited
to the delivery of the programme within that school alone.
8.4 Subject to the conditions of the IB Organization’s
IP policy, a school’s authorization to teach the Diploma Programme also
encompasses a non-exclusive right to:
a. use the “IB World School” logo on its school’s
stationery, publications, website and non commercial promotional material in
connection with the IB programme it is authorized to offer
b. request from the IB Organization and use the IB
Organization’s graphic of the Diploma Programme model
c. make copies of official programme documentation in
part, or whole, for use by their teachers; or post on the school’s
access-restricted website for their school community the electronic file of
such documentation if published by the IB Organization on IBNET, IBIS or on the
OCC for teaching or information purposes
d. make copies of official programme documentation, as
above, for use within the school community, including materials prepared by the
IB Organization specifically for candidate use or to inform legal guardians,
excluding examination papers for an examination session sent to the school for
candidates sitting a Diploma Programme examination.
8.5 Schools must not otherwise reproduce any materials
from the IB Organization or use its logos in any form (paper or electronic)
without prior written consent from the IB Organization.
8.6 All the rights granted in articles 8.3 and 8.4 are
granted only for the period of validity of the school’s authorization and lapse
automatically when the authorization ends.
Article 9: Copyright in materials submitted to the IB
Organization
9.1 Candidates
retain copyright in all materials submitted for assessment purposes, but by
submitting those materials, and subject to article 9.2, candidates thereby
grant the IB Organization a non-exclusive, charge-free, worldwide licence, for
the duration of the statutory copyright protection, to reproduce submitted
materials in any medium for assessment, educational, training and/or promotional
purposes relating to the IB Organization’s
activities, or to those related activities of which it
approves. Rules for IB World Schools: Diploma Programme
9.2 Under exceptional circumstances and by means of a
written notification, candidates may withdraw this licence to the IB
Organization to use a specific piece of work as provided in article 9.1. The
school must facilitate this notification on request, in accordance with the
procedure described in the current handbook. In these cases, the IB
Organization will use the material only for assessment purposes.
9.3 From time to time, candidate material will include
assessment tasks that have been created by teachers within the terms of their
contract of employment and that are the copyright of the school. By submitting such
material, the school is granting to the IB Organization a non-exclusive,
charge-free, worldwide licence, for the duration of the statutory copyright
protection, to reproduce submitted materials in any medium for assessment,
educational, training and/or promotional purposes relating to the IB
Organization’s activities, or to those related activities of which it approves.
9.4 Where materials submitted to the IB Organization
contain third-party copyright material, information about the source should be
included in the submission to enable the IB Organization, if necessary, to seek
permission from the copyright holder to use the material.
9.5 Where materials are submitted to the IB
Organization by a school for approval as a school-based syllabus and are
subsequently developed collaboratively with the IB Organization, the guide to
the syllabus, once authorized as an IB diploma subject, becomes the copyright
of the IB Organization.
Article 10: Withdrawal of authorization
10.1 A
school’s authorization to teach the Diploma Programme may be withdrawn if:
a. a school has breached any of its duties under these
rules
b. the IB Organization is not satisfied that the school
is implementing the programme according to the Programme standards and
practices
c. the school has failed to observe the requirements
for administering the programme and examinations as described herein and in the
relevant IB Organization documentation
d. the school fails to take reasonable steps to protect
the IB Organization’s intellectual property rights and to prevent use that is
contrary to the IB Organization’s IP policy
e. fees remain unpaid to the IB Organization despite
reminders having been sent
f. a school refuses to accept any standard amendment to
these Rules for IB World Schools: Diploma Programme, that is, any
amendment that is decided by the IB Organization and is applicable to all schools.
10.2 In all cases the school will receive written
notice that it has six months to remedy the situation, failing which the
authorization will be withdrawn.
10.3 Any decision to withdraw authorization to teach
the Diploma Programme is taken by the director general of the IB Organization.
The director general’s decision is not subject to appeal and will take effect
from the beginning of the school year following the decision, except that the
teaching of the Diploma Programme may continue until candidates already
enrolled in the programme on the date the decision of termination is received
by the school have had the opportunity to take their examinations.
Article 11: Termination by schools
A school may terminate its authorization to teach the
Diploma Programme by giving six months’ notice, to take effect from the
beginning of the next school year, except that the teaching of the Diploma
Programme shall continue until candidates already enrolled in the programme
have had the opportunity to take their examinations.
Fees remain payable to the IB Organization until the
teaching has ended.
Article 12: Entry into force and duration
This version of the Rules for IB World Schools:
Diploma Programme shall enter into force on 1 September 2007 for May session
schools, for all candidates enrolling in the programme from August/September
2007, or 1 January 2008 for November session schools, for all candidates enrolling
in the programme from January/February 2008, and shall remain applicable to all
schools until amended. Rules for IB World Schools: Diploma Programme
Article 13: Governing law
Swiss law governs these Rules for IB World Schools:
Diploma Programme and all other documents relating to authorization to
teach the Diploma Programme.
Article 14: Arbitration of disputes
Any dispute arising from or in connection with these Rules for IB World Schools: Diploma Programme or
any other document relating to the authorization to teach the Diploma Programme
shall be finally settled by one arbitrator in accordance with the Swiss
Rules of International Arbitration of the Swiss Chambers of Commerce. The
seat of the arbitration shall be
shall be English.