YCIS Chongqing is pleased to have recently hosted a consultant, Brian McCann, from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation as part of the school’s process toward implementing the IB Diploma Program (IBDP) for next year’s Year 12 students.

Mr McCann serves as the school’s dedicated consultant during this phase of our IBDP candidacy and while on campus he met with a range of stakeholders in our school community, including teachers, administration, parents, students and support staff. He surveyed our ongoing preparations to implement the Diploma Program and gave the school important feedback to smooth the process of gaining authorisation to conduct the IBDP next year. While he was unable to meet with all parents of the current Year 11 students, his meetings with those parents were particularly valuable. He asked questions about their knowledge of IB and shared his expertise on matters related to this wonderful curriculum.

He later met with a number of Year 11 students as well, sharing his knowledge while also querying them about their understanding of the program thus far. Students are very excited to have the opportunity to engage with the IBDP next year, and they asked Mr McCann a range of questions about key elements of the curriculum, gaining real insights into the structure and philosophy of this most exciting program.

The IB philosophy and approach to international education closely mirrors that of YCIS, and we, as a school, are keenly anticipating offering the Diploma Program beginning in the fall semester of 2017. Although YCIS Chongqing remains a candidate school* to offer the IBDP next fall, Mr McCann’s visit represents an important step in this process. The school will soon be applying to host the IB authorisation visit which will occur later this semester in April.

*Only schools authorised by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted.