Accredited IB school to open at Reizenstein
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The Pittsburgh Public Schools have received accreditation for a middle-grade International Baccalaureate program, just in time for August's opening of the district's new IB school.
Headquartered in Switzerland, International Baccalaureate offers courses in various disciplines designed to foster an international perspective and critical thinking. IB prides itself on the rigor of its program.
The city school district began exploring the possibility of a Middle Years Program in 2002, and the effort received additional support after Superintendent Mark Roosevelt arrived in 2005, said Wayne Walters, principal of the IB school.
In August, the IB school will open for grades six through 10 at the Reizenstein building in Shadyside. It will grow into a school for grades six through 12 and may move to another location; a task force has recommended the Peabody building in East Liberty as the permanent site.
The district already operates an IB program at Pittsburgh Schenley High School, also located at the Reizenstein building. Schenley is being phased out -- it will operate only with 11th and 12th grades next school year -- and the IB school over the next two years will assume the high school program, formally known as the Diploma Program.
With support from the IB organization, the district in recent years had been operating a candidate Middle Years Program at Pittsburgh Frick 6-9 in Oakland, program coordinator Sharon Smith said. Frick now is being folded into the IB school.
The IB school is an important part of the district's efforts to reinvigorate high schools, and increasing the number of students who complete the Diploma Program is one objective of Mr. Roosevelt's "Excellence for All" plan.
The Middle Years Program is for students 11 to 16; the Diploma Program is for those 16 to 19. Students who complete the former program receive a certificate, while those who complete the latter receive a diploma and the possibility of advanced standing in college coursework.
Nationwide, 320 schools offer a Middle Years Program, 670 offer a Diploma Program and 173 offer a Primary Years Program for students as young as 3. Pittsburgh does not have a Primary Years Program.
First Published August 4, 2009 12:20 am
