International Baccalaureate (IB)
entry by Julie M. Marx, Global Family Expert at Expat Valley
A suite of internationally recognized educational programs (including the Primary Years Program, Middle Years Program, Diploma Program, and Career-related Program) designed to provide curricular continuity and global recognition for internationally mobile students. The Diploma Program is the most widely known and accepted for university entry worldwide.
Comparable terms
IB Diploma (education — common abbreviation for the senior secondary qualification) · IB curriculum (general usage) · International curriculum (general — broader; encompasses IB and other frameworks such as Cambridge IGCSE and A-levels) · Portable curriculum (education — functional term emphasizing transferability)
Why this matters
The IB is a major mechanism for academic portability and university access across borders. It offers shared language and expectations for mobile students and educators. Families still need to check how well individual IB schools handle learning support and inclusion.
Cross-references
International Curriculum (Education); Portability of Credentials (Education); Educational Continuity (Education); International Mindedness (Education); International School (Education); Learning Support (Neurodiversity & Medical Complexity Abroad). The international school entry provides the institutional context within which the IB operates; learning support documents the additional provision that IB World Schools may or may not offer, and whose quality is not regulated by IB authorization — a critical consideration for families with neurodiverse children selecting IB schools.
Sources
The IB is documented through its own organizational publications. Key academic source: Hill, I. (2012). An international model of world-class education: The International Baccalaureate. Prospects, 42, 341–359. For the IB’s own framework, see: International Baccalaureate Organization. (2023). About the IB.
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