IB World Schools are part of a strong community and network of schools and educators who collaborate around the world. As each school grows in their implementation path with the IB, each IB World School is regularly evaluated to ensure that the IB Standards and Practices of the programs are being upheld with fidelity. It is a process of formal reflection involving all stakeholders within the school community. The main areas for assessment are philosophy, resources and support, and curriculum.
The IB self-study is a process that schools engage in to assess their own implementation of the program. They identify major achievements during a five-year period under review and the outcome is a detailed action plan for the following implementation period.
In terms of the curriculum, each IB World School reviews collaborative planning, the written curriculum, teaching, and assessment. As such, Riverview IB is engaged in a 16-month self-evaluation process. All faculty and leadership are actively involved in the process, where there is ample feedback around the IB standards and evidence collected to guarantee that our self-assessment was authentic.
Part of the assessment is to review what we’ve done, to analyze what steps we need to improve each practice, and to provide evidence of the actions we are taking.
The takeaway of the evaluation visit is to understand our purpose and for us to be able to define how the purpose builds internationally minded students that fit our mission statement; to build a culture of learning and collaboration among all areas of the school, and to create an environment where respect and teamwork is the underpinning of everything we strive for.
Through the evaluation process, we hope to refine our purpose, strengthen our culture, rethink our environment, and bolster our learning.