COMPARING THE IB

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November 17, 2023

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame Prep, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Research suggests that students in International Baccalaureate (IB) programs perform better than students taking other qualifications. A release by IB on the research is summarized below.

A global study investigating performance in the Primary Years Program (PYP) and Middle Years Program (MYP) found that IB students outperformed their non-IB peers in mathematics, reading, narrative writing and expository writing.

Qualitative data from a recent study on the IB Diploma Program (DP) in the USA suggested that students who participated in the DP during high school are more academically adjusted to the rigor and expectations of college.

The IB regularly publishes this kind of research. Its website has several studies looking at the impact of IB programs, and many currently in progress.

Studies are conducted in collaboration with universities and external research organizations, as well as by the IB Research team.

Find out more about the IB programs and implementing an IB education.

Studies on school culture

As part of its program impact research, the IB publishes a number of studies looking at culture in IB World Schools.

A study conducted a number of years ago, for example, looked at the perspectives and beliefs of IB teachers, with focus groups held in Hong Kong, Peru, Spain and the USA.

It found that IB teachers, like other teachers, see nurturing as the dominant perspective in what it means to be a good teacher – but that IB teachers have a greater focus on the remaining four perspectives in the analysis, including social reform.

Further, an analysis of the DP suggested that the program's heavy reliance on discussions, debates, oral presentations, written assignments and teamwork enables students to develop many of the skills necessary for civic engagement.

About IB research

Read about the different kinds of research done at the IB, including program quality assurance and development. 

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame Prep, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School 
Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.