Schools

Board to Consider IB Programme for Germantown, Two Other Elementary Schools

Southgate, Germantown, and Manor View elementary schools may implement the IB Primary Years Programme this fall.

Superintendent Kevin Maxwell is expected on Wednesday to recommend to the Board of Education that the county implement the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the elementary school component of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. The recommendation, which will be discussed at the board meeting, is that three schools will offer the program this fall: Germantown, Southgate and Manor View elementary schools.

Currently, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) has three high schools that offer the IB Diploma Programme and three middle schools that offer the IB Middle Years Programme.

In May, the Board of Education received information related to expansion plans for the county’s magnet and signature programs. According to board documents made public on Monday: “Included in that presentation was a discussion of our efforts in the International Baccalaureate arena, specifically the pursuit of opportunities related to the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and conversations happening then with IB International that would result in significant reduction in fees and teacher professional development costs to AACPS. “

Board documents state that on June 27, the IB Organization notified AACPS of approval to pursue 12 sites as candidate schools for the PYP program at “significantly reduced costs.” AACPS identified the first three schools to implement the program with the 2011-2012 school year and will present the other nine candidate schools to the Board of Education in the future. Offering the PYP in the county is the final phase of the IB Implementation Plan, initially reviewed by the Board of Education in 2005.

Other items on the agenda for the Board of Education meeting include new policies concerning the structure of the countywide Citizen Advisory Committee and the handling of gang (and gang-like) activities. The meeting will be held July 13 in the Board Room at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Rd. in Annapolis.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here