Benefits of the International Baccalaureate®

Optimized Mc2Albert Einstein once said, “Most people say that it’s the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.”

At St. Cecelia school, we believe just as much in academics as in helping to build the character and world view of our students. This is one of the reasons why we are an International Baccalaureate® (IB) school.

What is the International Baccalaureate®?

The IB aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. The programs encourage students across the world to become active, lifelong learners who are empathetic and compassionate toward other people and their differences.

Benefits for Students
At an IB school, students are encouraged to think independently and drive their own learning. They are given opportunities to take part in educational programs which can lead them to some of the highest-ranking universities. Students that are taught through this program become more culturally aware, for example, by learning a second language. And students are given a more global perspective which leads them to be able to engage with people different than them in an ever-changing world.

Research shows that students in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) performed better than non-IB students in a global International Schools’ Assessment study that ran from 2009-20111.

St. Cecelia School in Clearwater, Florida is an International Baccalaureate® School

In 2014, St. Cecelia School became an IB World School. As a Catholic school community, we feel strongly that the International Baccalaureate programme is the best fit for our school, teachers, parents and students. We are proud to adopt this philosophy aimed at developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and compassionate young people who understand the responsibility of caring for others and the world around them.

In June 2016, our school became a candidate for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The PYP focuses on the development of the whole child. Through five essential elements of knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes, and action. The PYP framework prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners.

We are proud to be one of 4,000 schools so far which have chosen to teach the International Baccalaureate® curriculum. For more details about this program, please visit the section of our website about the IB program or http://www.ibo.org/.

If you have any questions, or if you’d like to schedule a tour of our school, please feel free to contact us at (727) 461-1207.


1. Source: http://www.ibo.org/benefits/benefits-for-schools/

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