The IB is a world-renowned educational programme for students in Early Childhood to Grade 12. Through inquiry-based and experiential learning, the IB continuum offers an enriched course of study delivered by specially trained educators that prepares students to be committed, creative and compassionate citizens of the world.
ABA is proud to be the leading international school in Muscat to offer three levels of the International Baccalaureate program - the IB Primary Years (PYP), the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programmes (DP) - the gold standard in University preparation. These form a powerful continuum of learning that aims to develop in students the capacity to help create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
The common lens through which this is achieved across the three programmes is the IB Learner Profile. It is the continual refinement and demonstration of the ten IB Learner Profile attributes that encourages students to become internationally minded and to personify the IB mission statement. The Learner Profile forms what the IB describes as a personal set of values and code of ethics.
The Learner Profile doesn’t stop at the students. It is also exemplified by the faculty and staff at ABA. It is evident in ways that they collaborate, model and share their own learning and teaching practice. It is the Learner Profile that informs everything that the teachers plan for and they are constantly asking themselves how the attributes are manifested in their classrooms and disciplines.
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
—International Baccalaureate
The Value of an IB Education
Hear from two top Univerisities
The IB definitely has research, and institutions have done it as well, to show that there is a higher success rate of IB students in the first year or two of college.
Debra Von Bargen, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Stanford University
They [IB] are very rigorous and consistent in their grading which makes for a more reliable admissions decision.
Andrew Arida, Director, Undergraduate Admissions, University of British Columbia
Three Frequently Asked Questions Answered
How does the IB compare to a country curriculum (e.g. American, British, Australian)?
Country curriculums are based on a teaching method of providing content of information to students to remember and regurgitate of which a percentage of that content is based on the country of origin. The International Baccalaureate (IB) chooses to define 'international education' according to the following criteria:
Developing citizens of the world in relation to culture, language and learning to live together.
Building and reinforcing students’ sense of identity and cultural awareness.
Fostering students’ recognition and the development of universal human values.
Stimulating curiosity and inquiry in order to foster a spirit of discovery and enjoyment of learning.
Equipping students with the skills to learn and acquire knowledge, individually or collaboratively, and to apply these skills and knowledge accordingly across a broad range of areas.
Providing international content while responding to local requirements and interests
Encouraging diversity and flexibility in teaching methods.
Providing appropriate forms of assessment and international benchmarking.
how will my child cope when moving back home or to another type of curriculum?
At ABA, we encourage students to become more knowledgeable about the world. Our curriculum is in line with international expectations and catered to meet individual needs. We focus upon conceptual understanding through inquiry in our challenging, relevant and engaging units. We teach the skills to be lifelong learners in all subject areas. Students will develop communication, research, thinking, social and self-management skills. We develop positive attitudes to learning. We encourage students to show the following attitudes: appreciation, commitment, curiosity, confidence, cooperation, creativity, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, integrity, respect and tolerance. We expect students to take positive action to make a positive impact. We expect students to take positive action in their daily lives and we provide opportunities for students to take action to impact the wider community.
Through the process of inquiry-based learning and the application of the transdisciplinary skills and attitudes. Parents can be confident that their children, learning in an IB curriculum will be able to move back to home country’s or new schools with ease and confidence. With their independent academic skills, global understanding and with mature social and emotional abilities, they will be able to academically maintain their maximum potential and they will also have the social skills to enable them to engage and transition into their new community quickly.
Good to Know
What do University Admissions Counselors Say about IB Students?
Leading Universities Look Closely at IB Students.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY, MARILYN MCGRATH LEWIS, ASST. DEAN OF ADMISSIONS
Success in an IB program correlates well with success at Harvard. We are always pleased to see the credentials of the IB Diploma Program on the transcript.” GPA is not nearly as important a factor in university admission as the IB Diploma. If a student has to choose, choose the Diploma over protecting the GPA.
SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE, THYRA L. BRIGGS, DEAN OF ENROLLMENT
In our minds, there is no more challenging curriculum than the IB curriculum. Not only does it prepare students for a demanding college program, but the IB curriculum also instills in students a love of learning and an understanding of the truly interdisciplinary nature of education. Instead of working on each subject in a vacuum, IB students are shown how each of their classes connects both with the other classes and with the world around them. At Sarah Lawrence College, we are very cautious about granting advanced standing credit for any course work that is done before a student enters college. In the case of students who are completing the full IB diploma, however, we are willing to grant students an entire year’s worth of credit due to the intensely rigorous nature of the program. Unlike the AP curriculum, which is often done piecemeal, students enrolling in the full IB diploma are receiving a comprehensive and challenging education, which is unlike any other. I only wish that my stepson had the opportunity to be part of this curriculum.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, PAMELA HORNE, ASSISTANT TO THE PROVOST FOR ENROLLMENT AND DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
My eyes light up when I see ‘International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme’ on a transcript. Students who apply to Michigan State University with IB credentials are assumed to be mature, curious, and creative. They have proven to be successful in a rigorous program that is both broad and deep in its content and intellectual challenge. On campus, IB graduates move with ease in a diverse and global university that demands intercultural skill and adaptability. The challenge of completing an IB diploma means that a student has engaged in the kind of rigorous work that is likely to help them become not just an outstanding college student and citizen of the world, but an exceptional one.”
BROWN UNIVERSITY, PANETHA OTT, ADMISSIONS OFFICE
I don’t think there is anyone who does not respect the I.B.
MASSACHUSETTES INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, MARILEE JONES, FORMER DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION
Send us prepared students a la IB. . . It is the ‘best’ high school prep curriculum an American school can offer.
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, HRILINA LOCK, UNDERGRADATE ADMISSIONS MANAGER
Diploma Programme students are well-rounded, multi-faceted, multi-skilled, and have studied in depth. They have good time-management skills. They score higher than other students in other national systems, and the IB score is worldwide the same measure.
VIRGINIA TECH, DR. EUGENE CARSON
. . . IB students who attended that university (Virginia Tech) as freshmen significantly outperformed all other freshmen, including students who had taken Advanced Placement courses.
