IB Course Pathway
All IB courses at Skyline can be taken individually for college credit, without having to take one of the two IB Programme Pathways (Career and Diploma). Students need to complete all coursework, including IB Internal Assessments and pass the May IB Exam to be eligible for credit. Please see individual college and university websites for required scores to earn credit.
IB Courses Offered
English Lang & Lit HL and SL
Group 2 (Language B)
Japanese SL, HL
Spanish SL, HL
Group 3 (Individuals and Societies)
Business and Management SL, HL
Economics SL
Environmental Systems and Societies SL
Psychology SL
World Religions SL
Group 4 (Sciences)
Biology (Biology HL 1 + Biology HL 2)
Chemistry SL, HL
Computer Science SL, HL
Environmental Systems and Societies SL
Physics (Physics HL 1 + Physics HL 2)
Sports and Exercise Science SL
Group 5 (Maths)
Math: Analysis and Approaches SL (Math SL 1 + Math SL 2)
Math: Analysis and Approaches HL (Math HL 1 + Math HL 2)
Group 6 (Arts)
Film SL
Music SL
Theatre Arts SL, HL
Visual Arts SL, HL
Theory of Knowledge 1 & 2 class (required for IB Diploma)
- 2 years of study per subject.
- Asks students to go into greater depth and to study a wider variety of topics and texts in a subject than an SL class.
- Assessments are longer and more in depth than SL assessments (longer exams, more required of Internal Assessment projects).
- HL Exams are ONLY taken at the end of Grade12.
- 1-2 years of study per subject
- Students explore a smaller number of topics and texts in depth than an HL course.
- Assessments ask students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in a shorter amount of time, and in a narrower manner than in an HL course.
- Exams may be taken in grade 11 or in grade 12 (except Language B ab initio SL which is 12th grade only)
- Diploma Students: ONLY 2 exams toward the Diploma may be taken in grade 11.
Math Pathways
Advice for acceleration of your math pathway:
While SHS staff does not recommend pathway acceleration, we understand that sometimes circumstances warrant such a move. If you must accelerate to meet your goals, please use the following guidance:
- Use the 7-period day to take Algebra 1 and Geometry concurrently during
- grade 9.
- Take Geometry over the summer or online during grades 9-10 following successful completion of Algebra 1.
Note: We DO NOT recommend accelerating through Algebra 2 at any time, as the contents of this course are foundational to success in IB Math (SL and HL). Gaps that occur in compressed Algebra 2 courses invariably hurt student conceptual understanding and course performance in more advanced levels of math.
Music Pathways
- Taking music for 1 year in an IB Diploma should not present obstacles to students as long as they can join one of the SHS performance groups (band, choir, orchestra).
- Taking music for both years in IB Diploma may require students to take 2 IB exams during the 11th grade - typically Language B and either Math or Science. Eligibility for these tests would require students to start a World Language in grade 8 and be in Algebra 2 in grade 9 in order to complete SL Math in grade 11 (please note: when planning for math it is unwise to accelerate full year courses in short summer sessions for a variety of reasons. Please see the IB Math Pathways planning page and/or talk to your current Counselor about pros/cons of this choice).
- Music SL requires students to enroll in an SHS performance group, take the 8th hour IB Music seminar, and complete the IB assessments. Recent changes to the IB Music curriculum require ALL music students to compose music, analyze music, and perform music. If you have more detailed questions about what this entails, please speak with our IB Music instructor, Darrin Cook.
- Music HL - due to large changes in the IB Music curriculum we are not currently offering IB Music HL.
World Language Pathways
SHS IB World Language Policy
IB World Language (Language B) is designed as a language acquisition course. The IBO states that the "...Language B course should be a challenging educational experience for the student, offering not only the opportunity to learn an additional language but also the means of learning, appreciating and effectively interacting in a culture different from the student's own."
As you start planning for your student's World Language pathway, please ask yourself the following guiding questions:
- Has the student had more than 2 years of formal instruction in the language?
- Does the student speak the language at home on a regular basis?
- Could the student travel to a country of origin for this language and navigate their stay without help from translation services or other bilingual people?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions AND you plan to take any IB level Language B courses, it would be more appropriate to enroll in a different world language to complete the IB course in the spirit in which it was designed. Because every student's experience is unique, please do not hesitate to contact your student's world language teacher, your school counselor, and/or the IB Diploma Coordinator at Skyline High School to help assist you in finding the best possible placement for your student.
Guidance on the Use of Online World Language Courses
It has been our experience that online studies in World Language do not cover the same content in the same depth as World Language courses at Skyline High School. Students are advised to make every effort to use classroom-based coursework at Skyline to prepare for IB World Language courses. Those students who cannot avoid using online coursework (or those opting to) should be prepared to spend extra time filling those educational gaps once enrolled in Skyline World Language classes.
SHS IB World Language Pathways
Please note: There is NO early entry into IB classes. The earliest grade at which students may access IB coursework is grade 11. Standard level (SL) exams may be taken in grades 11 or 12; Higher level (HL) and ab initio SL exams may only be taken in grade 12. Please plan your educational pathway accordingly.
French
Japanese
Mandarin
Spanish