Language A1 (English) – The four-year pre-IB and IB sequence includes advanced honors and accelerated American, British, and World Literature with high-level analysis and advanced composition throughout in preparation for higher-level examinations. The stated aim of the IB Language A1 curriculum is that students will develop an articulate personal and critical response to literature that is expressed clearly and concisely in oral and written forms of communication. The oral and written work produced by IB students is held to an international standard of excellence that ensures the advanced nature/level of their learning in preparation for both the AP and IB examinations.

Language B (Foreign Language – French or Spanish) – IB students usually start a language in the middle school and complete five units of study prior to IB standard level examination at the end of the junior year.  A sixth-year language and literature IB elective offers students an opportunity for mastery of the target language and higher-level examination in the senior year. An additional examination option is available through an alternating day elective AP course in the language. The curriculum sequence provides a fast-paced immersion environment designed to build proficiency in the four modalities of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The curriculum focuses on building for advanced grammatical concepts and incorporation of literature from multiple genres to lead to proficiency in natural use of language in varied situations.  IB exam preparation includes text-handling, writing, and oral presentation.

Individuals and Societies – The 9^th and 10^th grade core curriculum, which prepares students for the regional and international focus of the 11^th and 12^th grade sequence, includes AP Human Geography and AP World History, with AP examination options available both years. IB History of the Americas with an AP US History examination option and IB Twentieth Century World Topics prepare students for the higher-level IB examinations at the end of the senior year. College texts are used along with primary documents from a variety of sources to expand students’ understanding of important issues in historical debate. Document analysis, analytical essays, and historiography are emphasized throughout in preparation for the international examinations.

Experimental Science – PIB Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are required in the 9^th and 10^th grades, followed by a two-year IB concentration in one science. The core curriculum in each area provides AP examination preparation in the junior year followed by post-AP college-level instruction and preparation for either the IB standard or higher-level examination in the senior year. Options required for in-depth study within each discipline include concentration in select areas, such as diet and human nutrition, physiology of exercise, neurobiology and behavior, biochemistry, medicine and drugs, environmental chemistry, fuels and energy, quantum physics and nuclear physics, biomedical physics, astrophysics, and optics. In addition to the course requirements in the selected science, all IB students must participate in a collaborative IB science project where concepts and perspectives from across the scientific disciplines are shared with an emphasis on interdisciplinary cooperation and application of the processes of scientific investigation. Past topics include the environment (Chattahoochee River corridor), hydrogen as an alternate fuel, peanut shells as a hydrogen fuel source, and performance enhancers. The current topic, tissue engineering, is being conducted in partnership with Georgia Tech.

Mathematics – Students accepted into the IB Program typically enter with Algebra I credit from middle school; 9^th and 10^th grade PIB course requirements include magnet-level Euclidean Geometry and Algebra II. Magnet Analysis and AP Statistics provide additional prerequisite options for students who plan to pursue Higher Level Math. The common core curriculum includes numbers and algebra, sets and logic, geometry and trigonometry, functions and equations, and statistics and probability. The IB Math Studies concentration includes mathematical logic, financial mathematics, introductory differential calculus, and statistics. IB SL Mathematics adds vector geometry, matrices, function analysis, sequences and series, and AP Calculus AB. Higher Level Math includes elements from both Studies and Methods while adding advanced statistics and AP Calculus BC, as well as advanced detailed study selected from the following: sets, discrete mathematics, analysis and approximation, Euclidean geometry, and conic sections. All levels prepare students for AP exam options in addition to the required IB examinations.

Sixth Subject Elective – Students satisfy the sixth-subject IB diploma requirement with either Visual Arts or Economics. IB Visual Arts requires the student to express a personal vision through choice of media and area of concentration. Prior to selecting Visual Arts as a sixth subject, students are encouraged to take at least one class in Pre-IB Art to learn the fundamentals of design and master techniques of drawing, painting, and sculpting. Students may choose to prepare for AP examination at the end of the junior year, followed by the required senior year IB examination, which includes presentation of a portfolio plus student exhibition for both standard and higher level options. The Economics elective includes micro-, macro-, international, and developmental economics with AP examination and IB higher and standard level examination options. Students build the skills necessary for economic reasoning by analyzing and investigating consumption, production, and business operations. The emphasis throughout is on analytical reasoning and data analysis in preparation for the senior IB examinations.

 Theory of Knowledge is a required interdisciplinary study within the IB curriculum. Students engage in critical reflection and analysis as they explore relationships and philosophical perspectives across multiple disciplines.

The Extended Essay requires students to conduct an in-depth study of a limited topic within a major subject area identified by IB and to document findings and results in an essay of approximately 4,000 words. Its purpose is to provide students with an opportunity to engage in independent research. Emphasis is placed on the process of engaging in personal research, the communication of ideas and information in a logical and coherent manner, and the overall presentation of the extended essay in compliance with IB standards and guidelines. These essays are mailed worldwide to evaluators at leading universities who assess the papers and send the scores to the IBO in Wales; the points from the essays are averaged into the individual students’ overall IB test scores to determine receipt of the IB diploma. Begun in the junior year, this project is completed by December of the senior year. Students work under the guidance of teacher mentors who specialize in the various subject areas. The responsibilities of these mentors include:

 Service Hours:  Receipt of the IB Diploma also includes compulsory participation in extracurricular activities involving Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS) in the community. Students begin formal documentation after the sophomore year of the program and meet the requirement in a variety of ways both with on-campus and off-campus involvement. A CAS coordinator evaluates the strength of each student’s involvement for seriousness of approach and degree of service. The IB Coordinator must certify satisfactory completion of the requirement for each diploma candidate prior to evaluation by the International Baccalaureate Organization.