Richmond Public Schools
Secondary
International Baccalaureate Programmes
We are proud to be fully authorized IB World Schools! We offer two IB programmes:​
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The Middle Years Programme (MYP), taught over five years, includes all LMB and TeeJay students in 6th through 10th grades. Both schools were authorized to offer the MYP in June 2005.
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All students who attend LMBMS are part of the IB! Students in these grades may attend Brown as their zoned school or through the RPS open enrollment lottery.
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All freshmen and sophomores who attend TJHS are part of the IB! Students in these grades may attend TeeJay as their zoned school or through the RPS open enrollment lottery.
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Students in the MYP take required courses from eight different subject groups and develop a strong foundation of skills through our curriculum. At TeeJay, their coursework supports their work toward earning an Advanced Studies Diploma or a Standard Diploma awarded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Students in the 10th grade complete a Personal Project.
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The Diploma Programme (DP) includes specific upper-level coursework for students in the 11th and 12th grades. We have been an authorized DP school since May 2006.
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The Diploma Programme is part of the RPS Specialty School program. 10th grade students with residence in the city of Richmond who desire to transfer to TJHS to take part in the Diploma Programme in the 11th and 12th grades can apply through the RPS Specialty School application process.
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DP courses are open to all students at TJHS who have successfully completed prerequisite coursework. DP courses build on the skills and understandings of the Middle Years Programme while preparing students to successfully achieve their postsecondary goals.
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DP students select classes from up to six subject areas and may opt to complete the requirements of the DP Core. Additionally, students bring the coursework needed for the Virginia Advanced Studies Diploma or Virginia Standard Diploma to completion. Students who select a full complement of DP coursework also become candidates for an additional diploma awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
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IB Programme Implementation at Lucille M. Brown Middle School and Thomas Jefferson High School​
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The following statements of practice describe IB philosophy and implementation in RPS Secondary IB World Schools:
General Regulations from the International Baccalaureate Organization govern the relationships between schools, students, caregivers, and the IBO.
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Features of an IB Education
IB Learner Profile:
The Learner Profile addresses the attitudes and character traits that prepare us to do our best every day. That way, we can be active builders of a better world. By working to develop the ten attributes of the Learner Profile, every member of our school community can gain better satisfaction in all aspects of life. We grow personally and in our relationships with others.
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Academic Integrity:
We are learning to participate as part of a worldwide community of scholars. As a sign of respect for our own work and the work of others, we are responsible and honest in attributing the ideas we use that originated with someone else. We take pride as we do our own work, contextualize our thinking, and demonstrate our ability to communicate clearly.
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Approaches to Learning:
We all have to learn how to learn. The IB Approaches to Learning comprise five broad skill sets that students master over time. Students can apply the Approaches to Learning across the disciplines and both inside and outside of school. From experiencing guided practice in the early years of the MYP to functioning independently in the DP, students gain confidence in their abilities as they progress step by step.
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Inquiry & Exploration:
In an age where information is instantly available on the phones in our pockets, we need people who can formulate probing questions and evaluate the answers from more than one perspective. Our students engage in practical work that helps them develop the ability to plan inquiry-based explorations and choose the best ways to analyze their results.
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Conceptual Understandings:
Within and across disciplines, neither single ideas nor lists of facts matter in isolation. We look for the connections that bring information alive as we seek to understand not just the what, but the why and the how as well. We work to build mental roadmaps that allow us to apply knowledge in novel and creative ways.
Interdisciplinary Links:
Building off conceptual understandings, we recognize and explore the ideas, themes, and histories that bridge the spaces between the disciplines. We utilize the tools of each discipline to examine the curriculum from multiple viewpoints and improve our understanding overall. This blended approach makes learning less abstract and more applicable and relevant to real-life situations. We compare and contrast the ways the disciplines investigate each subject and build approaches to understanding that implement the best suited methods from each field of study.
International Mindedness:
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Each of us can do our part to build a more peaceful world. Students participate in learning experiences meant to help them develop international mindedness: to have an awareness and to care about the multiple perspectives, histories, values, and concerns that belong to peoples across the world. With these understandings, students are equipped to identify and take hold of opportunities to make the world a better place.
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Commitment to Service:
In every year of IB participation, we challenge students to find ways to see themselves as a vital part of our community and world. Students identify needs, investigate ways to help, and participate in individual and collaborative acts of service. Each student can see their sense of belonging and commitment to responsible action grow as they reflect on their experiences and document all they have done.
Multilingualism:
A language is more than a set of random words we use. Each language and dialect contain systems of ideas that reflect the multitude of cultures we come from. In our journey to build international mindedness, every IB student has the opportunity to work toward multilingualism. When we apply ourselves to learning additional languages, we earn the keys to unlock viewpoints that can't easily be translated. We often unlock new knowledge about ourselves as well.
Our Impact
How to Participate in RPS Secondary IB Programmes
Middle school-age students who reside in the Lucille Brown attendance zone simply register at LMB to participate in the Middle Years Programme there.
High school-age students who reside in the Thomas Jefferson attendance zone simply register at TJHS to participate in the Middle Years and Diploma Programmes there.
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Students who reside in the city but outside of the attendance zone of the school they wish to attend for the Middle Years Programme (grades 6-10) must register for the RPS Open Enrollment Lottery for the upcoming school year, selecting the appropriate school for their grade level. The RPS Open Enrollment Lottery for the 2025-2026 school year will open October 14, 2024 and close at 4:30 pm on January 31, 2025. See the RPS School Applications page for more information.
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Please note that students who attend TJHS in grade 9 or 10 through open enrollment do not need to apply to the Diploma Programme to stay at TJHS for grades 11 and 12. They may matriculate into the Diploma Programme as current members of the student body.
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For other rising 11th grade students who reside in the city but outside of the TJHS zone to participate in the Diploma Programme, completing the RPS Specialty School application process is necessary. The RPS Specialty School application process for the 2025-2026 school year will open October 14, 2024 and close at 4:30 pm on December 2, 2024. See the RPS School Applications page for more information.
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Need to find out if you live in the Lucille M. Brown Middle School or the Thomas Jefferson High School attendance zone? Check the RPS School Attendance Zone Locator.
The International Baccalaureate Organization
Mission Statement
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.
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To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
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These programes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
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