21st Century International Curriculum: Los Angeles' First World School

“Curriculum” is defined as the program of study that a school offers. In national systems, this program is usually mandated through governmental agencies. In California, the curriculum is mandated by the State, however, the method of delivery of the curriculum is left to the school. The obvious question therefore is twofold: How do we meet the needs of students while applying the State of California educational standards? How do we ensure that we meet internationally accepted high standards?

In searching to find the best answers to these questions, a group of international educators combined their own expertise with the best practices from the major national systems, and with this created a new way of developing curriculum. The result of their effort was the IB Continuum of programs: the Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP), and the Diploma Program (DP). The IB Continuum provides a K-12 grade inquiry based approach that prepares students to become globally minded, well-balanced, critical thinkers that exceed local standards and meet international university standards. Semillas believes that the IB supports our school philosophy and meets the needs of our students and teachers. Therefore, we have adopted this approach and will seek authorization to teach the PYP, MYP and the DP in order to provide the full IB continuum to students. This provides us with a solid curricular framework, while still allowing us to meet the unique needs of our students.

Anahuacalmecac and Academia were the first International Baccalaureate World Schools to be authorized in the city of Los Angeles and are the only World schools in East. LA. The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a recognized leader in the field of international education, working with selected internationally minded schools in 127 countries worldwide. For further information about the IBO and its program, visit  http://www.ibo.org.