- South Forsyth High
- International Baccalaureate
Assessment in IB
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IB Exam Registration for May 2025 Exams
The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) offers students the opportunity to take college-level courses and exams in high school, with the potential to earn college credit and/or placement in courses at many colleges and universities in the US and around the world. The IB Exams administered in May are standardized exams designed to measure how well students have mastered the content and skills of a specific IB curriculum course. Most IB courses have an end-of-year paper-and-pencil exam, but a few courses have different ways to assess what you’ve learned—for example, IB Visual Arts. The IB Exam Schedule is provided by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
- IB Courses begin in August of 2024 and for Higher Level courses start in the student’s junior year - exam registration will end at 11:59pm on Friday, November 1st.
- No changes or adjustments to exam orders will be processed after January 15th, 2025
IB Exam Registration Instructions
In order for the IB Coordinators to submit an exam order for students, all students must register for IB exams online in Total Registration. Exams will only be ordered once students have completed both steps below.
IB Exam Registration:
- All students must register for IB exams online. Each student needs their own individual registration.
- The IB Exam registration is as follows again this year.
International Baccalaureate (IB) does not collect exam payments from individuals; it only collects the exam order information from students. Therefore, students will also need to login to/create their Total Registration account to make payment for their IB Exams.
- Total Registration is used each year to pay for IB exams. Students should use the same account and login information for all exams, including their AP exams but with a separate process for each. If students already have a TR account, they should look for the “Have you previously registered? Login here.” link on the TR home page.
- Students should make payments via the online purchase system within TotalRegistration. If you have issues with this requirement, please reach out to Mr. Kevin Denney or Mrs. Tera Graham.
- If a student does not have a TR account, they must create an account. It is important for accounts to be created with the student’s email account. There is a separate place for parents to record their email address so they may receive notifications.
- Link to the TR website: https://user.totalregistration.net/IB/110922
Cost of IB Exams
- For 2025 Testing, the International Baccalaureate (IB) charges $126.00 for each exam. In addition, students will pay a one-time administrative fee each year to offset the cost of testing materials, substitutes, etc. All high schools in Forsyth County charge a one-time fee of $30.00 regardless of how many exams a student takes.
- The cost for exams will be as follows:
- 1 exam = $156.00 (includes the exam fee of $126.00 plus a one-time administrative fee of $30.00)
- 2 exams = $282.00
- 3 exams = $438.00
- 4 exams = $534.00
- 5 exams = $660.00
- 6 exams = $786.00
Late Registration & Cancellation of Exams
- For courses that begin in August, students will be assessed a $43 late registration fee on/after November 1st, 2024. This fee is charged by the International Baccalaureate (IB) and cannot be canceled by the school.
- For late registrations after January 1st, 2025, students will be assessed a much larger $162 late registration fee on/after January 15th . This fee is charged by the International Baccalaureate (IB) and cannot be canceled by the school.
- Students that order an exam by the November 1st, 2024, deadline can cancel exams until November 15, 2024 with no charge.
- Cancellations after November 15th will not be refunded in full. The International Baccalaureate (IB) will only provide a partial refund after November 15, 2024. The $30 administrative fee is non-refundable.
No changes or adjustments to ANY exam order will be processed after January 15th, 2025
STEM Exams
- Students enrolled in STEM classes will be allowed to take their first IB STEM exam at a reduced cost. STEM students will only pay the administration fee of $30.00. Approval for all registrations that include a STEM exam will be required; therefore, STEM students cannot pay for exams at the time of registration.
- Students must indicate at the time of test registration that they are taking a STEM exam to receive the $126.00 credit.
- As students register for exams in Total Registration they will be asked if they are taking at least one STEM exam. This is called a “special waiver.”
- Once students indicate they are taking a STEM exam, the registration is paused so that the school can verify this information. After the fee waiver is verified, TR does NOT notify students that they may now proceed with registration and make payment. Students need to go back into their TR accounts within 48 hours of initial registration to check on the status of their registration and make payment.
IB Stem Exams:
IB Biology
IB Chemistry
IB Comp Sci
IB Math Applications
IB Math Analysis
IB Physics
Financial Assistance
- Students who have applied and met Federal Free/Reduced Lunch (FRL) criteria will receive up to two exams free of charge. They may receive additional exams at a reduced rate.
- When qualifying students register for exams, they are asked if they meet Free/Reduced Lunch criteria. If the student indicates that they do meet Free/Reduced Lunch criteria, the registration process is paused until this information is confirmed by the school.
- Students who are part of the FRL program may provide an acceptance letter they received from Forsyth County Schools. If they need another copy of the letter, they can request a copy of their letter from Sandra McKinzie (smckinzie@forsyth.k12.ga.us).
Assessment in IB Curriculum
To support and improve student learning at South Forsyth High School teachers uses diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. In the International Baccalaureate Programme at SFHS, assessments are criterion referenced according to specific criteria published by IB. Groups/subjects are provided resources like guides, rubrics, and mark bands that measure and inform student success from previous years to show its strengths and weaknesses. Teachers meet collaboratively as a whole and within content areas to review and update school and classroom policies yearly. In addition to the guidelines provided by IB, teachers differentiate assessments according to the needs of their students so that students with various learning styles are able to be successful within this highly rigorous program.
Purposes of Assessment:
- To provide consistent and frequent feedback to students about how they are meeting the expectations of state standards
- To provide consistent and frequent feedback to students about how they are meeting the expectations of IB standards
- To provide feedback to teachers on student progress
- To provide feedback to parents through grade progress reporting
- To provide quality assurance
- To prepare students for IB Internal Assessment components and the rigors of IB External Assessments and exams
Methods of Assessment:
The South Forsyth High School IB program implements a variety of assessment strategies to measure student success. Diagnostic methods include tests and assessments which have been developed for each IB course, and assessments developed by individual teachers and content groups (in school or county-wide) are used to measure previously acquired knowledge.
Formative assessments may include: class discussions, field work, essays, projects, investigation workbooks, multimedia presentations, tickets out the door, reflections/journals, etc. Summative presentations similar to those in the IB are: historical investigations, individual oral commentaries, and research papers, among others that are subject specific. A variety of assessment strategies are used to reduce disadvantages, allowing a range of opportunities for students to be successful as displayed in our Special Academic Needs Policy. While these are just a few examples of the types of assessments, they are not limited to just the DP programme. Similar assessments are used in lower grades to prepare students for the IB programme. Teachers collaborate in vertical planning sessions to create assessments appropriate for their student’s achievement level(s). This helps scaffold the students’ skills toward those expected in the programme and within our policies.
How are IB Courses assessed?
The Diploma Program courses each have two types of assessments that are used to determine the final score award in the subject: Internal Assessments and External Assessments. Internal Assessments (or IA's) are given in the classrooms and are based upon the skills and content of that subject area. So, for example, in a Language B IB class, one Internal Assessment is an Oral converation in language. For a Sciencels the IA would be a lab experiment designed and conducted by the student. For a History class, it would be a history research paper. Each subject has a unique, and the IA counts toward the final grade award the student will earn for the class from IB.
The other assessment type is the External Assessments or Exams/Papers. The easiest way to think of the External Assessments is to think of them as the cummulative sit down exams they take at the end of the IB Course. This is completed yearly at South High in May and is composed of 2 or 3 different Papers (or exams) and depends on the subject.
Every IB course weights the Internal & External Assessment components in slightly different ways. Below are the IB courses and their specific weights for each component that are offered at South High.
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How do you earn the IB Diploma? How is this determined?
The Diploma Program requires students to take and be assessed in each of six subjects across all major subject areas due to the programme emphasis on whole student. Final student performance grades are normed against the course standards across the world and are scored on a 1 to 7 scale. In simplified terms, to earn the Diploma, students must do all of the following:
(A) score a total of 24 points between all six subject scores (average of a 4 in each subject)
(B) complete the Theory of Knowledge course and pass each of its assessment requirements
(C) complete an Extended Essay paper and pass its assessment requirements
(D) complete approximately 140 hours of Creativity, Activity, and Service
As an example, if a student earns scores of 5 in IB English Literature, 4 in IB Spanish, 4 in IB History, 3 in IB Math, 5 in IB Science, and 4 in their IB elective subject, they would earn a total of 25 points. If they completed and "pass" their Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge assessments, they will earn the IB Diploma.
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How about the IB Career-related Certificate? How is this determined?
The Career-related Program has slightly different requirements. Each IB CP student must complete each of the following:
(A) finish an industry or state-certified Career Related Pathway (for Georgia, these are state certified and have an end of pathway test to show competency)
(B) take and "pass" (score of 4 or higher) two or more IB Diploma courses
(C) develop (complete and pass) a second Language and submit a Language Development Portfolio to show completion
(D) complete the Personal & Professional Skills course
(E) complete a Reflection Project on an ethical dilemma connected to their pathway and pass its assessment requirements
(F) complete approximately 50 hours of Service Learning connected to their pathway