Diploma Programme

The Diploma Programme (DP) is an elective set of courses and experiences that Shaker students can participate in during the 11th and 12th grade. It is a two-year commitment with rigorous classes in several subject areas, a special class on critical and creative thinking (TOK), a research thesis (Extended Essay), and service-learning (CAS). Due to its rigor and focus on application and skills, DP students oftentimes receive preferential treatment in regards to admittance and scholarships to universities in America and around the world.

Exams: IB Exams are almost exclusively short answer and extended response. This allows students to explain what they know without being trapped by what they don’t. Most exams provide students with several questions from which to choose. Consider this Literature exam question: “The words and deeds of a character may contradict or correspond to one another. In at least two plays you have studied compare the extent and effect of such contradiction and/or correspondence.” Not only do students choose which texts they discuss, this question was one of twelve they could choose to answer. The final assessments represent choices within choices. 

Internal Assessments: Each DP class also has a challenging task designed and assessed by the teacher and evaluated by the IB. Each subject’s task is a reflection of the way professionals in the discipline build knowledge. In science, students must design, execute, and reflect on an experiment they create. In Literature, students perform a live oral analysis of an unseen passage. In economics, students apply theory to current events, and so on.

Students achieve a score of 0-7 for each course depending upon their performance in class and on the final assessments. In order to earn the IB Diploma, students must score a minimum of 24 points and successfully complete the Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and CAS requirements. 70-80% of Shaker candidates receive the IB Diploma, compared to 65-70% in the USA and 75-80% internationally.

Theory of Knowledge is a unique DP course which seeks to answer questions such as: How do I know what I know? What is truth? How can we assess the quality of knowledge? We explore questions like these in different subject areas such as science and history. By doing so, students develop skills of critical and creative thinking, argumentation, and evaluation.

CAS represents a social-emotional aspect of the program where students practice leadership in our local and global communities. Students must be active participants in three categories: 1) Creativity, which involves making and sharing ideas or art forms, 2) Activity, which is about being physically engaged in activities and can be a sport, and 3) Service, which is giving time and talent to people or organizations in need. Altogether, students want to aim for approximately 50 hours in each category and will reflect on their involvement over the two years of the DP.

The Extended Essay is the DP student’s culminating work. Students research a topic in a subject of their choosing over the two years of the program. The final paper must be between 3,500-4,000 words and should focus on a student-created thesis. Recent examples include:

• An Analysis of the Effect of pH Level on Hydroponically Grown Vigna radiata: How does the pH level of the hydroponic nutrient medium influence accumulated bean plant mass?

• To what extent did the creation of the Algerian national soccer team foster a strong sense of national unity and lead to national independence from 1954-1962?

• How has police brutality against African American citizens, through the lens of stereotype threat, sparked the Black Lives Matter movement as a result of the country’s exposure to racial bias?

The only formal requirement for joining the DP is successful Algebra II completion. This is because DP math (standard level) picks up on curriculum where Algebra II leaves off. Students have several options to complete Algebra II before starting the DP, including:

1. Taking Algebra I in Grade 8,
2. “Doubling up” on maths in High School (eg, Geometry and Algebra II), or
3. Taking Algebra II online or at Tri-C during the summer months.

The DP is a rigorous program with significant work over the two years. Students report, however, that what makes the work challenging is the amount of self-management required to handle the homework. In other words, while more traditional classes may have ongoing nightly homework, DP students experience more long-term assignments or projects where teachers coach students to tackle work in “chunks.” 

One of the benefits of the program is that DP teachers coordinate assignments in an attempt to spread work out over the two years and all courses. There are still times, however, when DP students must juggle several larger assignments at the same time.

Each DP course costs approximately $125.00. This covers the cost of examinations, assessments, and feedback to teachers. As the full program is 6 IB courses, families can anticipate a total cost of around $750.00. 

Students who experience financial need are encouraged to contact the school for aid or payment scheduling. All students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program automatically qualify for DP fee waivers.