International Baccalaureate
Assessment
Assessment
The International Baccalaureate program is globally recognized for its rigorous academic standards and holistic approach to education. A vital component of the IB Diploma Program is the series of exams that students must take at the end of their courses. IB exams are structured to evaluate a range of skills, including knowledge comprehension, critical thinking, and the ability to apply concepts in real-world scenarios. Each subject exam is divided into multiple components, including written papers, oral examinations, practical work, and internal assessments.
Definition: Evaluated by the subject teacher at the school, then moderated by the IB.
Format: Varies by Subject
Lab reports (Sciences)
Oral commentary (Languages)
Investigation (History)
Exploration (Math)
Portfolio or artwork (Visual Arts)
Purpose: Assesses skills and content in real-world, often project-based or practical contexts. Typically counts for 20–30% of the final portfolio grade.
Internal Assessment Calendar (TBD 2025)
Definition: Marked by IB examiners outside the school.
Components: Mainly written exams referred to as "papers". Some courses have essay or portfolio work (Lang & Lit Higher Level Essay/ Film Textual Analysis) that are composed in class and graded by IB examiners outside of the school.
When: Taken/Submitted in May of year 2 (senior year).
Examples:
Paper 1: Often short-answer or data response questions.
Paper 2: Usually essay-based or extended response.
Paper 3: (for HL subjects) Focuses on options or deeper analysis.
Purpose: Measures knowledge, understanding, and application of content across the syllabus.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK): TOK is an interdisciplinary course that explores the nature of knowledge. Students must write an essay and give a presentation, assessed internally and moderated externally.
Extended Essay (EE): The EE is a 4,000-word research paper on a topic of the student’s choice. It encourages independent research and critical thinking.
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): CAS requires students to engage in various activities outside the classroom, promoting personal growth and community involvement.
Millennium IB students register for IB exams in October of their senior year. The current fee per exam is $123. Students will receive guidance and support in selecting exams based on their ability and selected university credit equivalency. While it is not a requirement to test at the end of the course, we encourage all students who hope to receive college credit for their IB classes to register for exams. Furthermore, we never want a student to opt-out of testing for financial reasons. Here at Millennium we have several options to support any family that needs financial assistance:
Agua Fria District Fee Waiver: Based on available funding, the Agua Fria Union High School District has historically been able to waive the fee for at least 1 IB exam per student, regardless of financial need. We will inform families each year about the availability of funds to continue to support district sponsored exam fee waivers.
Needs Based Exam Waivers: Students who are eligible for our Free and Reduced Meal program are also eligible for exam fee waivers. Please be sure to fill out the Free and Reduced Meal Form each year to establish eligibility for IB and AP exam fee waivers.
Tax Credit: Families can use a Tax Credit to offset the cost of exams. The public school tax credit is claimed by the individual taxpayer on Form 322. The maximum credit allowed each year is $400 for married filing joint filers and $200 for single, heads of household and married filing separate filers.