Visit Meetings and Activities

Meeting outcomes

• Establish the aims, scope and shared agreements for the visit.

• Review expectations for development of the agenda. In the case of a remote visit, confirm the time frame for the visit.

• Clarify roles and responsibilities for planning the visit.

When possible, the evaluation team should meet with the school leadership ahead of the visit to make introductions, establish their approach to the visit and discuss visit norms. This will allow for a more efficient use of time during the actual visit.

Meeting outcomes

• Confirm the purpose, nature and tone of the visit, and the roles and responsibilities of those involved.

• Discuss expectations for the visit—what the school wants to achieve and how the visit will be conducted.

• Reinforce the support role and availability of the IB World Schools manager before, during and after the visit.

• Highlight any initial findings or concerns from the school or evaluation team.

Meeting outcomes

• Discuss the implementation of the programme at the school.

• Discuss and clarify agenda items as needed.

• Establish expectations for the coordinator debrief during the visit.

These meetings focus on the standards within a single category of the PSP framework. The agenda includes individual meetings for each category of the PSP framework (“purpose”, “environment”, “culture” and “learning”).

In schools with multiple IB programmes, the “environment” and “learning” meetings are programme specific.

For multiple campus programmes or MYP partnerships, ensure that participants represent all campuses

These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss ways in which the school has developed the programme(s). The discussions focus on how the school planned, implemented, analysed and then reflected on the impact of the programme development efforts. There are two sessions. The first focuses on planning and process and the second on the impact of the activities on the students.

In the planning and process sessions, participants will discuss how the school selected which plan to share with the IB, how they identified a focus, the rationale and the process for selecting the practices included in the plan, how evidence or data was collected, how reflection was structured, and lessons learned from the process. Participants selected for this meeting should have been closely involved in the planning, data collection and reflection process.

During the session devoted to sharing the impact on students of programme development efforts and initiatives, the discussion focuses on how the effort did or did not positively impact the student experience. The school shares analysis of the evidence or data collected. The school may choose to share artefacts or other evidence, taking care that the session remains a discussion and does not become a presentation. Participants for this meeting who were directly involved in the activities or with the analysis of the evidence or data should be selected.

This meeting gives the evaluation team insight into the ways that students are experiencing the programme(s). If a range of students are included in PSP framework sessions or programme development discussions, a separate meeting is not required.

This meeting gives the evaluation team insight into unique perspectives that these members of the school community have on the programme(s). If parents and legal guardians are included in PSP framework sessions or programme development discussions, a separate meeting is not required. As with students, it is most useful for the team if diverse voices are included with representation from each year level at the school, if possible. Participants at these meetings should not be school employees.

This meeting gives the evaluation team insight into the support that the programme(s) receive(s) and the alignment with the overall strategic direction the governing body has set for the school. If members of the governing board are included in PSP framework sessions or programme development discussions, a separate meeting is not required.

These visits give the team a view of how the programme operates in the school. Teachers should expect class visits and should ensure the evaluation team gets a fair and accurate representation of learning and teaching at the school. The evaluation team will aim to visit as many classes as possible. However, it may not be possible for the team to visit all classrooms. During remote evaluation visits, class visits will be

The evaluation visit conducted remotely, either through joining online lessons, observing on-site lessons remotely or reviewing pre-recorded classroom lessons.

This tour helps the team understand the programme context. When planning the tour, emphasize the areas that support the implementation of the programme (for example, library, science laboratories, arts studios, performance spaces, technology labs, exam storage).

This meeting is held with the evaluation team and the school’s pedagogical leadership team at the end of the visit. The team will share the conclusions that will be included in the report. This is an opportunity for school leaders to ask questions, add information to clarify the conclusions, and to plan the school community meeting with the evaluation team. The team shares programme strengths in each area of the PSP framework, any requirements that are not in place, feedback on programme development and considerations for future programme development efforts. These conclusions are drawn from the review of school and programme information, preliminary review documentation, and conversations and observations during the evaluation visit. The school leaders will indicate if there are any conclusions that they prefer not to be shared during the school community meeting.

This meeting follows the conclusion meeting. The school leadership team (or others designated by the leadership) and the IB evaluation team report in turn to the school community.

• The school team shares the conclusions from the school’s self-study process.

• The IB evaluation team shares the conclusions from programme evaluation, according to what has been agreed with the school leadership during the conclusion meeting.

The school determines who reports for the school and who is present for the report. For example, the school teams involved in each aspect of the self-study might report to the larger school community, including teachers, students, parents and governing board.

The school team and IB evaluation team share ownership of the meeting and strive to create a positive experience in which the school’s efforts to develop its IB programme are recognized and appreciated. The team will take care to present areas in need of further development diplomatically, showing an understanding and appreciation of the challenge that schools undertake to achieve IB standards.