Photo by Nathan Gray
Concord Elementary School fifth-grader Channing Williams takes notes from the board during Spanish Class on Tuesday. Foreign language classes are a requirement of the International Baccalaureate program.
ANDERSON — Concord Elementary School has become one of only 11 schools in the state to focus on creating internationally competitive students.
Anderson-based Anderson School District 5 announced last week that Concord Elementary had been accepted into the International Baccalaureate Programme, a curriculum that prepares students to be educationally competitive from a global perspective. The program was founded in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland, where it maintains its headquarters.
“The key to the overall program is the goal for students to understand the relevance to the content to the world,” said Debbie Williamson, the program’s coordinator for elementary school years.
To put the curriculum in perspective, in South Carolina schools teach to the state standards about the Civil War, Williamson said. But at Concord, she said, not only do students learn about the Civil War, but about civil wars in other countries, about conflict and about coming up with resolutions for conflict.
In 2007, District 5 Superintendent Betty Bagley challenged all schools in the district to embrace school choice and come up with a theme for their schools. Concord teachers and administrators wanted immediately to do the baccalaureate program, said Principal Beryl Barclay.
“Concord had always had a strong focus on curriculum,” she said. “But this program works around the whole child. The focus here is on the total growth of the child.”
The school worked as a candidate for the program for the past two years, Barclay said. In three years, the school will be reauthorized, and then every five years after that, the school will be revisited and re-evaluated.
“The whole process is designed to ensure the school is successful,” said Williamson. “There is a tremendous amount of teacher training involved.”
The training is paid for through federal and state funds specifically used for training, said Assistant Principal Brett Jones.
Through a curriculum that marries innovative teaching with directed learning, the Baccalaureate Programme has three levels — primary, middle school and diploma — to cover education from ages 3 through 19. T. L. Hanna High School and McCants Middle School are also in the process of becoming part of the International Baccalaureate Programme, said Bill Baker, spokesman for District 5.
“IB programmes promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth through all domains of knowledge,” according to the International Baccalaureate Organization. “By focusing on the dynamic combination of knowledge, skills, independent critical and creative thought and international-mindedness, the IB espouses the principle of educating the whole person for a life of active, responsible citizenship,”
So far, the program has helped some students make connections with history.
“Our fifth-graders were learning about the Depression,” Williamson said. “Through those lessons they came up with the idea for ‘Pennies for a Powerful Purpose’ that would raise money to provide supplies for Anderson Interfaith Ministries.”
Since beginning the program in mid-February, the group has raised more than $1,300, Barclay said.
“It’s just given them real-world experience,” she said.
The program also requires that the students learn a foreign language from second through fifth grade. At Concord, however, the students take Spanish beginning in kindergarten.
“I really feel that the Spanish program has helped our students in their English and English language arts development,” Williamson said. “It makes them understand their own vocabulary better and makes them better readers.”
Barclay said she felt it was too soon to tell whether the program had an effect on test scores.
“Our test scores continue to be excellent,” she said. “And our scores were already high, and last year they were just a little bit higher. But I’d like to have another year or two of test scores before I would be willing to say we could attribute it to IB.”
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Comments » 5
CentristView writes:
"Concord Elementary School has become one of only 11 schools in the state to focus on creating internationally competitive students."
The parents of Concord Elementary School should feel very proud and fortunate that their children are being given an advantage over other school children in Anderson.
The rest of you parents, how do you feel that your children are being put at a disadvantage, and that your tax dollars are paying for this? It appears that the children attending Concord Elementary School will simply be getting a better education than children attending other Anderson elementary schools.
This type of school program simply means that all children are not taught the same. The same applies to specialty magnet schools. If we are going to have this kind of specialization in public schools, and offer special privileges to a limited number of students, then what is the point of having standardized tests? When different groups of children are taught with different curricula, that that is what standardized testing will reflect; that children are not taught the same.
If this type of program is so great, then why not apply it equally for the benefit of ALL school children in Anderson?
It seems to me that if we are going to specialize in our schools, then the focus should be at the high school level, instead. The emphasis should be on career development so that an 18 year old young adult has the education, training, and skills to earn a living above the prevailing minimum wage upon graduation from high school.
JK
autoguy57#233546 writes:
Once the students complete their studies at Concord Elementary, which International Baccalaureate Programme High School in Anderson will they attend? One more question, once the students graduate from our International Baccalaureate Programme High School, where do they get a job at in Anderson? A great concept, but as usual, nothing more than putting hope into children and then failing them. Maybe it's a good thing a new Burger King is going up on Hwy. 81, so they can take the new By-Pass up to Clemson Avenue to one of the many other eateries to work at.
TrueAndersonian writes:
Please! This was funded by a federal grant (our tax dollars). But when the extra $ was needed to finish the project - the PTA had to kick in the $. This is just another "accreditation" for the administrators to put on their resumes. Do you honestly think the kids are better for it?? Let try something new....teach the children the basics (science, language arts, math) and they will be successful. What is the purpose of this money pit called IB? Now it looks like more money will be thrown away @ McCants! This makes me sick. And they still have the nerve to ask for more $$ from taxpayers.
As for raising $ for AIM - that's wonderful. But charity and community awareness should be taught at home. It's not the school's responsibility. My children are taught these lessons at home for FREE!
skakalaki writes:
Why is it that we can never applaud our public schools for anything?
Congratulations to Concord students and faculty for all of their hard work. And it is wonderful that Concord has such a supportive PTA.
It's sad that people can't seem to acknowledge that public schools do a great job. We are fortunate to have such passionate educators in this State who continue to teach each day even though most people consider our state educational system to be inadequate.
Let's take this opportunity to congratulate Concord Elementary, Anderson 5, and our public education system.
yankeefann writes:
I B wanting my taxes to be spent on teaching the kids the three R's.
This is a stupid waste of my money. U B wasting my money, I B mad.
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