IBEC Curriculum Planning & Instruction 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In an IB school, who bears PRIMARY responsibility for ensuring curriculum coherence across grade levels?
- The IBO head office in Geneva
- The school's curriculum coordinators working collaboratively with teaching teams (Correct answer)
- Individual classroom teachers working independently
- The school's external accreditation body
Correct answer: The school's curriculum coordinators working collaboratively with teaching teams
Curriculum coherence in IB schools is a shared responsibility led by curriculum coordinators who work collaboratively with teaching teams to ensure alignment.
Question 2: When an IB teacher uses 'formative assessment,' the PRIMARY goal is to:
- Assign a final grade for the unit
- Gather ongoing evidence to adjust instruction and support student learning in real time (Correct answer)
- Rank students by performance for parent reports
- Determine which students qualify for advanced programs
Correct answer: Gather ongoing evidence to adjust instruction and support student learning in real time
Formative assessment provides ongoing evidence about student understanding, allowing teachers to adjust instruction and provide timely, targeted feedback.
Question 3: A MYP teacher is selecting a 'related concept' for a unit. This concept should:
- Replace the key concept entirely
- Add subject-specific depth and nuance to the broader key concept (Correct answer)
- Be chosen from outside the subject area
- Remain the same across all units in the subject
Correct answer: Add subject-specific depth and nuance to the broader key concept
Related concepts are subject-specific and deepen understanding of the broader key concept by adding disciplinary nuance and specificity.
Question 4: Which strategy BEST supports interdisciplinary learning in an IB school?
- Teaching each subject in complete isolation from others
- Co-planning units where two or more subjects share concepts, skills, or global contexts (Correct answer)
- Combining multiple subjects into a single class period without coordination
- Using the same textbook across all subject areas
Correct answer: Co-planning units where two or more subjects share concepts, skills, or global contexts
Interdisciplinary learning in IB is best supported through collaborative planning where teachers connect concepts, skills, and contexts across two or more subjects.
Question 5: An IB teacher reviews a completed unit and finds students struggled with the inquiry question. What is the MOST appropriate response?
- Remove inquiry questions from future units entirely
- Reflect on how the question was scaffolded and revise the unit planner for improved student support (Correct answer)
- Lower the complexity of future assessments
- Move to a direct instruction model for the next unit
Correct answer: Reflect on how the question was scaffolded and revise the unit planner for improved student support
Reflective practice in IB involves analyzing what worked and what did not, then revising the unit planner to better scaffold student inquiry.
Question 6: In IB curriculum documentation, the 'scope and sequence' document PRIMARILY helps teachers:
- Select which students receive additional support
- Understand what content and skills are taught at each level and in what order (Correct answer)
- Plan extracurricular activities for the school year
- Design parent communication strategies
Correct answer: Understand what content and skills are taught at each level and in what order
A scope and sequence document maps out what content and skills are covered (scope) and the order in which they are taught (sequence) across grade levels.
Question 7: Which IB document provides the overall framework for how learning is organized, assessed, and reported within a specific IB program?
- The school's parent handbook
- The relevant IB programme standards and practices document (Correct answer)
- The teacher's individual lesson plans
- The school board's annual report
Correct answer: The relevant IB programme standards and practices document
IB programme standards and practices documents outline the frameworks, expectations, and requirements schools must meet to deliver each IB program.
IBEC Curriculum Planning & Instruction 5
In an IB school, who bears PRIMARY responsibility for ensuring curriculum coherence across grade levels?