Portland's International School offers Oregon's first elementary International Baccalaureate program | OregonLive.com

Portland's International School offers Oregon's first elementary International Baccalaureate program | OregonLive.com

Portland's International School offers Oregon's first elementary International Baccalaureate program

By Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

April 05, 2010, 3:21PM

courtesy of The International School
The International School, a private Portland school that teaches students exclusively in Japanese, Chinese or Spanish, has become the first in Oregon approved to offer the rigorous International Baccalaureate program in the elementary grades.

Five Oregon schools, including two public schools in Beaverton, already offer approved middle grades IB programs. And a growing number of Oregon public high schools -- 18 so far -- offer the IB diploma program.Among them are Beaverton, Gresham, Tigard, Tualatin and Hillsboro high schools, Lincoln and Cleveland of Portland, Sunset and Southridge of Beaverton and Putnam High in Milwaukie.

The International Baccalaureate Program is an international non-profit organization that works with schools and governments around the world to establish rigorous academic programs that meet its standards for high-level, inquiry-based education that promotes international understanding.

Schools get tentative approval to begin offering an IB-level program, then