From principles to teaching

Career-related Programme
From principles into practice

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Published December 2015
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Career-related Programme: From principles into practice

IB mission statement
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who
help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop
challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong
learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

Contents
Introduction1
Purpose of this document 1
IB Career-related Programme resources 3
Introduction to the IB programmes 6
Overview of the Career-related Programme 7
Introduction7
The Career-related Programme framework 8
Assessment11
Award of the Career-related Programme 13
Developing a quality Career-related Programme 14
Implementing the Career-related Programme 18
Staffing and key roles 20
Introduction20
School leadership 21
Staff roles 26
Professional development 32
School policies for implementing the Career-related Programme 35
Introduction35
Academic honesty policy 37
Admissions policy 39
Assessment policy 40
Inclusion policy 41
Language policy 43
The Career-related Programme curriculum 44
The framework 44
Diploma Programme courses 45
The Career-related Programme core 49
Personal and professional skills 51
Service learning 53
Language development 55
The reflective project 57
Summary of the Career-related Programme core 59
Career-related study 61

Contents
Assessment63
Assessment in the Career-related Programme 63
Assessment in the core 65
Teaching and learning 68
Approaches to teaching and learning in the Career-related Programme 68
Inquiry-based learning 71
Conceptual understanding 73
Teaching and learning in context 76
Teaching focused on effective teamwork and collaboration 78
Differentiated learning 79
Appendices81
References81
Bibliography83

Career-related Programme: From principles into practice 1
Introduction
Purpose of this document
This document has been produced for Career-related Programme (CP) coordinators, supervisors, teachers
and school leaders in:
• candidate schools
• authorized schools (including newly authorized schools).
This document may also be of interest to schools that are thinking about offering the Career-related
Programme in the future, and can provide useful background information for parents and students. It is not
intended as an introduction to the Career-related Programme and some familiarity with the programme is
assumed.
This document focuses on the programme as a whole; it explores the educational principles and practices
that need to be nurtured in schools so that a solid foundation for a successful Career-related Programme
can be established and maintained.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) is an enabling organization whose primary responsibility is supporting
schools in the development of their own Career-related Programme. It is important at the outset to
understand the implications of this. Schools are responsible for the quality of their programme, and their
relationship with the IB is a partnership in which both parties are working towards a common goal—the
realization of the IB’s mission by putting into practice the IB learner profile.
Resources
This publication contains a range of resources for the programme. For additional resources, for example,
websites, books, videos, journals or teaching ideas, see the Online Curriculum Centre resource section for
the Career-related Programme.
Related resources
The following key related resources will be particularly useful for all teachers and programme coordinators
of the Career-related Programme.
• Handbook of procedures
A successful Career-related Programme requires strong school leadership and a supportive learning
environment in addition to efficient management. The processes involved in the management of the
programme are comprehensively explained in the Career-related Programme Handbook of procedures
which details the specific regulations and practical requirements for delivering the programme.
• Programme standards and practices with requirements for the Career-related Programme
The contents of this guide are based on Programme standards and practices with requirements for
the Career-related Programme (December 2015), a set of criteria against which the effectiveness of
programme implementation in a school is measured.

Purpose of this document
Career-related Programme: From principles into practice2
Self-evaluation is essential for school improvement and it is intended that this document, together with the
Career-related Programme standards and practices, will provide guidance and support for schools in this
process.
IB World Schools offering the Career-related Programme operate in a variety of contexts, each with its
own specific circumstances and demands. By their nature, some of the principles and supporting criteria
described in this document are aspirational. Developing a successful programme is an ongoing endeavour
and the most important expectation is that schools demonstrate a commitment to improvement.
Teachers and school leaders must have individual access to, and must use, current IB publications.

Introduction
IB Career-related Programme resources
All teachers, coordinators and school leaders should have individual access to, and must use, current IB
documents.
Career-related Programme: From principles into practice (2016) is part of a larger collection of Career-related
Programme and cross-programme documents that fully describe the programme and its implementation
in IB World Schools where the Career-related Programme only is implemented and those where more than
one IB programme is implemented.
Documents available are as follows.
Regulations and procedures Contents
Rules for IB World Schools: Career-
related Programme
Document that sets out the relationship between the IB and the IB
World Schools that are delivering the Career-related Programme.
General regulations: Career-
related Programme
Document that sets out the relationship between the IB, IB students
and their parents/legal guardians.
Handbook of procedures for the
Essential information for heads of school and Career-related
Programme coordinators about the administration of the
programme.
Handbook of procedures for the
Diploma Programme
Essential information for heads of school and Diploma Programme
coordinators and Career-related Programme coordinators about the
administration of the Diploma Programme courses.
Becoming an IB World School Contents
Guide to school authorization:
Description of the process and requirements for becoming an
IB World School offering the Career-related Programme.
Rules for candidate schools Requirements, procedures and terms for schools applying for
candidacy and implementing IB programmes.
School guide to the verification
visit
Description of the process and arrangements for the verification
visit.

Curriculum and assessment Contents
Career-related Programme core
guides
Full details for the implementation of the Career-related Programme
core:
• personal and professional skills
• service learning
• language development
• reflective project.
Diploma Programme subject
guides
Aims, objectives, syllabus, internal assessment criteria; additional
subject-specific guidance for teaching and learning.
Diploma Programme assessment:
Principles and practice
Information about IB assessment principles and its practical
application.
Candidates with assessment
access requirements
Policy and information about arrangements available for candidates
with assessment access requirements.
Cross-programme
publications: general
Contents
What is an IB education? Explanation of the educational philosophy and ideals that underpin
all IB programmes.
IB learner profile The IB’s mission in action; the ten attributes of the learner profile.
Programme standards and
practices
Criteria against which IB World Schools and the IB can evaluate
success in the implementation of all programmes, including the
Career-related Programme.
Guide for reflection on
international-mindedness in the IB
World School community
Framework to empower schools to make choices about actions and
attitudes and effectively implement the IB’s standards and practices.
The role of technology in IB
programmes
Series of resources to help schools develop dialogue around
technology integration and implementation.
Language and learning
Language and learning in IB
programmes
Description of the philosophy, theories, pedagogy and policy that
underpin the development of multilingualism.
Learning in a language other
than a mother tongue in IB
programmes
Introduction to a pedagogy for second-language learners.
Developing academic literacy in IB
programmes
Framework to help all subject teachers plan for the development of
cognitive academic language proficiency in their courses.
Developing a school language
policy
These are standalone guidelines on developing a school language
policy (also included in language and learning in IB programmes .
Guidelines for school self-
reflection on its language policy
Audit tool for schools as they review and develop their language
policy.

Inclusive education
Learning diversity in IB
programmes
Outline of the position of the IB with regard to learning diversity/
special educational needs.
Meeting student learning diversity
in the classroom
Designed to identify specific learning needs, offer information and
suggest teaching strategies and resources.
The IB guide to inclusive
education: a resource for whole-
school development
Designed to facilitate knowledge in the field of inclusive education
and provoke discussion through reflection, inquiry and action.
Academic honesty
Academic honesty in the IB
educational context
Information and support for teaching the skills of academic honesty.
Effective citing and referencing Designed to support the teaching of effective practices in citing and
referencing.

Introduction
Introduction to the IB programmes
Career-related programme students will access a broad, flexible education
which will give them knowledge, practical training, intellectual engagement,
and international-mindedness, while developing higher-order cognitive
skills and academic behaviours that will enhance their employability and
dramatically alter their world view.
Dr Siva Kumari, IB Director General 2014
The success of the curriculum models developed by the IB, addressing the academic, social, emotional and
physical needs of students in the 3–19 age range, is well known. IB programmes grew out of the efforts of
international schools to establish a common curriculum and university entry credentials for geographically
mobile students. International educators were also motivated by an idealistic vision; they hoped that a
shared educational experience, emphasizing critical thinking and exposure to a variety of points of view,
would develop internationally minded young people who would contribute to making the world a better
and more peaceful place.
In 1968, the IB Diploma Programme (DP) was established to provide a challenging and comprehensive
education that would enable students to understand and manage the complexities of our world and provide
them with skills and attitudes for taking responsible action for the future. Such an education was rooted in
the belief that people who are equipped to make a more just and peaceful world need an education that
crosses disciplinary, cultural, national and geographical boundaries.
With the introduction of the Middle Years Programme (MYP) in 1994 and the Primary Years Programme
(PYP) in 1997, the IB identified a continuum of international education for students aged 3 to 19. The
introduction of the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) in 2012 enriched this continuum by providing a
choice of international education pathways for 16- to 19-year-old students.
Originating from an IB project that began in 2004 in Finland, the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) was
extensively piloted around the world before being introduced into interested DP authorized schools in
2012. Two years later, in November 2014, to align with the other three IB programmes, the IBCC was renamed
the Career-related Programme (CP). In 2016, the Career-related Programme was made available to all schools
without the requirement of Diploma Programme authorization. An authorized Career-related Programme
school will be known as an IB World School.

Overview of the Career-related Programme
Introduction
The Career-related Programme (previously known as the IB Career-related Certificate) is the most recent
addition to the IB. Its key aim is to provide a choice of different pathways for students aged 16 to 19.
Modern life places complex demands on graduates entering further/higher education or employment. An
integral part of the Career-related Programme is enabling students to become self-confident, skilled and
career-ready learners.
To prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing world, schools must not only equip them with the
necessary skills and the learning dispositions, but also the ability to manage and influence change.
The Career-related Programme helps students to:
• develop a range of broad work-related competencies and deepen their understanding in specific
areas of knowledge through their Diploma Programme courses
• develop flexible strategies for knowledge acquisition and enhancement in varied contexts
• prepare for effective participation in the changing world of work
• foster attitudes and habits of mind that allow them to become lifelong learners willing to consider
new perspectives
• become involved in learning that develops their capacity and will to make a positive difference.
Multiple pathways
The Career-related Programme prepares students for flexibility and mobility in a range of employment
opportunities as well as continuing lifelong learning. It integrates broad, general learning areas as well as
specific career-related content into a rigorous and challenging framework of education.
The detailed knowledge, skills and understanding gained from studying Diploma Programme courses, the
Career-related Programme core and the career-related study provide opportunities for:
Employment: the transferrable skills fostered in the personal and professional skills course, combined
with the specific knowledge and skills developed by students in their career-related studies provide an
opportunity for students to move directly into employment in their chosen field.
Apprenticeships: apprenticeship schemes are available in many countries where students are given on-
the-job training as well as classroom instruction in a particular craft or trade.
Further education: students may wish to continue their education at educational institutions that
specialize in their chosen field of study.
Higher education: the mix of career-related skills combined with the knowledge and skills obtained from
studying Diploma Programme courses allows students access to higher education institutions such as
universities and colleges.
Participating schools work in close collaboration with further and higher education institutions and with the
employment sector both locally and internationally.

The Career-related Programme framework
The Career-related Programme requires the study of at least two Diploma Programme courses alongside
the unique Career-related Programme core and a career-related study (see figure 1).
For students of this programme:
• The choice of at least two Diploma Programme courses provides and enhances the theoretical
underpinning and academic rigour of the programme.
• The Career-related Programme core aims to develop personal qualities and skills and professional
habits required for lifelong learning.
• The career-related study further supports the programme’s academic strength and provides practical,
real-world approaches to learning.
The distinct advantage of the Career-related Programme is that schools can adapt the framework to meet
local, regional or national education requirements, as well as address industry and government priorities.
Figure 1
Model of the Career-related Programme

The Career-related Programme core
The components of the core are at the heart of the Career-related Programme and are designed to enhance
students’ personal qualities and professional development.
The Career-related Programme core contextualizes the Diploma Programme courses and the career-
related study and draws all aspects of the framework together. The core is designed to develop many of the
characteristics and attributes described in the IB learner profile.
All components of the core are mandatory. They are:
• personal and professional skills
• service learning
• language development
• reflective project
Personal and professional skills
The personal and professional skills course aims to develop responsibility, practical problem-solving,
good intellectual habits, ethical understandings, perseverance, resilience, an appreciation of identity and
perspective, and an understanding of the complexity of the modern world. Emphasis is on the development
of skills needed to successfully navigate higher education, the workplace and society.
A minimum of 90 timetabled hours is expected to be devoted to the personal and professional skills course.
Service learning
Service learning is the practical application of knowledge and skills towards meeting an identified
community need. Through service, students develop and apply personal and social skills in real-life
situations involving decision-making, problem-solving, initiative, responsibility and accountability for their
actions.
A minimum of 50 hours is expected to be devoted to service learning.
Language development
Language development ensures that all students have access and are exposed to an additional language,
which is a central tenet of an IB education and will increase their understanding of the wider world. Students
are encouraged to begin or extend the study of a language other than their best language that suits their
needs, background and context. It develops students in the areas of oral, visual and written linguistic and
communicative abilities.
A minimum of 50 hours is expected to be devoted to language development.
Reflective project
The reflective project is an in-depth body of work produced over an extended period and submitted in
year 2 of the Career-related Programme. Through the reflective project, students identify, analyse, discuss
and evaluate an ethical dilemma associated with an issue from their career-related studies. This work
encourages students to engage in personal inquiry, intellectual discovery, creativity, action and reflection,
and to develop strong thinking, research and communication skills.
The reflective project is assessed using grades A to E, with A representing the highest level of achievement.
A minimum of 50 hours is expected to be devoted to the reflective project.

Diploma Programme courses
Students complete at least two Diploma Programme courses, either at standard or higher level, in any of the
following subject groups:
• studies in language and literature
• language acquisition
• individuals and societies
• sciences
• mathematics
• the arts.
The courses chosen should be relevant to the students’ career-related studies.
The Diploma Programme courses (except for languages) will be examined in English, French or Spanish.
Career-related studies
The career-related studies are offered and awarded by the school. Each school must choose the career-
related studies most suited to local conditions and the needs of their students.
It is important that the career-related study has a clear career focus. Career-related studies prepare students
for further or higher education, an internship or apprenticeship, or a position in a designated field of
interest. It provides the opportunity for students to learn about theories and concepts through application
and practice while developing broad-based skills in authentic and meaningful contexts.
Career-related studies are not offered or awarded by the IB; however, each career-related study must satisfy
IB criteria in relation to accreditation, assessment and quality assurance.

Assessment
Figure 2
Assessment of the Career-related Programme
Diploma Programme courses
The students chosen Diploma Programme courses are assessed according to the specific requirements
listed in the subject guides.
More details on assessment can be found in Diploma Programme assessment: Principles and practice, the
Handbook of procedures for the Diploma Programme and in the relevant subject guides.
The Career-related Programme core
The personal and professional skills course is internally assessed by the school.
The language development course is internally assessed, either by the school or by the external provider,
and authenticated by the school.
The reflective project is internally assessed by the school but externally moderated by the IB.

Assessment
The personal and professional skills, language development and service learning courses must be
satisfactorily completed for the award of the Career-related Programme; satisfactory completion is
determined by the school and reported to the IB through the IB Information Systems (IBIS).
The career-related study
The career-related study is assessed (or validated) by the relevant external authority, not by the IB.

Award of the Career-related Programme
The Certificate of the Career-related Programme of the International Baccalaureate will be awarded subject
to satisfactory completion of the following requirements by a candidate:
a. The candidate has completed the specified career-related study.
b. The candidate has been awarded a grade 3 or more in at least two of the Diploma Programme courses
registered for the Career-related Programme.
c. The candidate has been awarded a grade of at least D for the reflective project.
d. Personal and professional skills, service learning and language development requirements have been
met.
e. The candidate has not received a penalty for academic misconduct.
All candidates will receive programme results detailing their level of achievement in the Diploma Programme
courses and the reflective project along with the status of completion of the Career-related Programme
core.
Bilingual Career-related Programme
Students successfully completing the Career-related Programme may, under certain conditions, be awarded
a Bilingual Certificate of the Career-related Programme of the International Baccalaureate. This can benefit
students’ application to universities in addition to the numerous general benefits of demonstrating
proficiency in more than one language.
A Bilingual Certificate for the Career-related Programme will be awarded to successful candidates who fulfil
at least one of the following criteria in their Diploma Programme courses:
• Completion of two Diploma Programme language courses selected from studies in language and
literature, with the award of a grade 3 or higher in both.
• Completion of one Diploma Programme language course selected from studies in language and
literature, with the award of a grade 3 or higher. In addition, completion of one Diploma Programme
course from individuals and societies or sciences, in a language that is not the same as the student’s
chosen language from studies in language and literature. The student must attain a grade 3 or higher.
Courses in individuals and societies and sciences are available in English, French and Spanish, and a small
number of courses are available in German.

Developing a quality Career-related Programme
In addition to the general principles of an IB education, the Career-related Programme prepares students for
flexibility and mobility in a range of employment opportunities as well as for lifelong learning. This means
integrating broad, general learning areas and specific career-related content into a framework that results in
a rigorous and challenging programme, ensuring that participating schools work in close collaboration with
higher education institutions and the working sector locally and internationally.
The Career-related Programme has been designed to remove the distinction that exists in many educational
systems around the world between knowledge skills and practical skills and, in so doing, maximizes the
effectiveness of young people as they continue their education, enter the workforce and take their place in
society.
As career-related studies are subject to the pressures, priorities and requirements of diverse national and
local economic contexts, it is important to achieve an appropriate balance between prescription of common
framework elements, national or local requirements and school or student choice.
Essential qualities of the Career-related Programme
The essential qualities of the Career-related Programme are:
• A balance of breadth and depth of learning.
• Flexibility of choice, including a mix of basic requirements and school or student preferences.
• Localization that recognizes locally defined career-related studies, locally defined language
development courses and locally defined pathways for students.
• Partnerships between schools and local universities, colleges and employers.
• Strong collaboration in planning and assessment between all teachers involved in the programme.
• A strong emphasis on learning that fosters intercultural understanding.
• The development of critical thinking, inquiry and research skills.
• Strong student involvement in self-assessment and reflection.
• A sustained experience of community involvement and service.
• Rigorous assessment through a blend of external and internal assessment procedures.
• Varied and dynamic teaching, supported by appropriate teacher professional development.
The IB learner profile
The IB learner profile is at the heart of all IB programmes. It is composed of 10 attributes that students and
teachers aspire to develop and that, taken together, provide a holistic profile of an IB student. The three
sections of the Career-related Programme—Diploma Programme courses, the Career-related Programme
core and the career-related study—provide multiple and overlapping opportunities over the two-year
period for the development of the attributes.

In planning the Career-related Programme, the learner profile provides a focus for teachers to consider all
aspects of student development in each of the three sections and, through collaboration, ensure a coherent,
challenging and inspiring programme.
The learner profile is not assessed formally or externally but schools are encouraged to monitor student
growth in the 10 attributes and encourage students to monitor their own development through the use of
self- and peer-assessment tools.
For more information, please refer to What is an IB education?
International-mindedness
The emphasis on international-mindedness in the Career-related Programme is a reflection of the IB’s
mission, and the belief that this “will give students the capacity to build those defences of peace that will
make the world a better place” (Walker 2010: 7).
The development of international-mindedness involves students developing a deeper understanding of
their own perspectives, beliefs and assumptions as well as an increasing awareness of the existence of
multiple perspectives. In this way, international-mindedness is concerned with going beyond, rather than
replacing, the student’s own sense of cultural and national identity.
In a changing global economy, it is essential that students preparing directly for active employment develop
a good understanding of world issues and contexts and an understanding of their responsibilities as global
citizens. Career-related Programme students are encouraged to view aspects of their studies in a broad,
global context.
An ethical education
The Career-related Programme provides an excellent opportunity for ethical education conceived as
involving principles, attitudes and codes of behaviour. While ethical principles are also embodied in the IB’s
mission statement and learner profile, the programme’s core emphasis is on helping students to develop
their own identities and beliefs.
Various ethical issues will arise, either implicitly or explicitly, in the course of the programme’s activities, for
example as challenges to students’ ideas, instinctive responses or ways of behaving. Schools have a specific
responsibility to help students think, feel and act their way through ethical issues, particularly in view of the
reflective project. Utilizing the personal and professional skills course for the exploration and application of
ethics will support students’ understanding of ethics.
Concurrency of learning
The Career-related Programme is designed to be a twoyear course of study with all components studied
concurrently.
From its beginnings the IB has adopted a broadly constructivist and student-centred approach, and has
emphasized the importance of connectedness and concurrency of learning. Concurrency of learning in the
Career-related Programme means teaching the curriculum in a schedule that consistently exposes students
to their career-related study, their Diploma Programme courses and the Career-related Programme core

over the two years of the programme. This allows students and teachers to make links between experiences
in all components of the programme, and it is based on the belief that the total educational experience is
more than the sum of its parts.
The Career-related Programme is flexible enough to accommodate the needs and interests of individual
students while maintaining the principle of concurrent learning of a broad and balanced curriculum. The
programme should equip students with a powerful set of holistic skills that can prepare them for the world
of work, for further or higher education and for the reallife challenges and opportunities they will face in the
future.
Prior learning requirements
There are no prior learning requirements for the Career-related Programme.
There may, however, be prior learning requirements for the individual Diploma Programme courses that can
be chosen by students as part of the programme. Students and teachers should consult with the relevant
Diploma Programme subject guides for details of the requirements for their chosen courses.
Links to the Middle Years Programme
Personal and professional skills and the reflective project encourage students to build on prior learning in
the Middle Years Programme (MYP) of the skills of thinking, reflection and research.
Thinking: the emphasis is on ethical thinking, critical thinking, creative thinking and problem-solving.
Reflection: students review, describe, communicate and learn from their experiences.
Research: the use of effective search skills to access relevant information from a variety of sources, the
effective management of data and the presentation of information in a range of forms to a specified
audience.
There are strong general and subject-specific links with MYP in the Diploma Programme courses that the
students select, including approaches to learning skills. See the individual subject guides for further details.
Links to the Diploma Programme
Career-related Programme students are expected to study a minimum of two Diploma Programme courses
as part of their overall Career-related Programme studies. Despite this, the Career-related Programme and
the Diploma Programme are separate and distinct programmes.
Where applicable, schools should explore possibilities to integrate Career-related Programme students
with Diploma Programme students. This could include combined Diploma Programme classes and service
learning experiences.
The Career-related Programme can only be offered by IB World Schools that have been authorized
specifically for the Career-related Programme.
Please note that a student cannot be registered as both a Career-related Programme candidate and a
Diploma Programme candidate.

Links to approaches to teaching and approaches to
learning
Approaches to teaching and approaches to learning sit within the inner circle of the Career-related
Programme model as they are within the models for all IB programmes. These approaches refer to the
strategies, skills and attitudes that permeate the teaching and learning environment. They are closely
linked with the learner profile attributes and aim to enhance student learning and prepare students for
assessment and beyond.
Approaches to teaching and approaches to learning are also linked to the development of internationally
minded students, a central aim of all IB programmes. Education for international-mindedness “relies on the
development of learning environments that value the world as the broadest context for learning” (What is
an IB Education? 2013).
Effective approaches to learning in the CP should therefore be developed within global contexts, with
particular attention being given to promoting three key elements—global engagement, multilingualism
and intercultural understanding.
There are clear connections between the core components and the approaches to teaching and approaches
to learning. A package of resources (https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/dpatl/) has been developed to support
approaches to teaching and approaches to learning in the DP that can be an extremely useful source of
guidance for teachers and coordinators in the design and delivery of the core components.

Implementing the Career-related Programme
There are certain key factors that schools will need to consider when implementing the Career-related
Programme.
There is no one way of developing the programme. Every school is unique and should consider its own needs
before deciding on the best way forward. The scale and the scope of the change, however, and the time
needed to embed these changes should not be underestimated. Effective leadership and management of
the change process, starting with a willingness and readiness for change to occur, are essential prerequisites.
The degree of change and preparation necessary will vary depending on whether the school is already an
authorized IB World School, implementing the Diploma Programme, or whether introducing the Career-
related Programme will be the school’s first IB programme.
Once the programme has been fully implemented, to work effectively the programme requires an ongoing
cycle of evaluation, review and development.
Making the decision to introduce the Career-related
Programme
The decision to introduce any IB programme needs to be thoroughly researched and made in the light of a
balanced appraisal of its suitability for a particular school.
The school as a whole, as opposed to a section within a school, should ensure that its own philosophy and
practices are consistent with the IB’s mission statement and the IB learner profile.
Some schools are concerned that they might lose their traditions and identity by embarking on an IB
programme. The diverse range of schools that offer the Career-related Programme shows that there is
no requirement to adopt a standardized approach. Indeed, an important challenge in implementing a
programme is to ensure the unique school context, identity and characteristics fit with the IB mission.
Schools sometimes prefer to introduce the Career-related Programme while also offering other programmes
and qualifications. This can work well but it is important that the school examines the relationship between
the programme and its other educational programmes in order to ensure faithful implementation.
The Career-related Programme can only be offered by schools that have been specifically authorized for this
programme. The specific expectations, details, and timeline of the authorization process can be found in
Guide to school authorization: Career-related Programme (2015).
Programme authorization
Schools interested in implementing the Career-related Programme, and thus becoming an IB World School,
must successfully complete an authorization process. During this process, the IB supports the candidate
school in building understanding of the programme and the organizational structures it will need in order
to implement the Career-related Programme. (See the “Becoming an IB World School” resource library.)

The Career-related Programme authorization process will vary by school, but usually takes about two years
depending on whether the school has already been authorized for the Diploma Programme. Implementing
the Career-related Programme takes time, and schools need to complete all the essential processes:
Consideration phase: the first phase of the process includes a school-conducted feasibility study, which
may or may not lead to a decision to implement the programme.
Candidate phase: the school works closely with an IB-assigned consultant, an experienced IB educator,
who will support the school as it works to prepare itself to apply for authorization.
Verification visit: following the conclusion of the period of consultancy, the school will submit the
application for authorization and subsequently host a team of IB educators. During this visit the IB team’s
primary concern is verifying that the essential elements of the Career-related Programme standards and
practices are in place and that the school is committed to ongoing programme development.
The process is outlined in more detail in the Guide to school authorization: Career-related Programme and
School guide to the verification visit. Further information (including examples of all relevant forms) can be
found here http://ibo.org/become/index.cfm.
Programme evaluation
Following authorization, IB World Schools undertake a self-study as part of programme evaluation every
five years. Programme evaluation is both a requirement and a service provided by the IB to IB World Schools.
The IB is aware that for each school the implementation of the IB is a journey and that the school will meet
the programmes standards and practices to varying degrees along the way. However, it is expected that
schools will make a commitment towards meeting all the standards, practices and programme-specific
requirements and will strive to continually improve the quality of their programme implementation, thus
improving student learning.
To help with programme evaluation, it is a useful practice for a school to maintain a file for each of the
programme standards and practices, collecting evidence from various sources over time. This will help the
school to make a critical assessment of its progress against each standard in the run-up to the next five-year
programme evaluation. This evidence need not be submitted with the self-study that is required as part of
the evaluation process, but acts as a means for the school to draw its conclusions and provide a rating for
each practice.
All stakeholders within the school community engage in broad reflection and documenting of their
development as part of the evaluation process. The process is owned by the school and shared with the IB in
the self-study. The IB provides feedback on how the school is implementing the programme.
Many schools have found this process to be the source of new dynamism and momentum within the school
and have incorporated it as a natural dimension of school life, implementing it continuously beyond the IB-
specific requirements. It provides an opportunity to pause and reflect honestly on achievements and new
initiatives. It has also proved to be an opportunity for improved communication within the school.

Staffing and key roles
Introduction
In addition to effective school leadership, there are a number of key staff roles that will support the successful
development of the Career-related Programme as it grows, including the Career-related Programme, service
learning, language development and reflective project coordinators.

School leadership
Overview of changes
The Career-related Programme provides a framework that can accommodate a wide variety of teaching
strategies and styles, provided they are driven by a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to inquiry-
based, active learning. The degree of change required to implement the IB approach at the school-wide
level will depend on conditions within the school at the time of implementation. However, administrators
and teachers should recognize that:
• Adoption of the Career-related Programme may require change not only in the classroom, but
throughout the school.
• The process is likely to take time, but engaging in this process of change will have a beneficial impact
on the whole school, the individual teachers and, most significantly, on the quality of student learning.
• The process of change in teaching practices will require support from all teachers and school leaders.
Leadership structures
Leadership structures in schools vary widely and schools wishing to implement the programme may need
to review their leadership structures, by means of the following:
• Changes to practices and roles
Implementing the programme may require some changes to existing practices. Schools will need to
review roles and responsibilities of staff members to ensure the organizational structure supports the
implementation of the programme.
• Appointment of a Career-related Programme coordinator
Each school must appoint a Career-related Programme coordinator. This is a key leadership role in the
implementation and development of the programme.
The head of school and Career-related Programme coordinator must both demonstrate pedagogical
leadership aligned with the philosophy of the programme.
• Governing bodies and educational authorities
Where schools must answer to a governing body or educational authority, it is important that they
have systems in place to keep them informed of the ongoing implementation and development of the
programme, and to ensure their support.
Maintaining quality
Once a school has implemented the Career-related Programme, it is the responsibility of the school leadership
team to ensure that standards remain high. Schools need to build long-term capacity for cyclical review and
programme development through an ongoing action plan, and need systems in place to monitor five key areas:
• ongoing understanding and commitment to the aims and philosophy of the programme
• the school’s commitment to teaching the three sections of the programme to the best of its ability,
ensuring the compatibility of the three sections access to the curriculum (see Learning diversity and
inclusion) for all students

School leadership
• the school’s commitment to ensure inquiry-based, student-centred learning
• ongoing professional development for all teachers and leaders involved in the programme.
Schools need to keep up to date with information on new developments and changes in the Career-related
Programme. While the Career-related Programme coordinator has a key role to play, all teachers should
regularly visit the IB’s online curriculum centre (OCC), which features resources and discussion forums.
Training and induction
After authorization, communication remains as important as ever, but the needs of the school’s community
are more diverse. New teachers and parents will still need to learn about the basics of the Career-related
Programme, and there is the opportunity for experienced teachers and others to be involved directly in
programme evaluation and development. The following points should be considered.
• Induction for new members of the school leadership team and/or governance body: the IB
provides professional development workshops for school leaders (http://ibo.org/events/) to develop
better understanding of the Career-related Programme.
• Induction for new teachers: some new teachers will be joining experienced teams, while others
will be working on their own. Schools will need to identify experienced teachers who can help new
teachers. Schools can offer inductions and many schools write introductory handbooks or sections in
the school’s teacher handbook to support this process. Teachers should access IB training as a matter
of urgency if they are involved in teaching either the Career-related Programme core or the Diploma
Programme courses (http://ibo.org/events/).
• Induction for new parents and students: induction will be required for parents and students who
are new to the Career-related Programme and are considering entering the programme, as well as for
those who have just started the Career-related Programme.
Schools should plan to involve students and parents in dialogue, gathering feedback about the Career-
related Programme to inform the development of the programme in the school. Focus groups and surveys
are useful strategies. Regular community involvement also helps to foster support for the programme and
its place in the school community.
Collaborative planning
Collaborative planning and reflection must take place regularly and systematically in support of programme
implementation. It can help schools develop a curriculum that reflects and supports the school’s identity,
including elements such as education for citizenship, experiential education and service within the
community. Collaborative planning is based on agreed expectations for student learning. The importance of
collaborative planning is highlighted in the programme standards and practices, and evidence of productive
planning times is required at authorization and evaluation. Collaborative planning and reflection ensures
that all teachers have an overview of students’ learning experiences.

School leadership
Meeting time
Schools must provide dedicated meeting time for collaborative planning. In Career-related Programme
schools, meeting time is crucial, must be managed systematically and effectively, and must involve all
teachers. Meeting time must be used to develop vertical and horizontal articulation of the Career-related
programme across and between each year level. Additional planning time must include discussions
involving differentiation, learning support, learner profile development and international-mindedness.
Where there is more than one teacher of the same course, it is good practice to write unit plans in teams in
order to collaboratively develop the areas stated above.
Vertical planning
The goal of vertical planning is to sequence learning to ensure continuity and progression across each year
of the programme and beyond. Collaborative planning and reflection ensures that all teachers have an
overview of students’ learning experiences. It explores connections and relations between the Diploma
Programme courses, the core components and the career-related study and reinforces shared knowledge,
understanding and skills. The IB expects that teachers within the same subject group will vertically plan
across the Career-related Programme years.
Horizontal planning
A collaborative approach to planning and teaching is essential. This allows teachers to communicate
regularly on matters concerning content and pedagogy. Planning horizontally will involve teachers of
the same year level working together between and within subject areas to plan the scope of learning in a
particular year.
Teachers as learners
The processes described above may be new for some teachers when they start teaching the Career-related
Programme and so will involve a learning process. There is no one “right” way for teachers to approach the
learning process. No matter which approach is taken, however, the purpose is for teachers to be empowered
to use their creativity and professionalism in engaging students in learning while engaging with the world
around them. When students see teachers as learners, it can be a powerful message in positively modelling
a number of learner profile attributes.
Reviewing the school philosophy and action plan
Schools should periodically review their own philosophy and published mission statement to ensure that
these reflect what is actually taking place in the school as a whole. Specifically, the school leadership
team needs to consider how the Diploma programme courses, the core components of the Career-related
Programme, the IB learner profile and the fostering of lifelong learning relate to other curriculums being
offered in the school. The statements of mission and philosophy must be aligned with those of the IB to
include references that the school values education that goes beyond academic development.
While completing the applications for candidacy and authorization, schools are asked to submit an action
plan based on objectives drawn from the Career-related Programme standards and practices. Schools are

School leadership
expected to continue developing their programme after authorization and to refine and develop their
practices. To this end, the school should continue updating the action plan, establishing priorities for the
school, including any IB recommendations from the authorization or evaluation process.
The updated action plan is reviewed during programme evaluation as evidence of the school’s commitment
to ongoing improvement.
IB educator network (IBEN)
Developing and maintaining the school as a professional learning community is a key priority. Over time,
the opportunity for reflection and innovative professional development and practice might grow because
less time needs to be spent on basic implementation. The IB educator network (IBEN) can provide a high-
quality IB experience for teachers. Teachers should be encouraged to become directly involved in IBEN
activities, for example as:
• examiners
• participants in curriculum review and other meetings
• workshop leaders
• team members for consultation, authorization and evaluation visits.
This can provide significant benefits for schools as teachers gain a better understanding of IB processes and
practices and can use their experience to train colleagues and improve programme implementation.
The need for teachers to continue to work closely and collaboratively on sharing good practice and
discussing student progress will always be a priority.
Prior learning
The IB stipulates no formal entrance requirements and so students can follow numerous educational
pathways to gain entry into the Career-related Programme.
The IB offers a continuum of education that is designed to facilitate a smooth progression.
Regardless of whether or not the school offers the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years
Programme (MYP), vertical planning between teachers of the Career-related Programme and those in
earlier years is essential. The curriculum continuum needs to be mapped and written so that it represents a
consistent and coherent progression.
Induction of students
Schools need to ensure that students are adequately prepared to begin the Career-related Programme,
particularly with regard to the two or more Diploma Programme courses they will embark on. Diploma
Programme subject guides specify any prior learning that is presumed before starting the course. This
should be considered together with syllabus and assessment details, all found in the subject guides, for a
comprehensive understanding of course expectations.
In addition to subject-specific knowledge and skills, students will need to develop and demonstrate a range
of competencies, skills, strategies and attitudes that are consistent with the IB learner profile in order to be

School leadership
successful. While these form the core competencies or approaches to learning skills in Diploma Programme
courses, and will be reinforced and developed over the two years of the programme, some students might
need specific support early in the programme in order to develop these.
The Career-related Programme can be demanding in terms of time commitment and it is important that
students develop effective time management skills from the start. This can be facilitated by ensuring
that students understand the expectations of time commitment over the two years of the Career-related
Programme. Time management needs to be supported by teachers who understand the Career-related
Programme framework and collaborate on planning activities and setting assignments in a manageable
way.

Staff roles
Career-related Programme coordinator
The role of Career-related Programme coordinator is key to the implementation and development of
the Career-related Programme. A Career-related Programme coordinator must be appointed with a job
description, release time, support and resources to carry out the responsibilities of the position.
The Career-related Programme coordinator is responsible for:
• providing information, guidance and administrative support to students, colleagues and other
stakeholders
• the coordination of all activities linked to the Career-related Programme
• communicating information about the Career-related Programme to all members of the school
community
• administering all internal and external assessments
• acting as the primary point of contact between the school and the IB.
It is important that the job description of the coordinator includes recognition of the pedagogical leadership
function of the role, in addition to the management roles of general programme administration and
communication.
Career-related Programme implementation requires a detailed understanding of the principles and
practices of the Career-related Programme. The coordinator, acting together with other school leaders,
needs to have the authority to plan and manage the processes of change necessary for developing the
programme.
Specific responsibilities, such as the coordination of the personal and professional skills, service learning,
language development or the reflective project, may be delegated to other members of the faculty and
staff.
In an IB World School authorized to implement the Diploma Programme, where the Career-related
Programme coordinator is the same person as the Diploma Programme coordinator, schools should provide
additional support in terms of administrative assistance and/or time release. However, the IB strongly
recommends that the role of the Career-related Programme coordinator is separate from that of the Diploma
Programme coordinator.
The processes involved in the management of the Career-related Programme are comprehensively explained
in the Handbook of procedures for the Career-related Programme, which details the specific regulations and
practical requirements for delivering the programme.
Additional aspects of the role
Some additional aspects of this role are outlined as follows.

Staff roles
Coordinators are initially expected to guide schools through the programme’s authorization process. They
should be directly involved in developing the feasibility report, completing the application for candidacy
and authorization, and organizing the required professional development of teachers, among other duties.
Part of the pedagogical leadership team
Another important aspect of the Career-related Programme coordinator role is that of being part of the
school’s pedagogical leadership team. This means that Career-related Programme coordinators can play a
crucial role in helping to ensure, for example:
• that there is a clear and unified approach to curriculum planning, including collaborative planning
• international-mindedness is embedded in curricular and co-curricular activities
• the standard to which coursework is established, monitored and marked in Diploma Programme
courses and the components of the Career-related Programme core.
Guiding the school community
School-based guidance must ensure that the community (students, parents and teachers) understand
the Career-related Programme framework and the Diploma Programme course selection choices that are
available. Implicit in this is the need not only for clear knowledge of the IB regulations for course selection,
but also an understanding of the consequences for individual students in terms of appropriate balance,
course load, stress and suitability for entry into higher education or employment.
This process of guidance must begin well before the first year of the Career-related Programme. The
coordinator may be involved in the publication of documentation to support such guidance in order to
promote understanding of and support for the implementation of the Career-related Programme by the
school community. This role is often fulfilled in collaboration with the counselling services department.
Determining admission to the Career-related Programme
The coordinator should be closely involved in developing and administering the processes for student
admission into the Career-related Programme. For schools with open enrolment policies, the role of the
coordinator is to develop processes for widely informing potential students and their parents about the
programme so that they can make appropriate choices about whether to enrol and what options within the
programme to select. In some schools this may mean working alongside an admissions director.
Working with teachers
A significant aspect of the coordinator’s role is to ensure that the teachers of the Career-related Programme
core and Diploma Programme courses gain a full understanding of the programme as a whole, including
the career-related studies on offer to students.
In the implementation stage, coordinators will work closely with teachers in all three sections of the
programme to ensure that they fully understand their own component’s requirements and have a broader
awareness of the whole of the programme and its requirements. This is often achieved through in-school
professional development, professional learning communities and regularly scheduled meetings with
teachers and should continue when the programme has been established.
Scheduling and the school calendar
Coordinators will develop, or help to develop, the school timetable/schedule and calendar to ensure that all
courses meet requirements for the Career-related Programme and that students gain the maximum benefit
of concurrency of learning whenever possible.
Coordinators should also help to support the head of the school by ensuring that school policies support
the ongoing development of the programme and that excellent teachers are recruited and retained.

Staff roles
Supporting service learning and reflective projects
In some schools, Career-related Project coordinators have the additional responsibilities of organizing and
coordinating service learning and the supervision of reflective projects. These tasks would preferably be
assigned to other staff, with a coordinator working alongside to offer support.
The service learning coordinator role includes developing opportunities for students to engage in authentic
service learning experiences and to engage in reflection in meaningful ways. This can be time-consuming
and requires close cooperation with other school colleagues who may be involved in supporting service
learning through links to their academic and/or career-related studies.
The reflective project supervisor is responsible for ensuring that students fully understand the nature of
the reflective project, for training potential supervisors and for working to develop an appropriate timeline
for production of the reflective projects. Depending on the number of students involved, this can be an
extensive task.
Curriculum review
In some schools, Career-related Programme coordinators may be involved in reviewing the curriculum in
the school years preceding the programme. For example, they may work with heads of teams or curricular
specialists to try to ensure that the curriculum provides adequate preparation for the Career-related
Programme.
For schools offering the Middle Years Programme and/or Diploma Programme, the Career-related
Programme coordinator would naturally be in regular contact with the Middle Years Programme and
Diploma Programme coordinators to ensure coherent programme articulation.
General administration
Coordinators are responsible for managing a number of essential administrative tasks detailed in the
Handbook of procedures for the Career-related Programme. These include, but are not limited to:
• Registering students as examination candidates for Diploma Programme courses and the moderation
of the reflective project.
• Entering data on the IB information system (IBIS), including provisional grades.
• Supporting students with assessment access requirements.
• Confirming completion of the components of the Career-related Programme core.
Coordinators will also play a major role in organizing and managing examinations for Diploma Programme
courses if the school is not authorized to implement the Diploma Programme. One aspect of this is to ensure
that all teachers are following the correct procedures and practices in monitoring assessment tasks and
collating samples of work to be forwarded to the IB.
Many coordinators will receive administrative assistance. The range of administrative tasks on top of
pedagogical leadership responsibilities often means that assistance is essential, especially in schools with
large numbers of candidates.
Maintaining a database
For many schools, it is important to maintain contact with alumni and to develop a database of examination
results, higher and further education pathways, listings of internships and apprenticeship pathways or
employment pathways and contact information within the context of relevant data protection requirements.
It may be the coordinator’s responsibility to maintain and carry out analysis of this data.
Students should also be encouraged to register with the IB alumni network (http://blogs.ibo.org/alumni/
register/).

Staff roles
Administering the programme’s budget
Coordinators are often responsible for administering the budget allocated to the Career-related Programme.
This is likely to include:
• postage and courier costs
• the purchase of publications
• annual school fees and examination fee payments
• IB-authorized professional development workshops.
Organizing and completing the five-year programme evaluation
Coordinators have primary responsibility for ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the Programme
standards and practices and understand what is expected of them.
This understanding is the basis of an effective review process, conducted over one full year after the fourth
year of implementation of the programme. The coordinator will lead this, ensuring completion by the due
date for submission to the IB.
Student progression to employment and further education
Coordinators have responsibility for facilitating student progression to employment or further/higher
education, communicating with local employers, colleges and universities and explaining to students and
parents the processes and policies involved.
An important element of this is ensuring that students and parents are aware of specific admissions
requirements for a particular pathway and any impact these may have on subject selection. This role may
go beyond communication of existing opportunities to a proactive engagement with local employers,
colleges, universities and provincial and national authorities in order to improve recognition of the Career-
related Programme. Coordinators will also need to ensure that all requests by universities for individual
student results are processed efficiently.
Programme implementation and development
A key aspect of the coordinator’s role in implementing and developing the programme is ensuring that the
school embraces the IB’s mission statement and learner profile. This involves ensuring that the school is able
to explicitly demonstrate how the structure of the programme and its implementation are furthering both.
In this way the Career-related Programme coordinator fosters the spirit of an international education in the
school, one that will help graduating students to develop the skills, wisdom and cultural understanding
necessary to engage with the significant global issues the world faces now and in the future.
Promoting the use of the online curriculum centre
Coordinators should encourage teachers to actively use the online curriculum centre and to participate in
its forums.
Subject specialists for teaching Diploma
Programme courses
Diploma Programme courses selected by schools for the Career-related Programme must be taught by
subject specialists who have undergone IB-recognized professional development for that subject.

Staff roles
Service learning coordinator
A service learning coordinator is key to the success of this component of the programme core.
The service learning coordinator:
• is knowledgeable about the role of service learning in the programme
• facilitates understanding of service learning, working directly with students and staff
• collaborates with teachers to develop links between academic and/or career-related studies and
service learning
• is responsible for reporting the progress of the students to the programme coordinator.
Reflective project coordinator
Schools are encouraged to designate a reflective project coordinator. This role supports that of the
Career-related Programme coordinator, but with specific reference to the reflective project processes and
procedures as outlined in the Handbook of procedures for the Career-related Programme.
The reflective project coordinator:
• develops a systematic approach to managing the reflective project to support students’ progress
• encourages and prepares teachers to assume supervisory roles and responsibilities
• allocates supervisors
• organizes supervisor training to promote best practice, through which they ensure the quality of
supervision
• ensures the Career-related Programme coordinator is kept apprised of students’ progress in the
reflective project.
Language development teacher/supervisor
Each school can decide how best to deliver language development within the requirements of the Career-
related Programme. Depending on how language development is implemented in the school, students will
require either a language teacher or a language supervisor. It is strongly recommended that the teacher/
supervisor is experienced in teaching language acquisition to students.
Personal and professional skills teacher
Personal and professional skills is a timetabled course. Based on the aims, learning outcomes and five
themes presented in the personal and professional skills guide, each school designs and develops its own
unique course that enables its students to make links to their career-related studies.
The personal and professional skills teacher must ensure the course helps students develop the attitudes,
skills and strategies to be applied to personal and professional situations and contexts now and in the
future.

Staff roles
Librarian
The IB does not require schools to employ a librarian, but a librarian can play a key role in supporting
planning, leading collaboration and improvements in literacy, providing resources and promoting academic
honesty, particularly with technical skills such as citing or referencing.
Librarians should also work to identify and plan for access to resources that support the variety of student
learning styles and interests, as well as those that support the languages of the student body. They can help
to select resources that support student learning and allow students to move quickly through the locating
phase into working with information and gaining deeper understanding.
Counsellors, advisers (pastoral care) and year
leaders
Schools offering the Career-related Programme must have systems in place to guide and counsel students
through the programme and towards future pathways. Schools can offer support to students in different
ways and the IB does not require any particular approach.
Counsellors can serve as a link between school, families and the curricular and non-curricular aspects of the
programme, and are effective in maintaining a holistic balance in addressing student needs.
As part of the provision of care to their students, schools may also employ homeroom teachers, advisers and
class or year level leaders who see students on a daily basis. Although these roles may not be specifically
related to the Career-related Programme itself, they will involve a guidance aspect that requires a basic
understanding of the programme.

Professional development
Schools as professional learning communities
Using professional development opportunities provided by the IB or other organizations is only one
aspect of supporting a professional learning community. Creating a supportive, stimulating learning
environment is just as, if not more, important. The principle of creative teacher professionalism together
with the programme standards and practices define expectations that are supportive of IB World Schools as
professional learning communities. IB teachers need to understand and support the vision and principles of
the IB and to model the learner profile in their own behaviour and teaching.
Building an effective and supportive learning community, with a commitment to continuous improvement,
is vital for the successful implementation and development of the Career-related Programme. IB World
Schools are encouraged to view themselves as professional learning communities and should demonstrate
the following characteristics.
• A shared vision of the school values and mission that is consistent with the IB’s mission statement and
values.
• Continuous and ongoing commitment to improvement.
• A culture of collaboration that is embedded into working practices: trust and risk-taking are
encouraged; teachers openly share their professional practice.
• Emphasis on the school culture, not just on organizational structures.
• A focus on, and commitment to, learning and teaching.
• Supportive, shared and devolved leadership that includes teachers as well as school leaders; the
school needs to be a learning organization, continually reflecting on and evaluating current practice
with a view to improving teaching and learning.
Professional development opportunities offered by
the IB
The IB is committed to supporting schools and teachers in the process of professional learning by providing
a range of professional development opportunities, which include the following.
• A programme of workshops and conferences (http://ibo.org/events/workshops.cfm) delivered by the
IB and its approved partners is designed to help teachers and faculty members with different levels of
experience to better understand and implement the Career-related Programme. Most workshops are
available both face-to-face and online.
• Two professional certificates, the IB certificate in teaching and learning and the IB certificate in
leadership (http://www.ibo.org/programmes/pd/qualifications/), are offered at an increasing number
of universities worldwide.

• The online curriculum centre (OCC), is a website included in the annual school fee, where all IB
publications are published and through which teachers can access subject-specific forums, frequently
asked questions and teacher support material. Informal, yet valuable professional development can
be obtained from the information on the site and by engaging with other practitioners through the
collaborative learning forums.
• IB regional associations offer professional development opportunities. While some of these are
approved partners offering workshops, others offer informal professional development opportunities.
These informal professional development opportunities will not meet IB professional development
requirements at the time of authorization or evaluation, but are often particularly valuable as they can
address programme implementation and development issues within a local context.
While the IB provides professional development, it also encourages schools to work on creating the
reflective, collaborative culture that is essential for professional learning to occur. Ideally, schools should
have plans in place so that teachers who attend workshops share their findings with their teams, and
perhaps even receive coaching or peer support on implementing new ideas.
Professional development expectations
The IB has specific professional development requirements that all Career-related Programme schools must
meet at key points: before candidacy can be awarded, before the school can be authorized, and at each
subsequent evaluation. Further details on these specific requirements can be found in the Guide to school
authorization: Career-related Programme.
The school’s commitment to professional development is demonstrated through encouraging as many
teachers and staff as possible to participate in IB activities.
A school wishing to implement the Career-related Programme needs to make a commitment to ongoing
teacher professional development. Specifically, schools must meet the following requirements to be
authorized as an IB World School offering the Career-related Programme:
• The head of school (or appropriate designee) must attend the Career-related Programme
administrators category 1 workshop (before the application for candidacy is submitted).
• All Diploma Programme subject teachers must attend IB category 1 workshops in their subjects.
• The Career-related Programme coordinator must attend the Career-related Programme coordinator
category 1 workshop.
• Teachers and staff who will be involved in Career-related Programme implementation must take part
in Launching the Career-related Programme, an in-school, face-to-face workshop.
• The reflective project coordinator must attend the Career-related Programme reflective project
category 1 workshop.
• The personal and professional skills teacher must attend the Career-related Programme personal and
professional skills category 1 workshop.
It is expected that the mandatory professional development has taken place before the verification visit,.
The school’s commitment to IB professional development would allow as many teachers and staff as possible
to participate in IB activities. Once authorized, IB World Schools are subject to professional development
requirements at their five-year evaluation.
Professional development should be ongoing for all teachers in a school, irrespective of their experience,
as even experienced teachers will need to keep up to date with course developments. All teachers must
participate in a relevant workshop if the course they are teaching has been reviewed during the five-year
evaluation period and new guidelines have been published.

Staff involved in all aspects of implementing programmes should undertake professional development,
including school leaders, librarians, counsellors, learning support teachers, Career-related Programme
coordinators, service learning and reflective project coordinators, personal and professional skills teachers
and language development supervisors and teachers.
All teachers are also responsible for supporting students who are studying in a language that is not their
best language and they may require additional professional development to provide this language support.
Experienced teachers are also encouraged to take advantage of a wide range of opportunities offered
through the IB educator network (IBEN), including becoming IB examiners, moderators, deputy chief
examiners, OCC forum moderators, workshop leaders, authorization team members or members of IB
curriculum development committees.

School policies for implementing the Career-related Programme
Introduction
The implementation and development of the Career-related Programme must be supported through
the collective consideration, adoption and approval of school policies that align with the philosophy and
practice of the IB. Ideally, policy documents will be developed collaboratively.
In many schools, it is usual for the school leadership to develop and propose policies to the board for
adoption and approval. For schools that are part of a district or foundation, policies may be created at
district or foundation level for a group of schools. If policies are created at district or other levels and are not
consistent with IB expectations, schools should produce an addendum to cover any missing IB references in
the district or other policies.
In all schools offering the Career-related Programme, the bodies creating policies will need to be aware of
the implications that their policies may have for the programme. The school leadership must ensure that the
governing body understands the principles of the programme.
All schools offering the Career-related Programme must develop and implement the following five policies;
some must be in place for the completion of the authorization process, others must be in progress:
• Academic honesty policy—must be in place by the completion of the authorization process.
• Admissions policy that clearly references the Career-related Programme—must be in place by the
completion of the authorization process.
• Assessment policy—must be in progress by the completion of the authorization process.
• Inclusion policy—must be in progress by the completion of the authorization process.
• Language policy—must be in progress by the completion of the authorization process.
When policies are approved, school leaders will usually have the responsibility for creating procedures to
put the policies into action. This should ideally include staff input, as teachers will usually be best placed to
offer advice on potential issues and solutions.
Once a policy document has been developed, further steps should be taken to ensure that it remains up
to date with the needs of students and is in line with national and local legislation with regard to meeting
learning needs.
Process for developing school policies
The following process is recommended:
Step 1: Establish a review process
The policy should make reference to a review process and should stipulate both timings and responsibilities
for this. The review procedure should allow for the development of new ideas and research and should also
include roles and responsibilities for evaluating the effectiveness of the policy as a working document.

Introduction
Step 2: Link the policy to other documents
The policy should be explicitly linked to other working documents.
Step 3: Communicate the policy
Consideration should be given to how to keep the whole school community informed of the policy process
and how they can contribute. The roles and responsibilities for training new teachers should be made clear.
Further guidance on developing school policies for inclusion, academic honesty, language and assessment
are outlined in the following sections.

Academic honesty policy
Overview of academic honesty
IB programmes must foster an understanding of academic honesty so that students grasp its fundamental
values and are familiar with its technical aspects. Academic honesty in the Career-related Programme is
a set of values and behaviours informed by the attributes of the learner profile. In teaching, learning and
assessment, academic honesty serves to promote personal integrity, engender respect for the integrity
of others and their work, and ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate the
knowledge and skills they acquire during their studies.
Developing a school policy
A school policy on academic honesty must include:
• appropriate reference to the IB learner profile , particularly on striving to be principled
• the IB’s definitions of academic misconduct and its different categories
• advice on and/or examples of what constitutes academic misconduct, intellectual property and
authentic authorship
• examples of conventions for citing and acknowledging original authorship
• processes that support the development of academic integrity and information literacy throughout
the programme and ideally throughout the whole school
• guidance on the distinction between legitimate collaboration and unacceptable collusion.
Teachers of all parts of the programme should be included in the development of the policy; students might
also be involved. The need to acknowledge the source of data, works of art, computer programs, photographs,
diagrams, illustrations, maps, and so on, must also be made clear to students by their subject teachers so they
can gain a clear idea of the purpose of correct citation and referencing in a variety of disciplines.
The policy should focus on prevention and promoting good practice; it should be a practical reference tool
that is used and perceived in a positive way.
Students must receive an age-appropriate copy of the policy so they understand the expectations and
requirements and are aware that the coordinator and teachers are available to offer further guidance.
Implementation and review
Procedures for implementing the academic honesty policy, for example instituting a requirement for
students to sign an “honour code”, or the use of a tracking sheet, are at each school’s discretion.
With the pace of developments in communication and the availability of information through the internet,
it is also important that the academic honesty policy is reviewed regularly; students might be a part of that
review process.

Academic honesty policy
Student coursework and examinations
All coursework—including work submitted for assessment—must be authentic, based on the student’s
individual and original ideas and with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged. Assessment tasks
that require teachers to provide guidance to students or that require students to work collaboratively must
be completed in full compliance with the detailed guidelines provided by the IB for the relevant subjects.
Teachers and school administrators have a responsibility to model integrity and practise academic honesty
themselves.
One example is the importance of understanding that getting others (peers or websites) to write coursework
on students’ behalf is dishonest and also stops the students learning through doing the work. Schools
should take full advantage of the opportunity for self-reflection that coursework offers, and in doing so can
make it less attractive for students to plagiarize others’ work.
As a global organization, the IB encourages schools to help students develop integrity with assessments,
including not passing on or requesting information from those who have already taken an exam.
For further information on academic honesty, please see the guidelines on Academic honesty in the IB
educational context and General regulations: Career-related programme.
Acknowledging the ideas or work of another person
Academic honesty skills must be intentionally planned and taught with models and practice to prevent
students who are well intentioned from risking academic dishonesty because they lack full understanding
of the expectations.
Students can submit work for assessment in a variety of media including audiovisual material, text, graphs,
images and/or data published in print or electronic sources. Where students use the work or ideas of another
person, they must acknowledge the source using a standard style of referencing in a consistent manner. A
reader must be able to clearly distinguish between the words and work of the student and the words and
work of other creators.
In written work, this means citing in the text where an external source has been used. The inclusion of a
reference in a bibliography (works cited/list of references) at the end of the paper is not enough. The IB does
not prescribe which style of referencing or citation method students should use. However, the minimum
information required for identifying sources includes the name of the author, date of publication, title of the
source and page numbers, as applicable.
A student’s failure to acknowledge a source will be investigated by the IB as a potential breach of regulations
and may result in a penalty imposed by the IB final award committee.
For further information please consult the guidelines on effective citing and referencing.

Admissions policy
Systems must be put in place to promote and support enrolment in the programme and to advise students
regarding their options. An open admission policy offers the broadest access to the programme. However,
if schools do have an admissions policy that is not open to everyone, the following factors should be
considered.
• Economic factors need not be a limitation on students’ access to IB programmes. Schools are
encouraged to explore the full range of financial resources that may be available to their students.
Being aware of the costs that are passed on to students and the potential impact on access is essential.
• Care must be taken with any application process to ensure that students from groups who have been
historically under-represented do not feel disenfranchised. Some schools seeking to expand access
use multiple sources of information about the student’s background to obtain a holistic view of the
applicant. This allows those schools to include a broader range of students.
• The admissions process must be transparent, with the criteria used for admission clearly stated in a
policy that is available to the whole community.
Other factors to consider in student admission policies are as follows.
• There should be multiple points of entry to, and different pathways through, the years leading up to
the programme, with access in mind. Within each pathway, schools should ensure that the key skills
and knowledge needed for success in the programme are developed.
• It is useful if materials relevant to admission to the programme are readily available in all languages
used by the community.
• When a student is transferring from another school to start the programme, every effort must be
made to ensure as smooth a transition as possible, including clear and comprehensive communication
between the schools, the student and parents.

Assessment policy
An assessment policy is derived from the school’s and the IB’s assessment philosophy and principles, which
must be consistent with each other. It is constructed around educational and pedagogical values and
therefore represents a statement of intent and action describing principles and practices for achieving
educational goals relating to all aspects of assessment and the aims and objectives of any course.
Constructing and implementing an assessment policy helps schools to engage meaningfully with
IB assessment expectations and to develop them in the context of the school’s unique circumstances.
The assessment policy must include:
• A philosophy of assessment that supports student learning.
• Internal moderation/quality checks to ensure that internally marked coursework is at the standard
defined by the IB and that students get a true reflection of the marks they will receive.
• Details of common practices for using the career-related and Diploma Programme assessment criteria
and determining achievement levels.
• Details of common practices for recording and reporting student achievement.
• Implementation of formative and summative assessment consistent with IB expectations.
• Practices for internal standardizing of assessment.
• For schools with local/state/national requirements, an explanation of the relationship of Career-related
Programme or Diploma Programme assessment principles and practices with required systems for
grading and reporting.
Effective assessment policies should also consider assessment timelines and the demands they place on
students and teachers, including workloads and personal well-being. They should also contain information
about plans for sharing information about assessment with school staff and the wider school community, a
process for gathering feedback and a system to review the policy on a regular basis.
Everyone concerned with assessment, including students, teachers, parents and administrators, should
have a clear understanding of the purposes of assessment and its practical application in the programme.

Inclusion policy
Learning diversity
Some students may find it difficult to participate due to a physical, medical or psychological condition. The
principle in all such circumstances is to focus on what students can do, not on what they cannot. It must be
remembered that the school plays a vital part in defining students’ future lives, including the development
of their interests and talents.
In IB World Schools, all students in the IB programmes should have meaningful and equitable access to the
curriculum. The IB document Programme standards and practices calls for schools to be organized in ways
that value student diversity and respect individual learning differences. This is a key aspect of becoming
more internationally minded and is an important goal of all IB programmes.
Schools must ensure that equal access arrangements and reasonable adjustments are provided
to candidates with learning support requirements and that these arrangements are in line with the IB
documents Candidates with assessment access requirements and Learning diversity in the IB programmes:
Special educational needs within the IB programmes.
Schools can contact their regional office for advice.
Inclusion
Among educators, the ongoing process that increases access and engagement of all learners in learning has
become known as inclusion. Inclusive education involves responding positively to each student’s unique
learning profile, including students with diverse learning needs. A key indicator of inclusion in schools is a
shift from specialist teachers being solely responsible for students with learning differences to collaborative
planning by all teachers who are part of a student’s education along the learning continuum.
Developing an effective policy
Inclusion succeeds when a school-wide culture of collaboration encourages and supports inquiry and
problem-solving.
Schools must develop and implement an inclusion policy that is consistent with these expectations and in
accordance with local legislation and school policy, and is easily available to the whole school community.
Some state, provincial or national education authorities require specific legal procedures and
documentation, and it is good practice everywhere to document learning support and individual progress.

Inclusion policy
Access to learning
The central place of approaches to learning in all IB programmes helps teachers and students respond in
a flexible way to individual learning needs, including those who have learning support requirements or
language requirements. Differentiated teaching practices can build opportunities in which each student
can develop, pursue and achieve appropriate individual learning goals.
For more information, please refer to the Special educational needs within the International Baccalaureate,
Candidates with assessment access requirements and The IB guide to inclusive education: A resource for whole-
school development.
Students with assessment access requirements
Schools must provide accessible teaching and learning activities. However, it is important that teachers
and administrators are aware of the many opportunities available for students with assessment access
requirements and that the school actively promotes the participation of all students as part of encouraging
access.
The Diploma Programme has well-established support mechanisms for assessment access requirements,
as outlined in the publication Candidates with assessment access requirements (2014), and these are available
for Career-related Programme students studying Diploma Programme courses and for the Career-related
Programme reflective project. There are procedures in place to request inclusive assessment arrangements
for IB assessments and to cater for special requirements at any time: the D1 application process. See
the Handbook of procedures for the Diploma Programme and the Career-related Programme for detailed
information.

Language policy
A language policy is a statement of purpose that outlines goals for language teaching and learning.
In many schools, the maintenance and recognition of students’ best language(s) and the availability of
language courses can impact on the degree to which students can access the Career-related Programme
and achieve success. Because language demographics vary widely, schools are required to develop a
language policy to address these issues.
Access can be broadened when a school fully understands and supports the needs of students for whom
the language of instruction in the school is not their best language. Teachers of all subjects need to
understand their role in supporting student language development. Many Career-related Programme
students complete the programme in a language that is not their best language for academic work; all
teachers have the responsibility to be aware of their students’ language abilities and scaffold instruction
appropriately.
A school’s language policy must be consistent with the stipulated principles and practices of the IB. It must:
• Recognize that, since language is central to learning, all teachers are, in practice, language teachers
with responsibilities in facilitating communication.
• Describe how the development and maintenance of the best language for all learners is to be
supported.
• Ensure that there are practices in place to provide inclusion and equity of access to the Career-related
Programme offered by the school for all learners, including those who are learning in a language other
than their best language.
Please refer to the guidelines for developing a school language policy and the guidelines for school self-
reflection on its language policy for more information.

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