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International College offers a unique blend of educational practices to its 3650 students.  Through its accreditation with CIS and NEASC, and being an approved IB and AEFE school, along with correlation with the Ministry of Education in Lebanon, IC offers four different programs at the Secondary School level:

  1. Lebanese Baccalaureate;
  2. French Baccalaureate; 
  3. International Baccalaureate;
  4. College Preparatory Program. 

Included within the curriculum at the school in earlier grades, is the IB Primary Years Program, for Pre- and Elementary students, and a strong Lebanese and French curriculum in Middle school, where the majority of students eventually sit for the French National Diploma, the Brevet.  The school provides its students with the choice of two tracks, English or French, and all three languages of English, French and Arabic are studied in both tracks.  It is this unique offering which sets IC apart from other schools in the country, region and globally. 

The Lebanese Baccalaureate Program, following the curriculum of the Lebanese Ministry of Education, is available to all students in either an English or French track for core subjects including math and sciences.  In the French track, English is taught as a third language and vice versa. In both tracks, social studies, history, geography, civics, sociology and economics are taught in Arabic with the study of Arabic literature and language mandatory.  In the second year (Grade 11), students choose a focus on either humanities or the sciences, and then specialize in their third and final year.  Students are assessed by the comprehensive exams set by the Lebanese Ministry of Education at the completion of Grade 12. 

The French Baccalaureate prepares students as early as grade 10.  At this level, in addition to the disciplines included in the official bulletin (BO) of France's national education program, students benefit from personalized help sessions and guidance information.  In the French baccalaureate reform, which will come into effect in September 2019, in the first year, students will all receive a certain number of common courses and will also have to choose three specialty courses, which are reduced to two in Terminale.  There are four final exams in the final year, in addition to the French test (written and oral) in 1ère.  Two tests will focus on the specialty subjects chosen by the student.  In June, students take a philosophy test and an extensive oral exam.  The assessment includes a continuous control portion.  The oral and the four written tests at the end of the final year account for 60% of the final mark of the baccalaureate.  The remaining 40% comes from continuous monitoring (for 30%) and report grades in 1ère and Terminale (10%).  In addition to the compulsory subjects and specialties, students are able to choose several options, including artistic ones.

Le baccalauréat français se préparer dès la classe de 2nde. À ce niveau, en plus des disciplines prévues au programme officiel du B.O., les élèves bénéficient de séances d’aide personnalisée et d’information à l’orientation. Dans la réforme du baccalauréat français qui entrera en vigueur en septembre 2019, en 1ère, les élèves recevront tous un certain nombre d’enseignements communs et devront en plus opter pour 3 enseignements de spécialité ramenés à deux en classe de terminale. Il y aura bien quatre épreuves finales en classe de terminale, en plus du bac de français (écrit et oral) en classe de 1ère. Deux épreuves porteront sur les matières de spécialité choisies par l’élève. En juin, les élèves passeront un écrit de philosophie ainsi qu’un oral. L’évaluation inclura une partie de contrôle continu. L’oral et les quatre épreuves écrites en fin de terminale pèseront pour 60 % de la note finale du baccalauréat. Les 40 % restant proviendront du contrôle continu (pour 30 %) et des notes du bulletin en première et terminale (10 %). En plus des matières obligatoires et des spécialités, les élèves pourront choisir plusieurs options notamment artistiques.

 

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is a demanding two-year curriculum with a rigorous assessment component.  The program is made up of six subject groups and three core elements: Theory of knowledge, the extended essay and creativity, activity and service.  Students admitted to the IB program with a non-Lebanese nationality must obtain permission from the Ministry of Education.  As for students holding only the Lebanese nationality, the government has set certain conditions in order to get the equivalency of the IB Diploma and the Lebanese Baccalaureate.  A good knowledge of English is a prerequisite, as it is the language of instruction.  The IB Diploma is recognized by leading universities around the world.  The program aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, reflective and caring young people who are motivated to succeed.

 

The College Preparatory Program is a three-year curriculum designed to prepare students for the Freshman year at university.  The language of instruction is English.  Students admitted into this program must hold a foreign passport and secure permission from the Ministry of Education.  Courses taken are extensive and rigorous such as math, biology, economics, business, global issues, history, geography, English literature, Arabic and French languages, drama, elective (art, music, Spanish, health/wellbeing) and physical education. 

 

 

The IB Primary Years Program, designed for students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child, in both the classroom and the world outside, through other environments where children learn.  The program, offered in both the English and French tracts, fosters a love of learning through a student-focused, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning.  It offers a framework that meets children’s needs from an academic, social, physical, emotional, and cultural perspective.  The five essential elements of an IB PYP education are attitudes, knowledge, concepts, skills and action.  The ten attributes of the IB Learner Profile are intertwined into the constantly evolving curriculum of the PYP. 

IC PYP Program of Inquiry 2019-2020 

IC PYP Programme de Recherche 2019-2020 

The Lebanese Brevet and the French Brevet are official diplomas issued at the end of grade 9.  The Lebanese brevet is obligatory for Lebanese children in so far as it conditions the passage in class for grade 10, which is not the case of the French brevet (DNB).  Students with a foreign nationality are exempted from the Lebanese brevet. If they are registered in the French program, they benefit from the entire official program, according to the instructions of the BO, to enable them, starting in 2019-2020, to pass the DNB.  If they are enrolled in the English program, they prepare for the CPP program.

In Grade 8, the students of the Lebanese English Program and those of the CPP present the DELF level A2 to attest their academic level in FLE (French as a foreign language).

Le brevet libanais et le brevet français sont des diplômes officiels délivrés à l’issue de la classe de 3ème. Le brevet libanais est obligatoire pour les enfants libanais dans la mesure où il conditionne le passage en classe de 2nde, ce qui n’est pas le cas du brevet français (DNB). Les élèves ayant une nationalité étrangère sont dispensés du brevet libanais et, s’ils sont inscrits en programme français, ils bénéficient de l’intégralité de ce programme officiel, conformément aux instructions du B.O.,  pour leur permettre dès 2019-2020 de passer le DNB. S’ils sont inscrits en programme anglophone, ils préparent le programme du CPP.

En grade 8, les élèves du programme libanais anglophone et ceux du CPP présentent le DELF niveau A2 pour attester leur niveau académique en FLE.