The pilot is designed to gain insights into the benefits of this pedagogical model and to make the DP more accessible to more diverse cohorts of students unable to attend a brick-and-mortar school. HeadStart Online is proud to document the benefits of delivering the DP in a collaborative online learning community.
 
Sharing Expertise and Making Education More Accessible
Last fall, HeadStart Online — ranked the #2 best online high school in the U.S. by Newsweek —  launched the DP online through a hybrid model for students enrolled on our New York campus. The same opportunity will now be offered to all students who wish to have a robust DP online experience through the two-year pilot beginning next month.
 
“We are delighted to partner with the IB to shape and evaluate the latest pedagogical models for delivering the comprehensive Diploma Program. As a frontier IB World School, Dwight has long collaborated with the IB to develop solutions to global educational challenges, innovate, and share expertise with schools worldwide,” says Chancellor Stephen Spahn. “We share the IB’s goals of increasing access to education for all through innovative online pedagogy. We also believe that the IB curriculum, culminating with the DP, offers students the finest educational foundation for excelling personally, academically, and professionally in our rapidly changing world.”
 
“The IB aims to increase global access to the Diploma Program for more diverse cohorts of students. Therefore, we are excited to partner with HeadStart ONLINE School and provide students with more opportunities to participate in the DP,” says Matt Costello, IB Chief Business Development Officer.
 
The “Gold Standard” in College Preparation
As we know: The DP, spanning grades 11-12, is recognized by university admissions directors around the world as the “gold standard” in college preparation based on the breadth and depth of the curriculum. 

Did you know? According to the IB, DP graduates are better prepared for university and are more likely than non-IB graduates to remain enrolled and prosper. DP graduates also report that the curriculum prepared them well for college coursework, particularly in the areas of writing, critical thinking, study skills, and time management.
 
Pilot Goals
The pilot is designed to discover the advantages that a fully online DP can offer both students and schools. It will investigate: what the educational model looks like, its feasibility, capability, cost, etc.; and whether students have similar assessment results as those in brick-and-mortar schools. Included among the many students worldwide who could benefit are those who require different ways of accessing education, including students who:

• Are displaced or refugees
• Travel frequently for extended periods 
• Have an illness, disability, or social-emotional challenges
• Live in remote areas
• Are pursuing passions outside school and need time for training
• Are homeschooled

The pilot will also explore how the model might impact schools themselves and how the IB can support them. Pilot data will provide the IB with intelligence to make strategic decisions about the future of IB programs, as well as how they may engage with pilot providers in yet-to-be determined services, such as online examinations.

“We are especially excited to partner with the IB to open the door for more students around the world to reap the enormous benefits of a DP education. HeadStart Online has a proven track record of building a vibrant, collaborative community of educators and learners online, including a diverse cohort of students that matches those who the IB is seeking to reach,” says Dianne Drew, Global Education Director of The HeadStart Schools and former Chair of the IB Global Heads Council. “We created HeadStart Online to mirror the Dwight in-person school experience with added accessibility and flexibility, and look forward to sharing our expertise, learning outcomes, and proof of concept with the IB and fellow pilot partners.”
 
Extending Our Long Pioneering Tradition 
In 2013, our Schools in New York and London were selected as two of the original six schools worldwide to pilot the DP online for students in non-IB Schools through the IB’s Open World School Program. That experience led to the founding of HeadStart Online the following year. Today, HeadStart Online offers over 100 IB, AP, honors, and elective classes for students in grades 6-12, who can also customize their own course of study.

HeadStart Online extends the long-standing IB expertise of all five of our brick-and-mortar schools, especially Dwight in New York and our legacy as a true IB pioneer. After authorization to offer the DP  in 1975, Dwight was the first school in North America authorized to offer the Primary Years Program in 1997, the first K-12 school authorized to offer the Middle Years Program in 2000, and the first in the Americas to provide the comprehensive IB continuum, following authorization to offer the Career-related Program in 2014.

We are excited to see the results of this pilot — and know that we will draw on the expertise of our IB faculty to guide students through the DP with flying colors!