High School Curriculum

High School, called Lycée in France, starts in 10th grade and is a three-year course. Dallas International School offers two different tracks: the French Bac track and the International Baccalaureate track. Dallas International School is the only private school in the Dallas area to offer the French Baccalaureate Program.

Although the school day is very demanding, French high schools in the U.S. offer activities as students’ schedules and faculty resources permit, such as soccer, volleyball, yearbook, or science club.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is a comprehensive and challenging pre-university course that demands the best from both motivated students and teachers. The sophisticated two-year curriculum covers a wide range of academic subjects and has stood the test of time for over half a million students in 119 countries since 1968. IB Diploma Program graduates are welcomed by the world’s leading universities.

Dallas International School is the only private school in Dallas to offer high school students the choice of the French Baccalaureate or International Baccalaureate Diploma program and has been accredited by the prestigious IB organization since 2007. The program is taught in English by a team of certified teachers who are experienced in multilingual and multicultural settings, thus guaranteeing it is truly an international school in Dallas. DIS International Baccalaureate students receive college credit or placement for much of their course work, as well as experience in a collegiate learning environment.


Zahra Boudaoui
International Baccalaureate Coordinator
zboudaoui@dallasinternationalschool.org

French Baccalaureate

List of 4 items.

  • French Baccalaureate

    Students sit the French Baccalauréat or ‘le bac’ exams upon completion of 12th grade and will begin formal preparation from 11th grade. ‘Le bac’ is an academic qualification required for students in France looking to pursue their studies in higher education at university. The internationally-recognized diploma has since gained traction in reputation among some of the most selective colleges worldwide and is now offered as an additional diploma that students can study for, earning them two high school diplomas: 
    • A US high school diploma accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)  
    • A French Baccalaureat (‘le bac’).

    ‘Le bac’     is developed by the French Ministry of National Education. Each exam requires students to write a series of essays or solve a range of problems assessing the skills of a student's ability to provide an in-depth analysis of the course content learned from the final two years at school. ‘Le bac’ exams are given over a two-week period over the second semester in both the 11th and 12th grade. Today, more than 800,000 students sit ‘le bac’ each year.

    Subjects that prepare students in the 11th and 12th grades for ‘le bac’ are taught at college level, making the qualification more appealing for colleges and universities in North America and all over the world. International universities often grant college credit to high school graduates on the basis of their performance on ‘le bac’.

    High school at Dallas International School offers a two year preparatory program for ‘le bac’. Students need to study six core subjects combined with three specialty subjects. At the end of the 11th grade, students will complete one of the three selected specialty subjects by passing an exam, leaving them with two subjects to complete in their final year of 12th grade   Both core and specialty subjects offered at Dallas International School are designed as part of a program to prepare students for higher education – something unique to the US education system.
    (See Progressions Chart).

  • 10th-12th Grades

    Students earn the French Baccalaureate Diploma at the end of 12th grade. All DIS French Baccalaureate students far exceed the State of Texas minimum graduation requirements. All courses are taught in French with the exception of language courses.

    The French Baccalaureate Diploma is an academically rigorous degree awarded by the French Ministry of National Education. The Baccalaureate exams are externally evaluated and scored. In France, the Baccalaureate is considered as the first qualification of university study. This is the reason a French university bachelor’s degree takes three instead of four years to complete. All academic courses in the French Baccalaureate Diploma Program should be considered honors level content.
     

  • Graduation Achievements

    At time of graduation, students achieve a minimum of:

    4 years3 years1 years
    English + One Foreign LanguageEarth & Life SciencesEconomics & Sociology
    HistoryPhysicsPhilosophy
    GeographyChemistryMusic
    Civic EducationFrench LiteratureIT
    Physical EducationMathematicsArt

  • Grading

    The grading is based on an average of scores from each exam with the maximum being 20. To pass the Baccalaureate students must receive an average of 10/20 and students who score less than 8/20 fail. A second chance is given to students who score between 8 and 10 during an additional oral examination. The results of this exam and their school grades are considered by the examiners for the final Baccalaureate decision.

    Honorable mentions are awarded to students who score above a 10:
    12/20 - honorable mention of "assez bien"
    14/20 - honorable mention of "bien"
    16/20 - honorable mention of "très bien"

International Baccalaureate

List of 5 items.

  • 10th-12th Grades

    The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) is a college preparatory academic course of study that is comprehensive, internationally acclaimed and offered by DIS essentially in English. A prominent goal of the IB program is to develop “internationally-minded people, who recognize their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.” At DIS, 60% of IB students obtain the Bilingual IB Diploma by taking literature courses in two different languages. This specialized diploma is achieved by only 30% of IB students worldwide.

  • DIS International Baccalaureate Preparation

    Students can enter the Diploma program through Dallas International School Preparatory Program. This program starts in 9th grades and ends in 10th grade and is taught in English. During these two years students follow a rigorous curriculum and the IB methodology which prepares them to enter the 11th and 12th grade IB Diploma Years program.

  • The Benefits of the IB Diploma Programme

    Universities recognize the outstanding qualities of IB Diploma Program students. Typically, diploma holders are ready to debate real-world issues from an international perspective and to provide leadership and support in the local and global community. They demonstrate a capacity for in-depth study while maintaining a broad perspective of the different subject areas. They are able to ask challenging questions but also know how to research a topic and express their opinion. They have a strong sense of their own culture and identity, as well as the ability to communicate in two or more languages with people who have a different perspective of the world.

  • Internationally Recognized Standards

    The IB Diploma Program is widely recognized for its high academic standards. Assessment is varied and takes place over two years, with final examinations in each subject. Students’ work is assessed by an international board of examiners, who are themselves rigorously trained and monitored by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

    Subjects are scored on a 1-7 scale with a further three points available for theory of knowledge and the extended essay. Students who display good levels of performance across all six subjects and achieve a minimum of 24 points (out of a possible 45) are awarded the diploma. All others receive a certificate for each of the subjects completed.

  • Learner Profile Attributes

    Dallas International School encourages IB students to develop and become: enquirers; knowledgeable; critical thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, principled, open-minded, well balanced, and reflective — the 10 qualities of the IB Learner Profile. These qualities are infused in DIS curriculum through different activities that students are required to participate in such as: an student-teacher conferences, an annual retreat, the mentoring of younger students from middle school, etc.
    Dallas International School encourages IB students to develop and become: enquirers; knowledgeable; critical thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, principled, open-minded, well balanced, and reflective — the 10 qualities of the IB Learner Profile. These qualities are infused in DIS curriculum through different activities that students are required to participate in such as: an student-teacher conferences, an annual retreat, the mentoring of younger students from middle school, etc.


Lower School Campus

6039 Churchill Way, Dallas, TX 75230
Tel: (972) 991-6379; Fax: (972) 991-6608

Upper School Campus

17811 Waterview Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75252
Tel: (469) 250-0001; Fax: (214) 570-4900