I’m writing this letter from the airport in Toronto, where I flew on Wednesday to attend a conference with 30 colleagues from other schools like ours that blend two curricula. I also had the pleasure of visiting my friend, Norman Gaudet’s school, Toronto French School, which is renowned as a model for small schools with limited resources.
And I was not disappointed; the conference lived up to all its promises. Between fascinating informal conversations and deep dives on pedagogical issues we all face (vertical alignment, connections between different curricula, children’s individual needs, infrastructure, schedules, etc.), we also had the opportunity to hear from a representative of the International Baccalaureate organization. Many French schools in North America offer one, some, or all of the IB programmes from primary to high school. Rémy Lamon travelled from Geneva to present the developments in store for the different programmes from 2027 to 2030.*
While the proposed changes are not revolutionary, it’s important to stay up to date on what’s happening so we can always prepare our students in the best possible way. It was also very interesting to understand the rationale behind the changes, particularly to see how, in the case of the Diploma Program, all changes are cautiously implemented through pilot trials in collaboration with universities around the world because the aim is always to offer learning experiences that will be recognized and valued in higher education, in order to open the very best pathways for students.
These changes also reflect an attitude that I recognize at The École. The IB is a highly successful organization, recognized for its excellence, and one that could easily rest on its recently acquired laurels. On the other hand, they continue to look for ways to better meet expectations, something we also strive to do at The École on our scale. The latest MAP test results from this fall once again demonstrate the remarkable levels our students reach and attest to the outstanding, tireless work of our teaching teams, who make such scores possible.
This does not mean that we are ready to rest on our laurels either. Not a chance! We plan to use these already extraordinary results to reach even greater heights. Sophie is focusing on student assessment, which often remains too normative – something that is deeply rooted in school culture – when it should be a tool that serves each child and positively supports their progress. We are also continuing to design increasingly personalized learning pathways that are better aligned with our student (and parent) profiles. It’s never-ending work, and meeting my colleagues over the past few weeks in Orlando and Toronto has been a revitalizing and inspiring experience (even if I’m still quite happy to be home for a bit!).
There won’t be a letter next week, so I’m taking this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family, friends, and loved ones. Enjoy!
*The Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP), and the Diploma Program (DP), which we know well because it’s what our partners at Léman offer.