Charter Oak High School officials revealed that they have increased their projected diploma total over last year in the school's Inter Baccalaureate Program.
This year, 33 students have completed the program, versus 22 from last year. The number is a projection and officials will not know if these "diploma candidates" will receive their diplomas until test results are revealed, said IB Program Coordinator Chris Long.
In 2012, of those 22 diploma candidates at Charter Oak High School, 20 received their IB diplomas.
With that in mind, the focus of the program isn't necessarily on knowledge, but the use of knowledge, Long said.
"The IB Program presents to a student a certain rigor because they're doing college work at the high school level. A lot of typical classes, student success depends on what they know. In an IB class, it's can you use what you know or apply it," Long said. "The format of the classes are very student driven, very discussion oriented and really meant for the students to present their own views."
Classes can also greatly prepare students for four-year schools. Students who complete coursework and are studying in six subjects can potentially complete an entire freshmen year of coursework in the University of California system, Long said.
Multiple students also scored higher than 30 on their diploma and, considering they were doing college-level work, those students had the opportunity to enter the UC system as a sophomore, Long said.
"[Colleges] love IB students because they're independent thinkers. It's not just your straight A students that's the smartest of the bunch, it really is the kind of student who's a hard worker," Long said.
The International Baccalaureate Organization was founded in 1968. It offers four educational programs for schools the world over.
In 2012, over 119,000 students across the world received their IB Diplomas, with an average score of 29.83 and an overall pass rate of 78.16 percent, according to data released by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
Charter Oak High School began implementing the IB program in 1988 and is reportedly the oldest school in Los Angeles County to offer the program.
