International Baccalaureate

Preparing for the International Baccalaureate programme was a huge challenge for the whole Klaipėda Lyceum community. Not only was it necessary to acquire the subject and methodological knowledge of how to implement the curriculum content of the IB programme, but also to prepare for the teaching of each subject in English, and to upgrade the school’s teaching and learning environments. The report received during the visit by the experts of the IB programme did not contain any comments or indications for improvement and Klaipėda Lyceum was identified as a “high culture happy school”.

It took about three years to prepare teachers to teach in the International Baccalaureate programme. All the teachers of Klaipėda Lyceum, who are ready to work in the IB programme, have participated in 31 professional development courses in different European countries, attended intensive English language training courses in Lithuania and abroad, and received certificates confirming their qualification to deliver the International Baccalaureate programme. Almost all teachers have also taken part in monitoring visits to foreign schools where the programme was successfully implemented. Teachers have gained experience in Finland, England, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Poland, France, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, etc.

Training facilities have been modernised in preparation for the IB programme: Klaipėda Lyceum has built and equipped a mobile library, additionally acquired new, modern information technology tools, (a Natural Sciences Laboratory has been prepared, which meets all the requirements of the IB curriculum, where learners carry out the practical laboratory tasks of natural sciences provided for in the IB curriculum, but also practical tasks which go far beyond the general curriculum. The IT training base has been upgraded and expanded, with many tools purchased for the Robotics Lab. Klaipėda Lyceum has invested about 430 thousand euro in these facilities to improve the quality of teaching, of which about 160 thousand euro were covered by the EU funds.

The International Baccalaureate Programme (IB MYP) will be launched at the Klaipėda Lyceum from the academic year 2021-2022.

The programme is taught in Lithuanian-English, using a bilingual education methodology. Priority for this programme is given to learners who have completed bilingual education in primary school and Grade 5.

The bilingual curriculum expresses the ambition to teach both languages as a quality linguistic activity: to understand speakers and be adequately understood, and to read and write in both languages.

Learners attending bilingual education classes also learn a second foreign language (Russian, German, French, Spanish, etc.). Bilingual education will help learners prepare for the International Baccalaureate (IB MYP) programme from Grade 6 onwards.