COVID-19: Authorization and evaluation FAQs

Authorization FAQs

Remote visit webcast: Further school and IBEN support (DP and CP)

This webcast intends to support educators and candidate schools participating in remote visits. 

 

 

Remote visit webcast – Further school and IBEN support (PYP and MYP)

This webcast intends to support educators and schools participating in remote consultations and verification visits. 

 

 

Will the cancellation of face-to-face PD events impact my Authorization timeline?

No. The IB has put measures in place to ensure that no schools are disadvantaged due to the cancellation of face to face PD events. Firstly, we are increasing the number of online PD offerings in order to support schools during this time. In considering the concerns and challenges created by COVID-19 (coronavirus) for schools and knowing that you highly value the face to face professional development experience; if you would prefer to wait until face to face professional development is once again available the IB will accept any registration for PD within the next 12 months as evidence of meeting the professional development requirements as part of the authorization process.

 

What happens if I have an upcoming verification visit?

Following the recommendations and decisions by the various governing bodies, the IB has been assessing the need to use remote visit protocols in order to ensure that schools are not disadvantaged by this situation. These protocols have been emailed to impacted schools. If you have not received them, please contact your Programme Relationship Manager. Please know that we have worked with our IB educators to ensure they are prepared to conduct the visit remotely. In general, all visits as part of the authorization process will remain virtual due to travel restrictions and wanting to ensure the safety of our IB community. In direct communications with impacted schools we are asking you to confirm your virtual visits within 7 days of receiving the communication. If we do not hear from you within 7 days, we will need to postpone your scheduled visit.

We know that school communities highly value face to face visits, as such we are providing schools with two options if you prefer to engage in a face to face verification visit.

1. If you would like to postpone your verification visit until such time that it can occur in person, we will ask you to provide three potential visit dates via an online form. The IB aims to confirm your verification visit dates as soon as possible, and no later than one month in advance of the visit.
   
   
2. If your school is situated in a country, state, or province in which you believe a face to face visit can occur on your current verification visit date you will be asked to contact your Programme Relationship Manager within 7 days of receiving the communication. Once your Programme Relationship Manager receives your email they will reach out to you to discuss the school’s specific context and ability to host a face to face verification visit.

 

What happens if I have an upcoming consultancy visit?

Following the recommendations and decisions by the various governing bodies, the IB has been assessing the need to use remote visit protocols in order to ensure that schools are not disadvantaged by this situation. These protocols have been emailed to impacted schools. If you have not received them, please contact your Programme Relationship Manager. Please know that we have worked with our IB educators to ensure they are prepared to conduct the visit remotely. In general, all visits as part of the authorization process will remain virtual due to travel restrictions and wanting to ensure the safety of our IB community. In direct communications with impacted schools we are asking you to confirm your virtual visits within 7 days of receiving the communication. If we do not hear from you within 7 days, we will need to postpone your scheduled visit.

We know that school communities highly value face to face visits, as such we are providing schools with two options if you prefer to engage in a face to face consultancy visit.

1. If you would like to postpone your consultancy visit until such time that it can occur in person, we kindly request you communicate directly with your consultant and confirm a new visit date. Once a new date has been confirmed please communicate this to your Programme Relationship Manager.
   
   
2. If your school is situated in a country, state, or province in which you believe a face to face visit can occur on your current consultancy visit date you will be asked to contact your Programme Relationship Manager within 7 days of receiving the communication. Once your Programme Relationship Manager receives your email they will reach out to you to discuss the school’s specific context and ability to host a face to face consultancy visit.

Virtual Visits – Authorization Process

Support for schools and educators undertaking virtual visits due to Coronavirus

In general, all visits as part of the authorization process will be conducted using remote visit protocols due to travel restrictions and wanting to ensure the safety of our IB community. In order to best support our schools, we need to be as flexible as possible in our approach. The guide itself is set up for the school being in session, however, as we know there are many variations; school staff are at the school but there are no students, the leadership team is at the school, but no teachers or students are on campus, all parties working and learning from home etc.

 

What must be in place for the visit to continue?

During these extraordinary times the assigned IB educators will not travel to the Global Centre to conduct the visit, instead they will conduct the visit from their home location. As part of the visit process assigned educators must be able to schedule meetings with all relevant stakeholders, leadership, teachers, students, and parents. If these meetings can be scheduled using virtual communication tools the visit can continue.

 

How will the meetings take place?

The remote visits for should be carried out over the regular time frame, staying as close as possible to the agenda for a face-to-face visit. For each scheduled meeting the agenda will provide a link to a virtual meeting room via Skype, WebEx, etc. which all participants and team members can click on to enter.

It is the responsibility of the team leader to ensure all meetings are set up with the appropriate meeting room link and that the virtual communication tool being used is accessible by the school. The team leader should confirm the schools preferred method of virtual communication tool prior to setting the agenda. If the team leader and school are not able to confirm a virtual communication tool that suits both parties, the team leader should contact the Programme Relationship Manager for ongoing support.

 

How can evidence of facilities (including exam storage) be provided?

We understand that during this time of disruption that schools may not be able to provide visual evidence of facilities. If this is the situation the school finds itself in, visual evidence for practices that could not be obtained during the visit time will be requested through the MTBA process for verification visits. The school will provide descriptions of facilities during the virtual visit and these will be documented by the visiting team/consultant as part of the findings.

 

How can evidence of teaching and learning be provided (PYP and MYP)?

Schools have been very resilient in during this time, implementing online learning initiatives to ensure that teaching and learning can continue. We encourage schools to use the online learning environments as demonstration of their commitment to inquiry-based pedagogy.

 

What happens if a school experiences a closure at the very last moment?

During this uncertain time, it is important that we all remain in communication with one another. There is the potential that a school may close in the lead up to, the morning of, or even midway through a visit. If this is the case, we ask that the school contacts their Programme Relationship Manager and the visiting team/consultant as a matter of priority. The IB will then reschedule the visit in conjunction with the school.

 

Who should I contact?

Schools: Please contact your Programme Relationship Manager

Educators:

1. For logistics questions please contact School Delivery
   
   
2. For collecting evidence against the Standards and Practices questions please contact the school’s Programme Relationship Manager
   
   
3. For role-based questions, including the setting up of virtual meetings, please contact your Programme Relationship Manager.

Evaluation FAQs

My evaluation visit has been postponed; how will I arrange the new date?

School delivery will be in touch with you after May 2020 to arrange the next date for your evaluation visit.

 

My evaluation has been postponed; will I need to re-upload the documents or provide an update on any of the documents for the visit?

No, you will not unless you agree with your IB World School manager to upload more documents.

 

We had a matter to be addressed for B2.3a, which is a professional development requirement. The workshop for the teachers to attend and address this matter has been cancelled. Will we receive an extension to the deadline to meet this matter?

Yes. Please contact your IB World School manger to agree on a plan forward.

 

Will the cancellation of face-to-face PD events impact my programme evaluation?

No. The IB has put measures in place to ensure that no schools are disadvantaged due to the cancellation of face to face PD events. Firstly, we have increased the number of online PD offerings in order to support schools during this time and reduced the cost by 25% to $450 per person. We can also offer a version of the In School Workshop online called Online by Request so schools can engage and participate in an online workshop together in a closed cohort. In considering the concerns and challenges created by COVID-19 for schools and knowing that you highly value the face to face professional development experience; if you would prefer to wait until face to face professional development is once again available the IB will accept any registration for PD within the next 12 months as evidence of meeting the professional development requirements as part of the evaluation process. If you feel your school is encountering extreme adverse circumstances that impact your ability to complete PD within the 12 month period, please contact your IBWS Manager for further guidance.

 

Is it possible to arrange a virtual evaluation visit if the visiting team is unable to travel to my school?

In restricted travel and event situations, such as we are currently experiencing, it may be possible to have your evaluation visit conducted remotely (virtually). Please contact your IB World School manager in the first instance to discuss this option.