GRAY — The Gray-New Gloucester High School is one of three schools in Maine to offer the International Baccalaureate program that focuses on worldwide curriculum.

Eric Klein, assistant principal of the school, said the two-year program is different from the one-year advanced placement programs common in high schools throughout the state.

“I think the major difference between the two programs is that AP offers ‘singleton’ type courses with a one year focus,” Klein said. “IB is a comprehensive program — two-year courses where interdisciplinary learning is a requisite, not just a goal.”

He said the other big difference is the worldwide focus.

“Literature is a great example. Students will study the works from their own society and cultures, and then build upon this year of study with a comparative focus on other great works from other writers all over the world,” he said. “That’s tough to do in a single year of study. “

IB students will earn an IB diploma when they graduate if they earn a mini mum score on the final assessments. Unlike the AP program, IB students must complete a Creativity Action Service project, participate in a Theory of Knowledge course and complete an extended essay.

“A great deal of work, but such an intensive field of study is given a great deal of recognition from America’s top colleges,” Klein said. For example, Colby College in Waterville, which recognizes the IB degree, will offer a year of advanced credit for students who score a certain number of points on each subject exam.

Klein said receiving certification to offer the program after a two-year application process was not easy for the school district. School officials relied heavily on Sue Cressey, principal at Kennebunk High School and former IB coordinator.

Greeley High School in Cumberland and Kennebunk High School also have this program.

“Teachers must create comprehensive curriculum to meet IB demands,” Klein said. “Additionally, we must demonstrate how we will deliver the diploma program to our students. You are evaluated by an team much like a New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation visit — two intense days of scrutiny. Sue, however, explained the benefits when we first visited her school several years ago — teachers find that they are rejuvenated, and the learning that takes place is phenomenal.”

“I am exceptionally proud of our teachers who have worked so hard to put this program together,” Superintendent Bruce Beasley said. “As we continue to build a performance-based system of education in our district, IB represents yet another pathway for our students to participate in collaborative, student-centered learning opportunities that will prepare them for the challenges of the 21st Century.”

According to an article in the July 2, 2010, New York Times, the IB program was developed in the 1960s at an international school in Switzerland and first became popular in private schools in the United States. As of 2010, more than 700 high schools, mostly public schools, offered the IB program.

Students at Gray-New Gloucester High School will begin their IB coursework this fall.

ldixon@sunjournal.com