The 2024-25 school year is the last that the Summit School District will have International Baccalaureate for students below the 10th grade.

It’s a decision the Summit School District Board of Education has hashed through in several recent meetings, and stems from a proposal made by district staff members. 

A May 7 press release from the district said it will “adopt an internally developed instructional framework designed to preserve the most meaningful aspects of IB, such as inquiry-based learning, global perspectives, more robust student exhibitions, hands-on learning, and student portfolios.”

The decision eliminates the International Baccalaureate “Primary Years” program geared toward students in preschool through 5th grade and its “Middle Years” program for students in 6th through 10th grade, but keeps in place the “Diploma” program for 11th and 12th grades. 

The change was prompted by feedback from staff that showed struggles with implementing parts of the International Baccalaureate program, concerns about the demand the program places on teachers, and other compelling alternatives to the program to that meet district goals for rigorous education.

The board finalized the matter at a May 1 meeting. The vote was originally on a consent agenda — which is typically reserved for non-controversial topics and is meant to streamline government processes by creating the ability to vote on numerous items at once — but was taken off at the request of board members.

Board member Julie Shapiro said she wanted to clarify the adaptive nature of the decision being made, noting plans for the district to continue to work on steps forward.

Chief transformation officer Laura Cotsapas detailed where they are in the process of developing the internal instructional framework.

“So what we built out as a tentative ‘here is all the things we can think of’ (plan), there’s probably some things missing, and there’s probably some things in that that we don’t need to do as quickly as we outlined,” she said.

The district’s press release states that planning for the new instructional framework will take place throughout summer 2025, with implementation slated to begin in the 2025–26 school year. It said tier 1 instruction —which is defined by the Colorado Department of Education as a method guided by ongoing assessments of data with a goal to instill independence in students and intentionally use intervention — will continue to be its priority.

“I think a lot of things are polarities to manage … how do we balance staff, investment, thinking and time with expectations?” superintendent Tony Byrd said of the decision at the May 1 meeting.

He said when it comes to committing to this new direction as a district, it is important to ensure students understand what the mission is and what they are working toward, which is to be future-ready graduates with an array of skills.

Board member Johanna Kugler said back when the district became an International Baccalaureate school 20 years ago, learning looked different. She said some of the tenants that drew district leaders to it back then, like an emphasis on inquiry-based learning, have now become commonplace in curriculums. She said similar outcomes to those intended in International Baccalaureate programs can be achieved, but commitment will be paramount in making it work.

“I think we cannot lower our standards on accountability — accountability for students, the teachers, us as a district, the integrity of rigor … (We need) to make sure that we are always (using) what is best practice for our children,” she said.

According to prior presentations given to the board, the district spent around $472,000 on International Baccalaureate at-large during the 2024-25 school year. There was no discussion at the May 1 meeting and no indication in the May 7 press release about how funds will be allocated to the new initiative.