Indian Trail Named International Baccalaureate School

After two years of trying, Indian Trail has earned International Baccalaureate World School Status.

Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools administrators learned Indian Trail had received the prestigious designation last month. 

Indian Trail is one of only nine primary, or elementary-level, schools in Ohio with the IB World School status and among 35 schools statewide to achieve the designation.

Stow Superintendent Russell Jones said the designation allows teachers and staff at Indian Trail to teach their curriculum based on the IB program.

"It’s based on international standards and primarily the inquiry approach to education," Jones said. "And also an emphasis on the learner profile, which is 10 guidelines or expectations that we would have of all learners that includes being reflective, being thoughtful, being open-minded."

The non-profit organization works with more than 3,500 schools in 145 countries to teach its international model of education.

Karen Moore, director of academic achievement for the district, said gaining membership as an IB World School hinges heavily on teacher and staff coordination. 

"Across the world we are now considered one of the model schools," Moore said.

District officials started pursuing the IB World School status for Indian Trail about two years ago.

Membership opens up opportunities for Stow teachers in professional development. The staff also can communicate with any of the more than 3,500 member schools about best practices and other topics.

Exactly what the 309 students at Indian Trail learn isn't different from what's taught in other Stow classrooms.

The difference, Moore said, is in how that information is taught.

"A great piece of this whole thing was taking our current curriculum and making sure, working together, the teachers identified what elements would be in what grade levels," she said. 

The curriculum is based on themes, so rather than teaching science, math and language separately multiple learning topics are coordinated into one lesson. Teachers on all grade levels work together to coordinate what is taught in each grade to make sure there are no overlapping topics or areas that are left out, Moore said.

Jones said the designation is sparking interest among parents both outside Stow and in other Stow elementary schools who like the IB approach and want their child to be taught via the method.

The designation is valid for three years before Indian Trail is evaluated to maintain its IB World School status. And there's room for enrollment at the school to grow during that time, Jones said.

"We're very proud of the faculty at Indian Trail, the leadership of our principal and the academic coordinator," he said. "We’re very proud of their work."