James Campbell High School in 'Ewa Beach is the first Hawai'i public school given approval to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, an elite college preparatory program with an international focus.

In the Fall 2008 semester, Campbell High School, which is facing sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind mandate, will begin offering the International Baccalaureate courses, which help prepare students for university-level work and also help mold students into global citizens.

English teacher Julie Do, the International Baccalaureate coordinator at Campbell, said the program will help students realize that "there is life past Renton Road."

"If our students are going to be successful, they have to be able to compete in a global society. We have to give them every opportunity to achieve," Do said.

Campbell High School joins more than 2,000 schools from 182 countries in offering the rigorous international curriculum. Only one other school in Ha-wai'i, Mid Pacific Institute, currently offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

"This reflects initiative on the part of Campbell High School to broaden opportunities for their students, to set the bar higher and give them that distinction," said Greg Knudsen, spokesman for the state Department of Education. "That's been reflective of the kind of programs that (Campbell principal) Gail Awakuni has been doing since she became principal there several years ago."

Awakuni, named the 2004 National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, has been leading the effort to increase student achievement at Campbell for seven years.

Dropout rates have fallen to less than one-third of what they were seven years ago. Far fewer freshmen are having to repeat that year, and test scores are on the rise.

In 2007, Campbell's math scores on the Hawai'i State Assessment tripled from the previous year, Awakuni said. Reading scores continue to improve.

"Just a few years ago, we had the lowest test scores in the state," Awakuni said.

In a letter to International Baccalaureate, Schools Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto noted that 10 years ago, only 10 percent of Campbell's students went on to college. In contrast, in 2006, 70 percent of Campbell's graduates enrolled at a two- or four-year college.

"In the past seven years, thanks to the efforts of Campbell High School's principal and staff, the school has been transformed from a challenging, sometimes rowdy, environment to a calm campus with students who value learning," Hamamoto wrote.

Awakuni, who led the three-year effort to become an International Baccalaureate school, said the program will help the school achieve even more.

The International Baccalaureate program is known to help students compete in a global world, helping them to understand and appreciate diverse cultures. Students are encouraged to become "transdisciplinary" through exposure to rigorous coursework in math, sciences, humanities, arts, foreign language and literature, all tied together with an emphasis on internationalism.

Typically, only a few hundred students take courses in the International Baccalaureate programs at their school, similar to College Board Advanced Placement classes. An even smaller group of students will actually graduate having completed the entire two-year curriculum to earn an International Baccalaureate Diploma.

But even though only the best and brightest tend to take part in the IB program, Awakuni said being an IB school will benefit everyone.

Teachers were required to participate in additional training from International Baccalaureate. Those teachers will use the skills learned in their other classes and also will teach other teachers to raise the bar, Awakuni said.

"It'll benefit all students in the whole school, with these teachers guiding us toward higher rigor," Awakuni said.

As the standards of No Child Left Behind continue to increase, schools nationwide have started to consider offering the program, which is known to increase student achievement.

Other public schools, such as Niu Valley Middle School and Kaiser High School, continue to work toward offering the International Baccalaureate programs. The program requires schools to commit to a rigorous accreditation process, which can last three years. The program also requires schools to pay for additional teacher training and curriculum.

"It's a huge commitment," said Justin Mew, principal at Niu Valley Middle School, which is in the middle of a three-year process to implement the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme.

Mew congratulated Campbell on being approved as an official International Baccalaureate World School.

"The IB philosophy rings a chord in the community — the idea of a world-class education, based on international standards and expectations. What students learn at IB schools are the same expectations across the globe," Mew said.

Awakuni said she came to the school seven years ago intending to implement the International Baccalaureate, but it couldn't be done immediately.

"We had to build up our advanced placement program, our honors program, improve our retention and graduate rate. It was a hard road," she said.

In 2000, only 30 students took College Board Advanced Placement exams. This year, nearly 400 students are expected to take an AP test.

"We're creating a college-going culture," she said.

The two-year IB program will be open to all interested 11th- and 12th-graders at Campbell. The school has an "open enrollment" policy, meaning students are not turned away because of grade point average, placement scores or other reasons. Only the desire to achieve is required, Do said.

The IB Diploma consists of six two-year courses that emphasize international studies, Awakuni said. Diplomas are based on final exams and internal assessments. Campbell's first diploma candidates will graduate with the class of 2010.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.