To set up ManageBac+ for the IB Diploma (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP), work through school settings, people and year groups, classes, the DP and CP core, IBIS and eCoursework, curriculum, then assessment and reporting. Each stage links to a detailed guide.
For administrators, usually the DP or CP Coordinator or the school's ManageBac+ administrator. Work through the stages in order the first time, then use them as a checklist each year.
You need an administrator account. Most settings are under Settings in the left menu, and DP and CP work happens in each Year Group.
The set-up journey at a glance
| Stage | What you set up |
|---|---|
| 1. School settings | School details, key academic functions, grade levels and academic terms |
| 2. People and year groups | Students, parents and teachers, year groups and advisors |
| 3. Classes | DP and CP subjects and classes |
| 4. DP core | CAS, Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge |
| 5. CP core | Community Engagement, Reflective Project and Language and Cultural Studies |
| 6. IBIS and eCoursework | Exam registration, coursework upload and CAS moderation |
| 7. Curriculum and teaching | Unit planners, whole-school curriculum and attendance |
| 8. Assessment and reporting | Assessment settings, Internal Assessment, gradebooks and report cards |
| 9. Next steps | Permissions, sign-in and the new academic year |
Stage 1. School settings
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Go to Settings > School Settings > Name, Address & Logo to set your school name, languages and logo.
In Settings > School Settings > Key Academic Functions, tick the programmes you run (IB Diploma and IB Career-related Programme) and choose your key academic functions.
In Settings > School Settings > Grades & Levels, choose the grade or year format.
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In Settings > Academic Terms, choose the programme and check the terms for each academic year.
More in Configuring School General Settings (Languages, Academics, Year Levels, Terms).
Stage 2. People and year groups
Add students, parents and teachers, one at a time or by import. See Adding Students, Parents & Teachers to ManageBac+.
Create a year group for each DP and CP cohort and add students. See Creating & Managing Year Groups & Students Grade Levels.
Assign advisors for homeroom, CAS, Community Engagement, EE and TOK. See Assigning Students to Advisors.
Stage 3. Classes
Check the subjects offered in Settings > Programme Settings > Subjects for each programme.
Create classes for each subject and level. Mixed HL and SL classes are supported. See Adding New Classes.
Add students and teachers to each class. See Assigning Students & Teachers to Classes.
Stage 4. DP core
Each DP year group has tabs for CAS, Extended Essay, TOK Exhibition and TOK Essay, where coordinators and advisors follow every student.
- CAS: set up worksheets, learning outcomes and approvals. See Configuring CAS worksheets and settings.
- Extended Essay: turn on and configure EE worksheets, then assign supervisors. See Configuring and enabling Extended Essay (EE) worksheets and Assigning Extended Essay (EE) Supervisors.
- Theory of Knowledge: assign TOK teachers and set up the TOK worksheets. See Assigning Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Teachers and Managing Theory of Knowledge (TOK) worksheets.
- Deadlines: add year group and IB deadlines so students see them in their calendar. See Creating Year Group & IB Deadlines.
Stage 5. CP core
Each CP year group has tabs for Community Engagement and the CP core projects, such as the Reflective Project and Language and Cultural Studies. Your school may use different names.
- Community Engagement: set up the worksheet, engagement types and terminology in the CP Service Learning settings. See Configuring & Enabling Community Engagement Worksheets.
- Reflective Project and Language and Cultural Studies: these use Project-based Learning worksheets. See Configuring & Enabling Project-based Learning (PBL) Frameworks and Assigning Project-based Learning (PBL) Advisors.
- Personal and Professional Skills: teach it as a class so you can plan units and assess it in the gradebook.
Stage 6. IBIS and eCoursework
IBIS exam registration
Students complete plan worksheets in the year group's Plans tab. When they are ready, open the Details panel and select IBIS Registration.
See IBIS Exam Registration Quickstart Guide and Common IBIS Registration Errors.
eCoursework
Upload coursework from student portfolios straight to IB eCoursework, without downloading and re-uploading files.
See Using ManageBac+ to Upload to IB eCoursework QuickStart Guide and IB Diploma eCoursework Dashboard.
CAS moderation
On the year group's CAS tab, open the Details panel and select CAS Moderation. On Submission of CAS Records to the IB, choose the students and upload the required documents.
Stage 7. Curriculum and teaching
- Unit planners: DP and CP classes use unit planners with built-in subject aims, objectives and syllabus content. Admins can adjust the template in Settings > Programme Settings > Curriculum. See Customising Unit Planner Templates.
- Whole-school Curriculum: go to Insights > Curriculum to see units across subjects and grade levels.
- Attendance: set up attendance before teachers take registers. See Attendance QuickStart guide and Configuring Attendance Settings.
Stage 8. Assessment and reporting
- Assessment settings: check task types, categories, criteria and final grades in Settings > Programme Settings > Assessment.
- Internal Assessment: classes with IA components show an IA menu, linked to IA tasks and eCoursework.
- Gradebook: teachers assess tasks and term grades in each class's Gradebook.
- Turnitin: see ManageBac+ integration with Turnitin.
- Report cards: set up templates in Insights > Reporting > Templates. See IB DP Reports: Editing Report Card Templates & Publishing and Multi-Curricula & Non-IB Reports.
Stage 9. Next steps
- Permissions: check what teachers and advisors can do. See Managing User Permissions & Security.
- Sign-in: see Enabling Login with Google (Single Sign-on).
- Mobile: see ManageBac+ iOS & Android app mobile QuickStart Guide.
- Each new year: see Transitioning to the Next Academic Year.