Washington-Liberty IB Program

[Anonymous]

Are all WB students able to do the IB program or are there a certain number of slots for WL, Wakefield, and Yorktown? Also, if your child is in HB for middle school are they automatically placed in HB for high school?

[Anonymous]

HB middle school students automatically continue to high school.

Any student at W-L, either Yorktown/Wakefield transfers or those who have it as their home school, who meet the pre-IB requirements will be accepted to the IB program for 11th-12th. It's not a competitive process or a lottery.

The lottery has just been for Yorktown/Wake students to get into W-L as pre-IB students. But, last I heard, with the added capacity from the Ed Center, they have said they'd take all transfer requests (although Id expect they can't stick to that if there was a big jump in transfer requests)

[Anonymous]

PP, thank you!

[Anonymous]

The PP anwsered regarding logistics but wanted to add that my child was accepted as a transfer and ended up declining with our support.

At first we thought IB was a great program. Went to the information sessions, looked into the curriculum, the tests and college admissions.

In the end we as parents felt it was far too much busy work vs. actual rigor and it just wasn't anywhere near as recognized or useful as AP classes for the types of colleges we were looking at.

I know that there is a lot made of the rigor of these classes but I would suggest that you look at syllabus for the class, the class materials and really consider whether it is rigor or is it just a lot of extra work. We found that a lot of the assignments were just more and extra work but not anymore rigorous than a regular class. That isn't unique to IB though and we see this in AP classes as well. Many teachers default to more work vs. more depth and critical thinking.

[Anonymous]

With the brand new W-L expansion, all students who request to transfer for IB should be accepted.

IB at W-L is a wonderful program, but it's probably not perfect for every student. In the past there were some "full IB students" who switched over to the school's AP program, but for the past few years I think that option has been limited to students who live in the W-L zone, due to overcrowding. That policy may change with the school's expansion into the Ed Center. So there may now be easier movement between a full AP track and full IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PP anwsered regarding logistics but wanted to add that my child was accepted as a transfer and ended up declining with our support.

At first we thought IB was a great program. Went to the information sessions, looked into the curriculum, the tests and college admissions.

In the end we as parents felt it was far too much busy work vs. actual rigor and it just wasn't anywhere near as recognized or useful as AP classes for the types of colleges we were looking at.

I know that there is a lot made of the rigor of these classes but I would suggest that you look at syllabus for the class, the class materials and really consider whether it is rigor or is it just a lot of extra work. We found that a lot of the assignments were just more and extra work but not anymore rigorous than a regular class. That isn't unique to IB though and we see this in AP classes as well. Many teachers default to more work vs. more depth and critical thinking.

This. My DC is a senior and is an IB diploma candidate. There is a bunch of busy work in the middle of college applications. DC doesn't care about the diploma but wants to be competitive when compared to DC's peers. DC can handle it but does not feel it's worth the busy work.

[Anonymous]

Could you pls describe the “busy work” a little (have a sophomore who will start the IB program this fall)?
Thank you!

[Anonymous]

My DD is doing partial IB and it’s perfect for her.

[Anonymous]

I got my IB diploma decades ago, so this isn't a comment about how W/L does it currently, but I don't understand why PPs act like you have to pick between AP and IB....you can take an AP test even if you don't take the class, but you can't take an IB test without being in the program. Back in the day I got the IB diploma and I took several AP tests as well. What am I missing about how it works currently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got my IB diploma decades ago, so this isn't a comment about how W/L does it currently, but I don't understand why PPs act like you have to pick between AP and IB....you can take an AP test even if you don't take the class, but you can't take an IB test without being in the program. Back in the day I got the IB diploma and I took several AP tests as well. What am I missing about how it works currently?

W-L offers a full AP program for students who prefer those courses over IB. And many students do in fact take a mix of AP and IB courses. So it’s not exactly a binary choice. The full IB diploma program is perhaps the most popular academic path at the school since students transfer into W-L specifically for that program. Back when APS and W-L first discussed introducing the IB Program way back in the 1970s, parents insisted that the AP program be retained. So when IB was finally implemented, students then had a choice between full IB, an AP course structure, or a mix of various AP and IB courses.

[Anonymous]

If W-L is not your neighborhood school, and your child starts attending W-L for the IB program, do they get bus service to/from W-L? Also assuming that the student will then play on the W-L sports teams instead of the neighborhood school? Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If W-L is not your neighborhood school, and your child starts attending W-L for the IB program, do they get bus service to/from W-L? Also assuming that the student will then play on the W-L sports teams instead of the neighborhood school? Thanks

Yes to both questions. Bus transport only if you are outside the W-L walk zone. (Some Yorktown zoned neighborhoods are within the W-L walk zone.) Transfers into W-L play on the W-L sports teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got my IB diploma decades ago, so this isn't a comment about how W/L does it currently, but I don't understand why PPs act like you have to pick between AP and IB....you can take an AP test even if you don't take the class, but you can't take an IB test without being in the program. Back in the day I got the IB diploma and I took several AP tests as well. What am I missing about how it works currently?

Nothing. That's still the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got my IB diploma decades ago, so this isn't a comment about how W/L does it currently, but I don't understand why PPs act like you have to pick between AP and IB....you can take an AP test even if you don't take the class, but you can't take an IB test without being in the program. Back in the day I got the IB diploma and I took several AP tests as well. What am I missing about how it works currently?

W-L offers a full AP program for students who prefer those courses over IB. And many students do in fact take a mix of AP and IB courses. So it’s not exactly a binary choice. The full IB diploma program is perhaps the most popular academic path at the school since students transfer into W-L specifically for that program. Back when APS and W-L first discussed introducing the IB Program way back in the 1970s, parents insisted that the AP program be retained. So when IB was finally implemented, students then had a choice between full IB, an AP course structure, or a mix of various AP and IB courses.

Also, IB courses are only in 11th-12th so most, if not all, pre-IB students take at least a couple AP classes in 9th-10th. AP World History is offered for 9th grade and they have to take AP Government in 10th (government is a VA requirement and there is no room for it in the IB 11th-12th and W-L makes nearly everyone take it as an AP).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got my IB diploma decades ago, so this isn't a comment about how W/L does it currently, but I don't understand why PPs act like you have to pick between AP and IB....you can take an AP test even if you don't take the class, but you can't take an IB test without being in the program. Back in the day I got the IB diploma and I took several AP tests as well. What am I missing about how it works currently?

W-L offers a full AP program for students who prefer those courses over IB. And many students do in fact take a mix of AP and IB courses. So it’s not exactly a binary choice. The full IB diploma program is perhaps the most popular academic path at the school since students transfer into W-L specifically for that program. Back when APS and W-L first discussed introducing the IB Program way back in the 1970s, parents insisted that the AP program be retained. So when IB was finally implemented, students then had a choice between full IB, an AP course structure, or a mix of various AP and IB courses.

Not sure I see where you get the idea full IB is the most popular path, given relatively few students actually graduate with an IB diploma. Transfer students HAVE to take full IB; but if you're districted to WL, you can just take individual classes or the full program. My impression is that the vast majority of students do NOT take full IB.