RMIB vs BCC IB

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both



schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes, BCC also has options for those grades but regardless, they both offer the same IB curriculum.

So listen, we can keep going back and forth, but I'm curious whether you are actually open to the possibility that you have learned something you didn't previously know here? Or just dug in.
It has been demonstrated to you that there is an IB curriculum at RMIB that is not available at BCC.
Yes, the curriculum and requirements to attain an IB diplomma ARE standardized. But the curriculum of the IB program at RMIB is different and more.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both



schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes, BCC also has options for those grades but regardless, they both offer the same IB curriculum.

So listen, we can keep going back and forth, but I'm curious whether you are actually open to the possibility that you have learned something you didn't previously know here? Or just dug in.
It has been demonstrated to you that there is an IB curriculum at RMIB that is not available at BCC.
Yes, the curriculum and requirements to attain an IB diplomma ARE standardized. But the curriculum of the IB program at RMIB is different and more.

Nope. It has been demonstrated that there is an RM magnet program (and/or magnet curriculum) that is not available at BCC. But nobody doubted that. Obviously there is.

The IB curriculum, on the other hand, is standardized, and it's the same at every high school with IB.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes. It's a magnet curriculum. It's not an IB curriculum, because there is no IB curriculum in 9th and 10th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

Might be the 'same' program on paper, but a much different experience in practice. Our home school has an IB program, and my neighbor has a kid at RMIB. We talk often, and the kids talk often. It is definitely a different experience, for a variety of reasons.

Not sure what your agenda is here, but there's a reason why RMIB gets so many applicants.

+1

Their agenda is to insist that RMIB is not any better than other IB programs because they hate RM maybe, even as RMIB gets 1000 applicants from all over the county, including from private schools. RMIB has courses in 9th and 10th specific for IB magnet students. BCC does not.

I'm sure BCC IB is great. But it's not a magnet program.

I'm the one saying that the IB program at RM is exactly the same as the IB program at BCC, and I'm not saying that because I hate RM. I'm saying it because it's true. The IB program - specifically, the IB Diploma Programme - is exactly the same at all of the schools in MCPS that offer the IB program.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/

the 11th / 12 th program is the exact same but the entire program is not. That is the point.

I already mentioned the 9th/10th grade classes only open to RMIB magnet students. Not even RM cluster students can take those classes.

The IB program is same. The magnet program is different.

A PP, not sure if it was you, said this, "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program."

Can we agree that is false? The IB program at RMHS is indeed different and not "exactly the same."

No. The magnet program is different. The IB program is the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both



schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes, BCC also has options for those grades but regardless, they both offer the same IB curriculum.

So listen, we can keep going back and forth, but I'm curious whether you are actually open to the possibility that you have learned something you didn't previously know here? Or just dug in.
It has been demonstrated to you that there is an IB curriculum at RMIB that is not available at BCC.
Yes, the curriculum and requirements to attain an IB diplomma ARE standardized. But the curriculum of the IB program at RMIB is different and more.

Nope. It has been demonstrated that there is an RM magnet program (and/or magnet curriculum) that is not available at BCC. But nobody doubted that. Obviously there is.

The IB curriculum, on the other hand, is standardized, and it's the same at every high school with IB.

So, this comment was made by a PP that may or may not have been you: "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program." This comment was made after highlighting a phrase in the prior post about referring to a "very rigorous academic program" at RM. The "program" in question is the "academic program."

Do you agree that there is a different, and more rigorous, "academic program" at RMIB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

Might be the 'same' program on paper, but a much different experience in practice. Our home school has an IB program, and my neighbor has a kid at RMIB. We talk often, and the kids talk often. It is definitely a different experience, for a variety of reasons.

Not sure what your agenda is here, but there's a reason why RMIB gets so many applicants.

+1

Their agenda is to insist that RMIB is not any better than other IB programs because they hate RM maybe, even as RMIB gets 1000 applicants from all over the county, including from private schools. RMIB has courses in 9th and 10th specific for IB magnet students. BCC does not.

I'm sure BCC IB is great. But it's not a magnet program.

I'm the one saying that the IB program at RM is exactly the same as the IB program at BCC, and I'm not saying that because I hate RM. I'm saying it because it's true. The IB program - specifically, the IB Diploma Programme - is exactly the same at all of the schools in MCPS that offer the IB program.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/

the 11th / 12 th program is the exact same but the entire program is not. That is the point.

I already mentioned the 9th/10th grade classes only open to RMIB magnet students. Not even RM cluster students can take those classes.

The IB program is same. The magnet program is different.

A PP, not sure if it was you, said this, "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program."

Can we agree that is false? The IB program at RMHS is indeed different and not "exactly the same."

No. The magnet program is different. The IB program is the same.

given that the magnet program is the RMIB magnet program, the entire program is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both



schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes, BCC also has options for those grades but regardless, they both offer the same IB curriculum.

BCC has magnet level classes for 9th and 10th grade?

like these..
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/r-w/rmhs/uploadedfiles/ib/magnet2018-2019final.pdf

Still waiting for an answer here.

Does BCC offer magnet level classes to 9th and 10th graders like RMIB does or not?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

Might be the 'same' program on paper, but a much different experience in practice. Our home school has an IB program, and my neighbor has a kid at RMIB. We talk often, and the kids talk often. It is definitely a different experience, for a variety of reasons.

Not sure what your agenda is here, but there's a reason why RMIB gets so many applicants.

+1

Their agenda is to insist that RMIB is not any better than other IB programs because they hate RM maybe, even as RMIB gets 1000 applicants from all over the county, including from private schools. RMIB has courses in 9th and 10th specific for IB magnet students. BCC does not.

I'm sure BCC IB is great. But it's not a magnet program.

I'm the one saying that the IB program at RM is exactly the same as the IB program at BCC, and I'm not saying that because I hate RM. I'm saying it because it's true. The IB program - specifically, the IB Diploma Programme - is exactly the same at all of the schools in MCPS that offer the IB program.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/

the 11th / 12 th program is the exact same but the entire program is not. That is the point.

I already mentioned the 9th/10th grade classes only open to RMIB magnet students. Not even RM cluster students can take those classes.

The IB program is same. The magnet program is different.

A PP, not sure if it was you, said this, "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program."

Can we agree that is false? The IB program at RMHS is indeed different and not "exactly the same."

No. The magnet program is different. The IB program is the same.

given that the magnet program is the RMIB magnet program, the entire program is different.

Why are you arguing? Everyone, at every high school, who is doing the IB program, is doing exactly the same IB program, because it is standardized. Standardized curriculum, standardized requirements, standardized tests. In addition, if you're in the RMIB magnet, you do extra super special RMIB magnet program things. Is that what you're looking for acknowledgement of? The super special-ness of the RMIB magnet program?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both



schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes, BCC also has options for those grades but regardless, they both offer the same IB curriculum.

BCC has magnet level classes for 9th and 10th grade?

like these..
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/r-w/rmhs/uploadedfiles/ib/magnet2018-2019final.pdf

Still waiting for an answer here.

Does BCC offer magnet level classes to 9th and 10th graders like RMIB does or not?

Yes, they offer many advanced level classes which are classified the same in the MCPS catalog. They're called APs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both



schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes, BCC also has options for those grades but regardless, they both offer the same IB curriculum.

So listen, we can keep going back and forth, but I'm curious whether you are actually open to the possibility that you have learned something you didn't previously know here? Or just dug in.
It has been demonstrated to you that there is an IB curriculum at RMIB that is not available at BCC.
Yes, the curriculum and requirements to attain an IB diplomma ARE standardized. But the curriculum of the IB program at RMIB is different and more.

Nope. It has been demonstrated that there is an RM magnet program (and/or magnet curriculum) that is not available at BCC. But nobody doubted that. Obviously there is.

The IB curriculum, on the other hand, is standardized, and it's the same at every high school with IB.

So, this comment was made by a PP that may or may not have been you: "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program." This comment was made after highlighting a phrase in the prior post about referring to a "very rigorous academic program" at RM. The "program" in question is the "academic program."

Do you agree that there is a different, and more rigorous, "academic program" at RMIB?

The IB program is equally "very academically rigorous" everywhere.

Then, at RM, there are additional magnet classes for 9th and 10th graders in the magnet program. If you say those classes harder and/or more work than the classes for 9th and 10th graders not in the magnet program at RM, I'll take your word for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both



schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

So basically the same kid would do about the same in any of these programs. Got it.

Yes, they both use the same IB curriculum.

No. RMIB has a curriculum specifically for 9th and 10th graders that is not available at the other schools.

Yes, BCC also has options for those grades but regardless, they both offer the same IB curriculum.

So listen, we can keep going back and forth, but I'm curious whether you are actually open to the possibility that you have learned something you didn't previously know here? Or just dug in.
It has been demonstrated to you that there is an IB curriculum at RMIB that is not available at BCC.
Yes, the curriculum and requirements to attain an IB diplomma ARE standardized. But the curriculum of the IB program at RMIB is different and more.

Nope. It has been demonstrated that there is an RM magnet program (and/or magnet curriculum) that is not available at BCC. But nobody doubted that. Obviously there is.

The IB curriculum, on the other hand, is standardized, and it's the same at every high school with IB.

So, this comment was made by a PP that may or may not have been you: "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program." This comment was made after highlighting a phrase in the prior post about referring to a "very rigorous academic program" at RM. The "program" in question is the "academic program."

Do you agree that there is a different, and more rigorous, "academic program" at RMIB?

The IB program is equally "very academically rigorous" everywhere.

Then, at RM, there are additional magnet classes for 9th and 10th graders in the magnet program. If you say those classes harder and/or more work than the classes for 9th and 10th graders not in the magnet program at RM, I'll take your word for it.

Thank you. Appreciate it. We are finally in agreement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

Might be the 'same' program on paper, but a much different experience in practice. Our home school has an IB program, and my neighbor has a kid at RMIB. We talk often, and the kids talk often. It is definitely a different experience, for a variety of reasons.

Not sure what your agenda is here, but there's a reason why RMIB gets so many applicants.

+1

Their agenda is to insist that RMIB is not any better than other IB programs because they hate RM maybe, even as RMIB gets 1000 applicants from all over the county, including from private schools. RMIB has courses in 9th and 10th specific for IB magnet students. BCC does not.

I'm sure BCC IB is great. But it's not a magnet program.

I'm the one saying that the IB program at RM is exactly the same as the IB program at BCC, and I'm not saying that because I hate RM. I'm saying it because it's true. The IB program - specifically, the IB Diploma Programme - is exactly the same at all of the schools in MCPS that offer the IB program.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/

the 11th / 12 th program is the exact same but the entire program is not. That is the point.

I already mentioned the 9th/10th grade classes only open to RMIB magnet students. Not even RM cluster students can take those classes.

The IB program is same. The magnet program is different.

A PP, not sure if it was you, said this, "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program."

Can we agree that is false? The IB program at RMHS is indeed different and not "exactly the same."

No. The magnet program is different. The IB program is the same.

given that the magnet program is the RMIB magnet program, the entire program is different.

Why are you arguing? Everyone, at every high school, who is doing the IB program, is doing exactly the same IB program, because it is standardized. Standardized curriculum, standardized requirements, standardized tests. In addition, if you're in the RMIB magnet, you do extra super special RMIB magnet program things. Is that what you're looking for acknowledgement of? The super special-ness of the RMIB magnet program?

Not the precise PP you are responding to, but basically (minus the snark) that is exactly what I was looking for.

The overall academic experience at RMIB is not the same as at other schools that offer the IB diplomma program only. And that seems to be the fundamental question that was asked. Is it the same academic experience overall? Answer- no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

Might be the 'same' program on paper, but a much different experience in practice. Our home school has an IB program, and my neighbor has a kid at RMIB. We talk often, and the kids talk often. It is definitely a different experience, for a variety of reasons.

Not sure what your agenda is here, but there's a reason why RMIB gets so many applicants.

+1

Their agenda is to insist that RMIB is not any better than other IB programs because they hate RM maybe, even as RMIB gets 1000 applicants from all over the county, including from private schools. RMIB has courses in 9th and 10th specific for IB magnet students. BCC does not.

I'm sure BCC IB is great. But it's not a magnet program.

I'm the one saying that the IB program at RM is exactly the same as the IB program at BCC, and I'm not saying that because I hate RM. I'm saying it because it's true. The IB program - specifically, the IB Diploma Programme - is exactly the same at all of the schools in MCPS that offer the IB program.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/

the 11th / 12 th program is the exact same but the entire program is not. That is the point.

I already mentioned the 9th/10th grade classes only open to RMIB magnet students. Not even RM cluster students can take those classes.

The IB program is same. The magnet program is different.

A PP, not sure if it was you, said this, "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program."

Can we agree that is false? The IB program at RMHS is indeed different and not "exactly the same."

No. The magnet program is different. The IB program is the same.

given that the magnet program is the RMIB magnet program, the entire program is different.

Why are you arguing? Everyone, at every high school, who is doing the IB program, is doing exactly the same IB program, because it is standardized. Standardized curriculum, standardized requirements, standardized tests. In addition, if you're in the RMIB magnet, you do extra super special RMIB magnet program things. Is that what you're looking for acknowledgement of? The super special-ness of the RMIB magnet program?

Not the precise PP you are responding to, but basically (minus the snark) that is exactly what I was looking for.

The overall academic experience at RMIB is not the same as at other schools that offer the IB diplomma program only. And that seems to be the fundamental question that was asked. Is it the same academic experience overall? Answer- no.

+1 goodness that ^PP is obstinate.

The program is NOT the same.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

Might be the 'same' program on paper, but a much different experience in practice. Our home school has an IB program, and my neighbor has a kid at RMIB. We talk often, and the kids talk often. It is definitely a different experience, for a variety of reasons.

Not sure what your agenda is here, but there's a reason why RMIB gets so many applicants.

+1

Their agenda is to insist that RMIB is not any better than other IB programs because they hate RM maybe, even as RMIB gets 1000 applicants from all over the county, including from private schools. RMIB has courses in 9th and 10th specific for IB magnet students. BCC does not.

I'm sure BCC IB is great. But it's not a magnet program.

I'm the one saying that the IB program at RM is exactly the same as the IB program at BCC, and I'm not saying that because I hate RM. I'm saying it because it's true. The IB program - specifically, the IB Diploma Programme - is exactly the same at all of the schools in MCPS that offer the IB program.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/

the 11th / 12 th program is the exact same but the entire program is not. That is the point.

I already mentioned the 9th/10th grade classes only open to RMIB magnet students. Not even RM cluster students can take those classes.

The IB program is same. The magnet program is different.

A PP, not sure if it was you, said this, "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program."

Can we agree that is false? The IB program at RMHS is indeed different and not "exactly the same."

No. The magnet program is different. The IB program is the same.

given that the magnet program is the RMIB magnet program, the entire program is different.

Why are you arguing? Everyone, at every high school, who is doing the IB program, is doing exactly the same IB program, because it is standardized. Standardized curriculum, standardized requirements, standardized tests. In addition, if you're in the RMIB magnet, you do extra super special RMIB magnet program things. Is that what you're looking for acknowledgement of? The super special-ness of the RMIB magnet program?

Not the precise PP you are responding to, but basically (minus the snark) that is exactly what I was looking for.

The overall academic experience at RMIB is not the same as at other schools that offer the IB diplomma program only. And that seems to be the fundamental question that was asked. Is it the same academic experience overall? Answer- no.

+1 goodness that ^PP is obstinate.

The program is NOT the same.

Yes, but the main difference is RMIB is hard to get into since it has limited seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/IB-Exam-by-Subject.html

You're welcome

You'll see that it is the specific teacher for specific subjects that matter more than the school program itself.

Not being snarky...but I really do not see how the chart shows me that at all.

Most schools have only one teacher for each IB course. The teacher may teach multiple sections, but generally there is one. For IB Biology, the mean IB score at RM is a 5.2. At BCC it's a 4.2. At BCC, the mean physics score is a 5.0; it's a 5.3 at RM. Their english scores are equivalent.

So yeah, RM seems to be generally better in all areas.

Personally, I think this difference is more a function of the fact that to get into RM, you have to take a test. Only the people who do very well on the test are selected to go to RM. Thus, those at RM tend to do better on IB tests. By contrast, at BCC there are kids who are in full IB taking tests, kids who are just taking a 1 or 2 IB classes, etc. for the vast majority of kids who are decent test-takers in the IB program, there is, I would be willing to bet, not a significant difference between their test scores and RM.

RM is good. BCC is good. Puck a place where you want to live and you and your kid can make friends and do fun things outside if school. Both schools are good.

What? That is not true. My kid is in the RMIB right now and there was no test.

I believe that every class before the 2025 graduating class had to take the Cogat as part of the admissions process -- so the IB test results currently reported are all based on kids who took the Cogat. I don't think that the cogat has anything at all in common with an IB assessment, so I don't agree with PP's point, but it is accurate that the kids who have received the diploma to date took a test to get into RMIB. They ditched the test during the pandemic because they didn't want all those kids in a room, and have not brought it back.

So, perfect natural experiment - let’s check back in 4 years and compare IB scores to 4 years earlier and see if stacking the IB program with kids who test well improve IB scores? Of course, if the scores go down a bit everyone will yell that dropping the test allowed MCPS to put “less qualified” kids in the program, which IMO, as long time test prep tutor, is not the right conclusion.

Or whether stacking the IB program with kids whose parents paid for cogoat prep versus smarter kids whose parents can't afford that.

Grades are very subjective. So, what other measure should they use to see who is "qualified" to be admitted into a very rigorous program?

It isn't any more rigorous than the IB program at any of the other MCPS high schools. It is literally the same IB program. What my kid did to be admitted into the IB program at our local high school is live within the service area of our local high school.

1. the comment about not using cogat is not about BCC vs RMIB, but about what other academic measure should be used to admit students into a very academically rigorous magnet program.
2. It certainly draws in higher performing kids since the diploma rate is higher at RM than at BCC.

To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program.

but the cohort may not be as strong. Some classes grade on a curve.

It is exactly the same IB program. It is exactly the same IB requirements. It is exactly the same IB tests. It is exactly the same IB grading criteria. It is exactly the same IB program.

Might be the 'same' program on paper, but a much different experience in practice. Our home school has an IB program, and my neighbor has a kid at RMIB. We talk often, and the kids talk often. It is definitely a different experience, for a variety of reasons.

Not sure what your agenda is here, but there's a reason why RMIB gets so many applicants.

+1

Their agenda is to insist that RMIB is not any better than other IB programs because they hate RM maybe, even as RMIB gets 1000 applicants from all over the county, including from private schools. RMIB has courses in 9th and 10th specific for IB magnet students. BCC does not.

I'm sure BCC IB is great. But it's not a magnet program.

I'm the one saying that the IB program at RM is exactly the same as the IB program at BCC, and I'm not saying that because I hate RM. I'm saying it because it's true. The IB program - specifically, the IB Diploma Programme - is exactly the same at all of the schools in MCPS that offer the IB program.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/

the 11th / 12 th program is the exact same but the entire program is not. That is the point.

I already mentioned the 9th/10th grade classes only open to RMIB magnet students. Not even RM cluster students can take those classes.

The IB program is same. The magnet program is different.

A PP, not sure if it was you, said this, "To repeat: the program is exactly as "very academically rigorous" at every other MCPS high school with IB, as at Richard Montgomery. It is exactly the same IB program."

Can we agree that is false? The IB program at RMHS is indeed different and not "exactly the same."

No. The magnet program is different. The IB program is the same.

given that the magnet program is the RMIB magnet program, the entire program is different.

Why are you arguing? Everyone, at every high school, who is doing the IB program, is doing exactly the same IB program, because it is standardized. Standardized curriculum, standardized requirements, standardized tests. In addition, if you're in the RMIB magnet, you do extra super special RMIB magnet program things. Is that what you're looking for acknowledgement of? The super special-ness of the RMIB magnet program?

Not the precise PP you are responding to, but basically (minus the snark) that is exactly what I was looking for.

The overall academic experience at RMIB is not the same as at other schools that offer the IB diplomma program only. And that seems to be the fundamental question that was asked. Is it the same academic experience overall? Answer- no.

+1 goodness that ^PP is obstinate.

The program is NOT the same.

So, what's the difference between the RMIB magnet program and IB at BCC?

1. RM is RM, BCC is BCC
2. RM has a magnet program, BCC doesn't
3. The RM magnet program has a few non-IB classes that BCC doesn't have