IB diploma vs. AP Calculus

[Anonymous]

Our high school offers both AP Calculus and the IB diploma. I have read that you should do the IB diploma if you can, and also that you should take calculus in high school if you can.

But at our school, depending on your 9th grade math course, some students have to choose: they can do either the IB diploma or AP Calculus, but not both.

If you had to advise a child choosing between these paths, would you recommend an IB diploma (without calculus) or calculus (without an IB diploma)?

[Anonymous]

Odd choices. One is a course the other is a program.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that you cover Calc in IB High Level (HL) Math.
that should be an option for your child if they have taken Geometry and Algegra I and II by the end of 10th grade. Can you confirm with the IB coordinator?

[Anonymous]

I would ask the IB coordinator. As a PP said, I think HL covers the same material as AP Calculus, meaning that your DC could possibly take the AP exam in addition to the IB Math exam - depending on scheduling at the school. HL IB Math is 2 years, though, so your DC wouldn't have covered all of the material until 12th grade probably, and a lot of people want that AP Calc credit junior year before college apps are due.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our high school offers both AP Calculus and the IB diploma. I have read that you should do the IB diploma if you can, and also that you should take calculus in high school if you can.

But at our school, depending on your 9th grade math course, some students have to choose: they can do either the IB diploma or AP Calculus, but not both.

If you had to advise a child choosing between these paths, would you recommend an IB diploma (without calculus) or calculus (without an IB diploma)?

If you can take calculus in high school, you should, but that doesn't mean it has to be AP. IB Math HL and IB Further Math SL both have significant amounts of calculus in them.

[Anonymous]

OP. This is a math progression that goes Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus, and then either IB math SL or AP Calculus. You can’t do the IB diploma without an IB math course, and you can’t take AP Calculus if you do IB math. And you can’t do either before senior year, because precalc is a prerequisite for both.

[Anonymous]

Our school addresses this by giving kids a path to take the first year of IB math, then Calc BC, then second year of IB math. It works only if you start the IB course as a sophomore, though, which means you have to be taking Algebra II in 9th.

[Anonymous]

In our school , the first yr (jr) of IB HL is AP calc bc

[Anonymous]

There is only 1 year of IB math? At my school it is a 2 year sequence.

[Anonymous]

IB math A&A the second year is calc AB.

[Anonymous]

Just an amazing variation in how schools teach IB math! Some schools require precalc first, others don’t. One school teaching Calc BC as the first year of HL math, another school teaching Calc AB as the second year. Something called “Further Math” that doesn’t even exist on the IB web site. People taking SL as a one-year course, others taking it as a two-year course. People taking the calc AP exam after junior year, others taking it after senior year. All for kids with a nominally uniform “IB Diploma.” And college admissions officers sort all this out in 10 minutes per kid? No wonder college admissions feels like a crap shoot.

[Anonymous]

Agree. The IB diploma program consists of classes that are 2 yrs long. So IB math AA covers stats, trig, pre calc, and calculus in 2 yrs. It’s a great class. Plenty of colleges value the full IB diploma; not having had a class called “calculus” is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

IB Math in the DP is a rigorous course. But it just doesn’t have the calc name. Right now in 9th in the Middle Years Program at an IB school my kid is in Integrated Math 2, which has significant algebra, geometry, and trig. He will never have a class called Algebra or Calc on his transcript. But colleges understand the IB diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB Math in the DP is a rigorous course. But it just doesn’t have the calc name. Right now in 9th in the Middle Years Program at an IB school my kid is in Integrated Math 2, which has significant algebra, geometry, and trig. He will never have a class called Algebra or Calc on his transcript. But colleges understand the IB diploma.

What does it even mean to say that “colleges understand the IB diploma”?

If my kid takes a 1-year IB SL math course, will colleges “understand” that that’s the same as taking calculus?

College math departments definitely don’t treat it the same. But maybe admissions offices don’t look under the hood to see what IB courses a student actually took?

[Anonymous]

My IB student took IB Analysis/Statistics/Calculus last year (junior year) and took both the IB Math SL and AP Calc AB exams last year. She's taking AP Calc BC this year and will take AP Calc BC exam this year. She's also taken plenty of other AP courses, whether or not the class was labeled IB or AP -- the important point is whether the curriculum aligns.

Colleges do understand what IB means, and the schools should be sending info sheets explaining their programs anyway.

I'd dig deeper and talk to the math department. My guess is that IB students are taking AP Calc exams regardless.