What schools have the IB program? What exactly is the iB program?

[Anonymous]

One of our friends attended Richard Montgomery's IB program. I did a quick search and liked the IB program at RM

What exactly is the IB program? Do students still take AP/honors classes or are the IB classes honors classes themselves?

Do any other schools in MD offer this IB program besides Richard Montgomery?

[Anonymous]

IB is a program. AP offers courses in specific content areas - physics, AP language and composition, AP literature, etc.

RM has a test-in IB program. There are other MCPS high schools that have open enrollment, but you have to be in the cluster. Springbrook, for example, in the NEC, offers a full IB program, and although it's not test-in, it's held to the same international standards and is just as intense.

There is very little room for AP courses if you're in IB, but if students feel confident, they can opt to take AP exams, as IB will most likely prepare them for AP, too.

They can also choose an IB certificate over a diploma if the overall program is too intense for them.

[Anonymous]

Einstein in the Downcounty consortium has it as well.

[Anonymous]

BCC has it as well.

[Anonymous]

Besides RM, there are existing IB Diploma Programs at Springbrook, Einstein, Watkins Mill, B-CC, and Rockville. All the programs are open to students in their cluster (or in the consortium, in the case of the downcounty and northeast consortium schools). There are new programs starting up at Seneca Valley and Kennedy High Schools in the fall of 2010. The IB courses at MCPS schools carry an extra point on GPA, so that an A in an IB class gives 5 points (same as honors and AP), while an A in an on-level class gives 4 points towards a GPA.

[Anonymous]

It's my understanding that only the RM IB program is for students in all 4 years, while the others are only for 11th and 12th-graders. RM's program functions, in some ways, as a school-within-a-school; others are more a la carte.

[Anonymous]

IB diploma is officially for the last two years of high school; some schools set up a "pre-IB" for grades 9 and 10.

[Anonymous]

Besides RM, there are existing IB Diploma Programs at Springbrook, Einstein, Watkins Mill, B-CC, and Rockville. All the programs are open to students in their cluster (or in the consortium, in the case of the downcounty and northeast consortium schools). There are new programs starting up at Seneca Valley and Kennedy High Schools in the fall of 2010. The IB courses at MCPS schools carry an extra point on GPA, so that an A in an IB class gives 5 points (same as honors and AP), while an A in an on-level class gives 4 points towards a GPA.

Hi, correcting my own post. All the IB programs in Montgomery County are open enrollment with the exception of Richard Montgomery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's my understanding that only the RM IB program is for students in all 4 years, while the others are only for 11th and 12th-graders. RM's program functions, in some ways, as a school-within-a-school; others are more a la carte.

So a student taking an IB class wouldn't get AP credit or is it the same? Are students earning college credit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's my understanding that only the RM IB program is for students in all 4 years, while the others are only for 11th and 12th-graders. RM's program functions, in some ways, as a school-within-a-school; others are more a la carte.

So a student taking an IB class wouldn't get AP credit or is it the same? Are students earning college credit?

An IB student who ELECTS to take an AP course (if there's room) or who simply takes an AP exam may receive credit depending on the school. Some colleges will only take AP scores of 4s and 5s.

Not all colleges recognize an IB diploma or AP courses.

IB is a program. Students enter the program in grade 11, and it's a 2-year deal. Most schools with open enrollment rework the curriculum for grades 9-10 following the MYP philosophy (Middle Years Programme). Notice I said philosophy - b/c MYP is not a program like IB. Students in elementary schools will often learn through the PYP lens (Primary Years Programme).

AP offers courses which aren't integrated like IB. They are often very technical in their approach as well. Students who take AP courses usually don't wish to be confined - for lack of a better term - by a strict schedule. They can opt to take more electives. With IB, that's not always the case. The number of IB courses offered depends upon enrollment. So if there are only 60 IB students, they may only offer 2 sections of a core class. So they're limited in how they can set up a schedule.

And in terms of the "a la carte" approach, I'd have to disagree. RM has the only test-in program in the county - true. The other schools are open enrollment. The program, however, is EXACTLY THE SAME - held to the same standards. Teachers at Springbrook and Einstein, for example, are trained in their IB courses, give the same assessments, and send off their assessments to India or Brazil or wherever their particular assessment is to be scored. So there's no "a la carte" approach.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure that the poster who said a la carte meant it negatively. We live in the BCC cluster and as I understand it, if things don't change, before he gets there, the BCC program (and presumably other "open" programs) lets students pursue an IB diploma, in which case they are held to the same standards as the RM kids. However, kids at BCC also have another option which is to pick and choose a combination of IB classes, AP classes, and on level clases. So, for example, my child who is interested in film could take IB film studies, even if he didn't take any other IB classes. Or he could take almost all of an IB diploma and yet decide to make his foreign language Arabic, which BCC doesm't offer through the IB level (or maybe there is no IB Arabic). In that sense it is a la carte. I actually like the flexibility of that model, as it seems to offer more choices than just IB or just AB.

On the other hand, it might be that in order to be accepted to RM you have to commit to taking the whole IB diploma, you can't pick and choose the IB classes and mix them with others.

[Anonymous]

At Rockville, there is not an option to take certain classes and not others. It's the whole program or nothing- no exceptions. It's very rigid, and many students have to take 8 periods a day to fit all of the requirements in.

[Anonymous]

I would advise you to meet with the IB coordinator, and to speak with parents who currently have children enrolled in the program to make sure what is being advertised is actually what is being delivered. There is a very high drop out rate at many schools for the IB program. Many colleges who recognize AP to not recognize IB. Some schools push IB as having more rigor, almost like "regular" kids do plain old AP and "honors" kid do IB. In general, IB is lacking in the areas of math and science, but very strong in the writing, philosophy and cultural (language) areas. Your child most likely has strengths and weaknesses- so choose based on keeping those in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At Rockville, there is not an option to take certain classes and not others. It's the whole program or nothing- no exceptions. It's very rigid, and many students have to take 8 periods a day to fit all of the requirements in.

Is this rigidity just for junior and senior year, which as I understand it are the IB program? Is there more flexibility for freshmen and sophmores?

[Anonymous]

No flexibility, all grades.