Spring Brook criteria based IB Program experience.
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Anonymous
| I would like to know if anyone can share their experiences in the Spring Brook criteria based IB Program? Do the criteria based IB program students have their own cohort? Is Spring Brook a whole school IB? If it is a whole school IB, what is the difference between Criteria based IB program and the "whole school IB program"? |
Anonymous
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Like Kennedy, Springbrook has had a regional IB program for a while. Until four years ago, it was a two-year program for 11th and 12th grade taken by anyone at the school who wanted it. The two-year-program adheres to an international standard
Four years ago they changed the IB offering at several schools including Springbrook to be a competitive, application-based program that follows the same curriculum offered by RMIB. While students are still free to join the program in 11th grade (also true at RMIB), there is now a cohorted class of 50-100 kids (I don't know the official number, my regional IB has about 50, from the first year of the program), who take all of their classes together except gym, health, tech, and electives. It's been a fantastic school within a school experience for our kid. A "whole school" IB program would I guess mean everyone at the school took the IB program. I think schools in VA and Baltimore offer this, not Moco. The regional IBs are a lot less competitive to get into than RMIB, due to the newness of the program and some peoples' reservations about the outcomes or the schools. Our experience has been quite positive and college acceptances have been fantastic. |
Anonymous
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It has been a great experience for my student. They enjoy their classes, teachers, and have been challenged (for once). The coordinators are responsive and helpful to our concerns. Students have their own cohort for English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and are with the rest of the school for World Language and Electives
Springbrook has 3 IB programs. MYP which is whole school (this is honestly just the regular classes that use the MYP concepts in lessons). IB Regional, which is the magnet classes that will prepare them for IB Diploma, regular classes do not get that preparation. Diploma which is open to all students, but only a handful outside of the cohort join. |
Anonymous
| We were just accepted to this program. I have serious reservations though after going to the IB open house they had in the fall. The original date was cancelled due to a bomb threat so they rescheduled it to be the same night as the overall consortium open house. This gave us the opportunity to hear the principal speak to the parents about the entire school. She honestly did not seem qualified. I believe she is new so maybe just needs a few years. |
Anonymous
| It makes me worry if we should accept it. Wonder if the cohort is good. |
Anonymous
| Go visit |
Anonymous
| Heard that Springbrook has a good Regional IB coordinator. |
Anonymous
What do you mean by wondering if the cohort is good? If you're talking about the IB cohort, you're looking at kids like yours (and mine, and several of their friends) who had the motivation and took the effort to apply and had high enough grades and test scores to be accepted. That's definitely a more selective and academically engaged cohort than you'd get in the non-IB program. How are you defining "good"? |
Anonymous
This year's university acceptances include NYU, Brandeis, BU, MIT, Michigan, UMD, Johns Hopkins so far. One or two went to the Ivy League last year. Maybe not as impressive as some other schools but I will be over the moon happy if my kid gets into one of those! |
Anonymous
+1 Mrs. Lipinski & Mr. Knocke are wonderful and responsive. Kids have great relationships with them. |