If you could do it all over again…IB vs AP High School

[Anonymous]

IB or sure, it emphasizes critical thinking along with writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB or sure, it emphasizes critical thinking along with writing.

Sounds like a canned response. IB jargon typically consists of references to “critical thinking” and “global citizenship,” but it’s largely hype - at least as executed in FCPS. As PP noted, the overwhelming majority of students at IB schools in FCPS don’t get IB diplomas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB or sure, it emphasizes critical thinking along with writing.

Sounds like a canned response. IB jargon typically consists of references to “critical thinking” and “global citizenship,” but it’s largely hype - at least as executed in FCPS. As PP noted, the overwhelming majority of students at IB schools in FCPS don’t get IB diplomas.

And that poster also thought that was a wasted opportunity. The curriculum is valuable for students that want to put in the work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP, hands down.

Look at the six top neighborhood high schools in FCPS: Langley, McLean, Oakton, Madison, Woodson, and Chantilly. They are all AP.

If IB provided any advantage, parents at these top schools would be demanding IB at their schools. They aren’t. In fact, when FCPS tried to saddle Woodson with IB, the parents organized to get the decision overturned.,

Conversely, IB is concentrated in the county’s poorest high schools, where parents are less vocal, and less likely to object to a program that infatuated FCPS for a brief period in the late 90s and early 00s, but really hasn’t worked out very well. Schools like Annandale, Justice, Lewis, and Mount Vernon are demonstrably weaker than they were 20 years ago pre-IB.

As for IB’s heavy emphasis on writing, there is also a lot of writing requires in many AP courses, including the AP Capstone courses. However, AP courses generally focus more on the acquisition of substantive knowledge, and there’s less busy work.

The only way to learn to write is to do it. And then do it again and again until you develop some skill and competence. It is hard. My DC had benefitted greatly from that hard work in HS now that DC is in college.

Mine, too. I shudder to think about his college performance if he did not have the rigor of IB writing. Was a big help, imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB or sure, it emphasizes critical thinking along with writing.

Sounds like a canned response. IB jargon typically consists of references to “critical thinking” and “global citizenship,” but it’s largely hype - at least as executed in FCPS. As PP noted, the overwhelming majority of students at IB schools in FCPS don’t get IB diplomas.

To the OP: The post above is an example of what inevitably turns up on any DCUM thread that mentions IB. There are IB bashers here whose kids did not do IB and who know nothing about how it actually works. They also like to toss around what little jargon they've picked up so they can leap on posts with statements like "Sounds like a canned response." They also think that because not everyone who does IB gets the full diploma, IB is somehow bad. Not accurate at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:100% IB if your kid has any analytical writing genes at all. They will get better and better with IB. My DC is in a GE required writing class in college and to her, it is downright silly, the level of instruction, the lack of writing ability among her peers. she says she does other homework during the 90 minute class. The IB prepared her well and she is ahead of the game because of it.

+1 Yes, IB for college preparation without a doubt.

Another +1 to this and the post to which it's responding. Our DC wanted IB so we moved her to the nearest IB HS (the assigned HS was AP only). College readiness in terms of writing skills, working in groups, writing a lengthy (for HS) research paper, having to do presentations. DC is a rising senior in college now and still remarks sometimes how IB was tough but gave her confidence she wouldn't be thrown by handling multiple assignments requiring a lot of writing and research and class presentations.

OP, if your kid is on the fence, you and your kid might see if you can talk to the IB coordinator at whatever would be your DC's IB school, and to the AP coordinator (or whatever term AP uses) at the AP school.

[Anonymous]

IB again hands down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB or sure, it emphasizes critical thinking along with writing.

And AP doesn’t? How would you even know which program did more of that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB or sure, it emphasizes critical thinking along with writing.

And AP doesn’t? How would you even know which program did more of that?

Lol AP requires memorization not writing. You obviously don’t know the IB at all you’re thinking this is a valid comparison

[Anonymous]

Dual enrollment.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on your kid.

Having stated that, my STEM focused kid is an IB diploma candidate who hated writing. Now a senior, DC stated that their writing has vastly improved and no longer hates it with a passion.

Bonus: college will be easy for DC after going through the IB program.

[Anonymous]

^also IB students do take AP classes, too, and AP exams, as well as IB ones. These kids are incredibly bright and not afraid of hard work.

[Anonymous]

Can’t you take AP classes and exams in the IB program?

[Anonymous]

AP. It’s designed for students planning to attend college in the U.S. Maybe if our kid were planning to attend a university abroad we’d consider IB. But the better high schools in FCPS are also AP schools so that would have to be factored in as well.

[Anonymous]

IB for the ability to write and analyze in college. AP for keeping HS less intense and still getting into college.

IB impact on mental health in college is just not worth it.