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Anonymous
| how is IB in WIS different from IB at other public schools ? |
Anonymous
|
I think the IB approach is the same, and it must be in order to be an "official" IB school (I think it's something like the school has three years to get ducks in a row and then if they comply become an official IB program. check out their website, just google it - it's easy to find). The teachers, I think, have some minimum training they have to eventually take, and then there are avail. workshops and stuff for them).
What would be different b/t their program and others would be: 1) their approach to language immersion vs other language immersion vs no language immersion; 2) student:teacher ratio; 3) quality of teachers and/or tenure; 3) perhaps how many additional workshops or training the teachers get [although this last one is just conjecture]. But from what I understand, there is a mechanism in place where the school has to be evaluated in order to get and retain their IB status. But it is more from an admin perspective - they don't eval the students to see how well they are doing or anything like that. |
Anonymous
Quality of teachers and overall school commitment to a successful performance in IB exams are crucial. Many teachers at WIS are also examiners for the IB, which means that they have an outstanding preparation for the IB program and are also very knowledgeable about how to evaluate students' learning throughout the years. The school as a whole is also working right now at a new system for assessing students' language skills at all grades. Regarding success in IB exams, WIS is at the top there as well, with almost 100% of students taking and passing the exams each year. This is another big difference with other schools offering the IB. |
Anonymous
| With the IB program, what the stance on homework? And, are textbooks used? |
Anonymous
| What was WIS's college placement record this year? |
Anonymous
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not sure why this isn't up to date, but here is where they have gone in the past. seems all over the place.
http://www.wis.edu/academics/univers_collegesofwisgradu.asp |
Anonymous
This is this year's early acceptance list (posted on their website, under the news section). Excellent institutions, I daresay: The Early List Posted: 1/16/08 UK – Conditional offers from University of Bath University of Birmingham University of Bristol Cambridge University University of Durham University of Edinburgh Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine Loughborough University University of Nottingham Oxford University Royal Holloway, University of London University of Sheffield University of St. Andrews US – acceptances Amherst College Boston University Brown University Butler University Colgate University College of Charleston Colorado College Columbia University Hampton University New York University Northeastern University Old Dominion University Penn State University St. John’s University University of Chicago University of Georgia University of Indiana University of Michigan University of North Carolina University of Pennsylvania University of Wisconsin Yale University |
Anonymous
What follows is the updated, cumulative list of colleges, from 2003 to 2007 (difficult to find, but, for your info, it is available at the following link: http://www.wis.edu/documents/2007_08_profile.pdf University Destinations 2003–2007 United States University of Virginia (17) University of Michigan (11) New York University (10) University of Pennsylvania (10) College of William and Mary (8) Brown University (7) Columbia University (7) University of Maryland at College Park (7) Stanford University (7) Macalester College (6) Oberlin College (6) American University (5) University of California at Berkeley (5) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (5) Northwestern University (5) Brandeis University (4) Clark University (4) Amherst College (3) Duke University (3) Georgetown University (3) Johns Hopkins University (3) Northeastern University (3) Swarthmore College (3) Tufts University (3) Vassar College (3) University of Vermont (3) Bard College(2) Boston College (2) Boston University (2) University of California at San Diego (2) University of Chicago (2) Corcoran College of Art and Design (2) Davidson College (2) Dickinson College (2) George Mason University (2) George Washington University (2) Georgia Institute of Technology (2) Haverford College (2) Occidental College (2) Pomona College (2) Sarah Lawrence College (2) Virginia Polytechnic University (2) Washington University in St. Louis (2) University of Washington (2) Barnard College University of California at Los Angeles Claremont McKenna College Colby College Colgate University University of Colorado at Boulder Colorado State University Cornell University Dartmouth College Evergreen State College Fashion Institute of Technology University of Florida University of Georgia Hamilton College Harvard University Indiana State University James Madison University University of Mary Washington Maryland Institute College of Art Marymount University Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Miami Ohio Wesleyan University Olin College of Engineering Pennsylvania State University Pratt Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design School of Visual Arts Smith College University of Southern California Spelman College St. Mary’s College of Maryland University of Texas at Austin Trinity College Tulane University United States Naval Academy Wesleyan University University of Wisconsin at Madison Yale Australia University of Sydney Brazil Universidade Católica de Brasília Canada McGill University (18) University of Toronto (6) University of British Columbia (3) Concordia University University of Guelph Chile Universidad de Chile India Manipal University Ireland Royal College of Surgeons (2) Trinity College Dublin Italy Universita` di Roma – “La Sapienza” Netherlands Universiteit van Amsterdam University of Copenhagen Delft University of Technology University of Groningen Webster University Switzerland Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne United Kingdom University of Durham (4) King’s College London (3) University of Warwick (3) Imperial College of Science (2) Oxford University (2) Cardiff University Central Saint Martins College of Art University of East Anglia University of Edinburgh University of Glasgow Goldsmiths College, University of London London Guildhall University University College London University of Manchester Queen Mary, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London University of St. Andrews University of Teesside |
Anonymous
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Pretty good.
So why doesn't WIS get mentioned in the same breadth as those "other" NW private schools. |
Anonymous
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the majority of people aren't into the immersion factor, so by default there is less competition. but that doesn't mean that it isn't a competitive school.
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Anonymous
I agree with the PP on the perception of the "immersion factor": most prospective (mainly American) applicants do not seem too attracted by the foreign language option, but I think this is due first of all to lack of knowledge (if not prejudice) of what the curriculum of a school like WIS can actually provide to students in terms of openmindedness, verbal and critical ability, and, last but not least, in-depth preparation in all subject matters (a preparation that is highly regarded not only by US standards but also worldwide). As for competitiveness in the admissions process, statistics speak very eloquently (and, I am pretty sure, the many rejections that most posters on this list have received, as well). |
Anonymous
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Can current IB parents comment on the day-to-day life on an IB student (PYP) in terms of homework, the type of textbooks or other materials used in class, how challenging it seems, etc. Also, the IB website says that the classes for the young ones are more like "purposeful play". Is this the case (I am hoping so).
I do worry a bit about the stresses of learning another language + regular academics, though it seems the IB approach does it in a way that is interesting and that WORKS while fostering a love of learning. OR, that's how the IB.org webpage reads. What is truth? What is fiction? I guess I have several questions embedded in this post; I had intended to start out with just one or two. |
Anonymous
I am the parent of a pre-K student, so the picture I can give you by direct experience is still limited (in terms of textbooks and homework, for instance). However, I can at least confirm, with enthusiasm, that the material and the pedagogical strategies adopted in class really succeed in creating a stimulating learning environment without creating stress. Language AND content are communicated successfully, children absorb so much, are happy and motivated. Each unit, revolving around a theme, has been tackled in a truly interdisciplinary way, and has been accompanied by very well organized field trips to museums and other cultural sites in Washington and vicinities. Children are also working at writing and pre-math skills with activity books sent directly from the country whose language they are studying, and multiculturalism is embedded in all they are doing at school. They also have library time, both in English and in the foreign language, and they check out a book in the foreign language every week, to read at home. In a nutshell, so far I am thrilled to see how well this approach is working, how nurturing and challenging the teachers are, and how integrated the PYP at WIS is. I hope other parents of older children will also contribute to this discussion, to give you more information about textbooks. |
Anonymous
| I'm PP with three kids at WISC. The homework is more than I would like, but based on comparing notes with parents from GDS, NCS, STA, and Sidwell, it's a moderate amount less than there, most notably at the elementary level. |
Anonymous
| Does WIS have ANY African-American families? |