Madison HS or the IB program at Marshall HS?

[Anonymous]

If most of the county is against IB, why haven't people spoken out about it? The county could use the savings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If most of the county is against IB, why haven't people spoken out about it? The county could use the savings.

Woodson parents did speak out against IB at their school, and AP was restored. If the county is looking to save money, reducing the number of IB schools in the county would make sense. Why incur all the extra IB costs at a school like Mount Vernon where less than 5% of the graduates get IB diplomas and there are a lot of pupil placements every year to West Potomac? Why have IB at Annandale, Edison, Lee and Stuart when all these schools are fairly close to one another? The program hasn't attracted the levels of interest at those schools that FCPS hoped, but now the county probably doesn't want to incur the transition costs of reverting to a program that is less expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB always seemed like an incomprehensible and non useful program foisted on the lower income schools. Why do we need an "international" degree when our kids are going to American colleges.

Because your kids, in today's globalized world, when they get out of college are not competing only against the kid down the block, but the kid in Bangalore or in Seoul or Shanghai or Moscow.

Also, why aren't we spending more on votech and trade programs. Such programs would prepare students not interested in college with real skills for real jobs that pay a real wage, yet there is somehow some stigma attached to them. Isn't any labor by which someone earns an honest living something to be respected?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB always seemed like an incomprehensible and non useful program foisted on the lower income schools. Why do we need an "international" degree when our kids are going to American colleges.

Because your kids, in today's globalized world, when they get out of college are not competing only against the kid down the block, but the kid in Bangalore or in Seoul or Shanghai or Moscow.

Also, why aren't we spending more on votech and trade programs. Such programs would prepare students not interested in college with real skills for real jobs that pay a real wage, yet there is somehow some stigma attached to them. Isn't any labor by which someone earns an honest living something to be respected?

People in this area really look down on kids who take vocational classes.
The irony is that many kids who go on to complete a 4 year degree or more end up in a career that doesn't necessarily require college at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If most of the county is against IB, why haven't people spoken out about it? The county could use the savings.

Woodson parents did speak out against IB at their school, and AP was restored. If the county is looking to save money, reducing the number of IB schools in the county would make sense. Why incur all the extra IB costs at a school like Mount Vernon where less than 5% of the graduates get IB diplomas and there are a lot of pupil placements every year to West Potomac? Why have IB at Annandale, Edison, Lee and Stuart when all these schools are fairly close to one another? The program hasn't attracted the levels of interest at those schools that FCPS hoped, but now the county probably doesn't want to incur the transition costs of reverting to a program that is less expensive.

If I'm not mistaken, Woodson was never an IB school. The parents put an end to it before it started.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB always seemed like an incomprehensible and non useful program foisted on the lower income schools. Why do we need an "international" degree when our kids are going to American colleges.

Because your kids, in today's globalized world, when they get out of college are not competing only against the kid down the block, but the kid in Bangalore or in Seoul or Shanghai or Moscow.

Also, why aren't we spending more on votech and trade programs. Such programs would prepare students not interested in college with real skills for real jobs that pay a real wage, yet there is somehow some stigma attached to them. Isn't any labor by which someone earns an honest living something to be respected?

Are you saying IB high school TOK courses and CAS requirements are common in India or Korea? The Korean and Indian families in NoVa seem to aim primarily for TJ and other AP schools in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB always seemed like an incomprehensible and non useful program foisted on the lower income schools. Why do we need an "international" degree when our kids are going to American colleges.

Because your kids, in today's globalized world, when they get out of college are not competing only against the kid down the block, but the kid in Bangalore or in Seoul or Shanghai or Moscow.

Also, why aren't we spending more on votech and trade programs. Such programs would prepare students not interested in college with real skills for real jobs that pay a real wage, yet there is somehow some stigma attached to them. Isn't any labor by which someone earns an honest living something to be respected?

In today's globalized world, they all seem to want to come here to be educated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If most of the county is against IB, why haven't people spoken out about it? The county could use the savings.

Woodson parents did speak out against IB at their school, and AP was restored. If the county is looking to save money, reducing the number of IB schools in the county would make sense. Why incur all the extra IB costs at a school like Mount Vernon where less than 5% of the graduates get IB diplomas and there are a lot of pupil placements every year to West Potomac? Why have IB at Annandale, Edison, Lee and Stuart when all these schools are fairly close to one another? The program hasn't attracted the levels of interest at those schools that FCPS hoped, but now the county probably doesn't want to incur the transition costs of reverting to a program that is less expensive.

If I'm not mistaken, Woodson was never an IB school. The parents put an end to it before it started.

I think you're mistaken. Woodson was in the midst of converting to full IB when the parents lobbied successfully to restore AP.

Keep in mind it takes several years to get the complete set of approvals to be recognized as an IBO World School by the IBO.

I've read many positive things about IB for some students, but think it's in over-supply in FCPS right now and that the biggest boosters are primarily drawn from the small minority whose kids get IB diplomas or IB educators who like getting trips to various IB conferences subsidized by taxpayers.

[Anonymous]

Regarding IB, I think a lot of parents are unaware that student assignments from these schools are actually sent overseas and evaluated by international judges, some of whom have an "anti-US" bias. I personally would not want my child's grade in an American school to be partially determined by a judge in India or China who does not even know my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regarding IB, I think a lot of parents are unaware that student assignments from these schools are actually sent overseas and evaluated by international judges, some of whom have an "anti-US" bias. I personally would not want my child's grade in an American school to be partially determined by a judge in India or China who does not even know my child.

The judges are more likely to be French or Italian than Chinese or Indian. It's a very Euro-centric programme run out of Geneva.

Having said that, those who grade the essays in AP exams probably won't know your kids either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regarding IB, I think a lot of parents are unaware that student assignments from these schools are actually sent overseas and evaluated by international judges, some of whom have an "anti-US" bias. I personally would not want my child's grade in an American school to be partially determined by a judge in India or China who does not even know my child.

The judges are more likely to be French or Italian than Chinese or Indian. It's a very Euro-centric programme run out of Geneva.

Having said that, those who grade the essays in AP exams probably won't know your kids either.

Agree with PP. And I gotta say, the ignorance here is appalling. There's a big world outside our little bubble folks -- best start trying to understand it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IB always seemed like an incomprehensible and non useful program foisted on the lower income schools. Why do we need an "international" degree when our kids are going to American colleges.

Because your kids, in today's globalized world, when they get out of college are not competing only against the kid down the block, but the kid in Bangalore or in Seoul or Shanghai or Moscow.

Also, why aren't we spending more on votech and trade programs. Such programs would prepare students not interested in college with real skills for real jobs that pay a real wage, yet there is somehow some stigma attached to them. Isn't any labor by which someone earns an honest living something to be respected?

Are you saying IB high school TOK courses and CAS requirements are common in India or Korea? The Korean and Indian families in NoVa seem to aim primarily for TJ and other AP schools in the area.

This response completely misses the point. The IB program is an approach to education that teaches kids to think beyond a U.S. centric perspective. An IB history course focused on the Great Depression, for example, also looks at what was going on with the economy in Brazil during that period. I can't think of a better way to prepare kids for our globalized world. Whether Indian, Korean or you name the assumed highly educated ethnicity thinks this is the best program for their kids is beside the point. Who cares? And since when are top achievers in any culture the arbiter of what makes for the best education? As someone who's lived in both Europe and Asia, I can tell you that plenty of folks in schools over there don't get AP, but have plenty of respect for IB. I think we should be happy that our schools here offer us an option and leave it at that. Posters who talk about eliminating IB programs just don't get it.

[Anonymous]

They are ignorant and stupid!

[Anonymous]

The only reason many prefer AP is because it is easier to be able to pick and choose AP courses than to take all IB courses for the diploma. However, a full IB diploma graduate is much more rare and desirable in the eyes of most colleges. The amount of credits awarded at some schools may be fewer, but they do recognize that it is the most rigorous program available.

My son in planning on majoring in pre-med, and most medical schools will not accept AP or IB credits in lieu of any of their undergrad requirements (4 years of college science, 2 years of calculus, etc). For that reason, he wants to do IB instead of AP.

[Anonymous]

IB is just a nonsensical obscure bone thrown to the lower performing schools.