IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP)?
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Anonymous
| Parent of a rising 7th grader here -- does anyone know about the IB Middle Years Programme? DS is readying to go to a middle school that does not have IBMYP but we are considering an IB high school. Will he be at a disadvantage at an IB high school because he did not take part in IBMYP? |
Anonymous
| What County? |
Anonymous
Fairfax County |
Anonymous
No. The best IB program in FCPS is at Marshall, and neiher Kilmer nor Thoreau have IBMYP. |
Anonymous
Thanks. We are looking at South Lakes for IB. |
Anonymous
In FCPS, I'd say Robinson is the 2nd best IB school, with South Lakes a very close third. All good schools though. A student can enter the middle years programme in 9th grade. Algebra must be completed by 8th grade though. IB doesn't really begin until 11th grade. |
Anonymous
You might be able to pupil place to Hughes MS if you wanted IBMYP. Hughes is the primary feeder to South Lakes. http://www.fcps.edu/HughesMS/ib_myp.html |
Anonymous
| Robinson is starting its middle school IB program officially with its incoming 7 th graders from AAP programs in the fall. We have one DC already in IB there now and one that will start the IBMYP in the fall. IM not completely sold on the whole IB thing. its a TON of work/projects and its very stressful, especially for a kid that expects/strives for straight A's (like our older one). But in this area, for your kid to be competitve at college application time, the kids really need to do the most rigorous academic program offered at your high school... for us, that is IB. lake braddock (ugh) is our closest alternative for AP and kid had no interest in TJ because of the environment there right now. that being said, the IBMYP sounds good, but it is definately not necessary if your kid is self motivated. Let your kid be a kid for a little bit longer, and take a few electives that are fun in middle school. We are encouraging our rising middle school to consider this option. |
Anonymous
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OP here -- thanks for the all the advice!
16:04 - thanks for sharing what it is like for your student. My kid is not very organized (to say the least  ) so I am a little concerned about heavy project work. Do the teachers plan projects so that the kids are not getting slammed with heavy project work in multiple classes simultaneously? Also, is there a heavy writing requirement? DS is a most reluctant writer, and we have signed him up for a summer camp to try to strengthen his writing.
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Anonymous
| ^thanks for all the advice! |
Anonymous
|
16:04 here:
just aquick response to your questions... there is NO coordination between various teachers regarding projects, so the kids seem slammed quite alot, especially at the end of each quarter, when every class has a major assignment due as well as an exam. Tons of writing. literally every class requires alot of thoughtful,time consuming, written work. you may find that if your kid does not like to write or doesnt write well, the IB program may not be the best choice. Our current IB student is an awesome writer, so she does really well, but she has no life outside of academics and her sport. IB is for kids good at abstract thinking and application. Our upcoming, possible IB student is definately NOT a good writer, nor does she enjoy writing, so we can already anticipate that this may not be the right fit for her. She is more of a concrete thinker, ie..prefers factual stuff and absolutes. All and all, I think I would prefer AP. That way the kids could focus on taking the more rigorous classes in the subjects they enjoyed and did well in, as opposed to having to take these really tough classes in everything. |
Anonymous
Wow. You have given me a lot to think about. We have heard such great things about the IB program that we thought it would be good preparation for college. We'll need to do more research. Thank you again for your insight! |
Anonymous
| Thank you from me too! We are considering applying to an immersion program for DC and should be able to pupil place for IB after that to keep him with ES peers, but it is so helpful to hear details about the day-to-day reality of IB. I have had experience with only AP from my own high school days. |
Anonymous
| 9:13 again. Sorry, it looks like it is called a high school transfer request and not pupil placement for attending a different high school based on wanting IB versus AP or vice versa. |
Anonymous
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South Lakes does have IBMY:
http://www.fcps.edu/SouthLakesHS/myp_assets/Personal%20Project%20and%20Certificate%20Information%20Night.pdf |