IB Lottery - ‘23-‘24 school year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone heard whether there is a waitlist this year? Did they end up increasing the program size since the W-L addition is opening?

I apologize in advance, I have a few questions: When is the WL addition opening, how many total slots at W-L, and how many IB once open, compared to before (if you have the numbers)? Thanks!

Is there a lottery for the AP classes at W-L ? Saw the "AP-network" lottery for Wakefield (only 15 slots!?) and now totally confused - I thought anyone can take as many or few AP classes as they like at any of the 3 high schools, and only IB was a separate program?
Can anyone give me the low-down? TIA!

I can answer a few but not all of your questions.
The addition is open. It opened last year and they offered a larger amount of IB spots but I'm not sure how many. They also offered neighborhood spots to upcoming freshman who were in boundary for Wakefield. This was done due to Wakefield's overcrowding.
I'm not sure how many IB spots there are now or compared to past years, but I can tell you that only a small amount end up doing the full IB track. I think this year there were around 60 total.
There is not a lottery for AP classes at WL. The lottery at Wakefield was for AP Capstone, which is only offered at Wakefield. It is a separate program that has a small amount of slots for out of boundary students. It requires 6 AP classes, an AP Research class and AP Capstone.

HTH

Thank you! So this extremely small Wakefield program is only for WL and YT students? Is my understanding correct then, that while it's difficult to get into the IB track, if only ~60 end up doing the full track, eventually it's easier, however might be difficult to keep up with the requirements by then? Are spots "wasted" in the upper grades? If that's the case, maybe WL should allow more entry level slots to account for the natural attrition?

DP. AP Capstone is going to be offered at YHS next year; so no YHS transfers to WHS.

The AP Capstone program is open to any Wakefield student - it's not a lottery or application process.

Policy seems to vary over time; but transfers into IB at WL are required to take the full IB program. Neighborhood WL students have access to the same IB classes but are not required to do the full IB program - they get to pick and choose as they like and still have access to the full AP offerings at WL. If transfers into the program do not do the full program, they can be sent back to their home high school --- even as a junior or a senior. But you need to transfer in early. It's not like "spots open up" when students drop out of/decide not to pursue the full IB diploma. The main program actually only begins in 11th; but you have to have taken the pre-requisite IB class before then.

AP classes at WHS are just like those at YHS and WL .... not a specific program but open to any student meeting the pre-requisites for the class, just like anything else. The Capstone program merely has specific requirements (AP Seminar and AP Research) and a specific # of additional core AP classes that a student needs to pass the AP exams for in order to get an AP Capstone certification. But students can take AP Seminar and Research (or just Seminar) if they want. They don't have to enroll in a specific "Capstone program."

AP Capstone was the rationale offered for being able to transfer into WHS, especially when the other high schools were overcrowded. But WHS is now/expected to be the most overcrowded; so the program is being implemented at YHS to eliminate any "need" to transfer into WHS. It's not like a ton of Yorktown students have been transferring into Wakefield, though I surprisingly know of more than I expected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can still do partial in and not be sent back to home school. 3 classes

I'd expect this to be the case, as they don't want to send kids back to WHS because it is expected to be the most overcrowded of the high schools.

[Anonymous]

Can WL and Yorktown students still transfer to Wakefield for Senior Project and/or Spanish Immersion?

Note however that all APS students can take the “Independent Study” course which is kind of like Wakefield’s Senior Project. So maybe no transfers into Wakefield for specifically for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can WL and Yorktown students still transfer to Wakefield for Senior Project and/or Spanish Immersion?

Note however that all APS students can take the “Independent Study” course which is kind of like Wakefield’s Senior Project. So maybe no transfers into Wakefield for specifically for that.

Immersion, yes.
I've never heard of transferring for the senior project. That's not a "program."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For parents who’ve been through it, when does ib stuff start - do they take these classes 9th and 10th too or just 11th 12th. I see these kids with 4.3+ GPAs a and wonder how they get that done if classes don’t start till jr yesr.

For IB Candidate students, AP Va and US Govt is taken in grade 10.

My DD is a senior now at W-L so I don't know if this has changed but it seemed most of her friends on the IB track also took AP World History in 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For parents who’ve been through it, when does ib stuff start - do they take these classes 9th and 10th too or just 11th 12th. I see these kids with 4.3+ GPAs a and wonder how they get that done if classes don’t start till jr yesr.

For IB Candidate students, AP Va and US Govt is taken in grade 10.

My DD is a senior now at W-L so I don't know if this has changed but it seemed most of her friends on the IB track also took AP World History in 9th grade.

Yes. AP World History is typical pre-IB coursework for 9th Grade