DC can’t get full IB because foreign language

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought students only started IB courses in 11th grade? But yes, language is a big part of IB.

You have to have 5 years of a language to earn the IB diploma and it has to be the same language. This is something that any Counselor at a school sending kids to an IB school should be telling parents. Any Counselor at an IB HS should be making sure that kids and parents are wll aware of this.

It sounds like OP’s kid had 2 years of a language in MS and got a B in the third year of the language at HS. The student was more worried about the letter grade and switched languages as a Sophomore. Now they can only get 3 years in the same language which makes them ineligible for the IB Diploma. Mom says she was not paying close enough attention due to issues at the time and has just realized this. The Counselor should have been that conversation with the student when it happened. We don’t know if the student was told that and ignored it or if the student wasn’t told that. Either way, the language requirement is something that sinks a decent number of kids for the IB Diploma.

I know parents whose kids are going to an SLHS from Carson who have not been told about the IB requirement and are upset when they learn about it as Freshmen or Sophomores. The Carson literature on language that I saw for rising 7th graders mentioned the IB requirement on the backside of the language info sheet that was given out. It was one line and not highlighted. The video that was released for rising 7th graders encouraged kids to not take a foreign language in 7th grade, because it was a high school class, and strongly suggested that waiting until 9th grade was a good idea for most students. It did not mention that kids going to SLHS need to start the language in 8th grade if they think they want to earn the IB Diploma. I would bet that the language requirement and the crap Counseling from Carson is a part of the reason why IB Diploma numbers at SLHS are low.

This is actually not true. For the IB DP, you need two years of a second language. Maybe your school has its own requirements, or your school isn't able/willing to provide the kinds of classes for kids who haven't studied a foreign language yet, but in my 11 years teaching IB DP at several IB school in several countries, I have seen tons of kids get the DP, so I know what I'm talking about here.

[Anonymous]

What language is it and do you have one to throw at this problem? Maybe you could get him into a last minute language immersion program in the initial language - it sounds like he went through year through? - and then he could do year four as a junior and year five as a senior. Tell us the language and if you can afford that and I will try to post some programs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should ask your school IB coordinator what to do.

There MAY be a way for him to do summer work this summer or next summer to complete the IB language requirement. This could be independent study rather than a formal class.

There is! Ask your IB coordinator about doing an "ab intio" language course. It may involve online/summer work, but the IBO absolutely allows this and an ab initio course fulfills the SL Language requirement.

IB is specifically designed so that World Bank, diplomat, NGO, etc kids whose families move a lot can change schools easily and maintain the same curriculum/standards across countries. I went to an international school that did IB and served a population of kids like this, and situations like this happened all the time. Our school only offered IB French, Spanish, and Mandarin, but kids would transfer in after taking years of Arabic, Japanese, etc so they'd have to start a new language. The philosophy of IB also maintains that anyone can start the DP without doing MYP, and plenty of kids around the world do so without having three prior years of a language.

Ab initio language courses allow you to start a new language at the beginning of the diploma program (ie, junior year, so your kid absolutely has time to complete it). If getting the IB diploma program is important to him, I think it's worth pursuing.

https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/language-acquisition/language-ab-initio/

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what your kid's school allows re: online study, but if they don't have an in-classroom ab initio option, the IBO allows ab initio Spanish, French, and Mandarin to be taken online: https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/dp-online/pamoja-dp-online-courses/diploma-programme-courses-online/

TBH if he's already completed the county graduation requirements for language, the online ab initio could be a great way for him to get an extra class period for an elective.

[Anonymous]

Why would your son NOT make sure he knew exactly what was required for the IB diploma from the get go? He isn't "screwed." That implies something out of his control happen. He just messed up. Life lesson learned. Plan ahead.

[Anonymous]

IB Diploma Program only matters for truly international students.

If you are going to college in US or UK, IB is just an alternative course menu to Honors/AP/DE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB Diploma Program only matters for truly international students.

If you are going to college in US or UK, IB is just an alternative course menu to Honors/AP/DE.

Unless you like the specific philosophy of the IB curriculum. I hate how IB is seen as an AP alternative around here, it's an intentional learning experience that some people actually do want for their kids.

Anyway, echoing an earlier poster, your son should be able to do an ab initio language and complete the DP just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I know parents whose kids are going to an SLHS from Carson who have not been told about the IB requirement and are upset when they learn about it as Freshmen or Sophomores. The Carson literature on language that I saw for rising 7th graders mentioned the IB requirement on the backside of the language info sheet that was given out. It was one line and not highlighted. The video that was released for rising 7th graders encouraged kids to not take a foreign language in 7th grade, because it was a high school class, and strongly suggested that waiting until 9th grade was a good idea for most students. It did not mention that kids going to SLHS need to start the language in 8th grade if they think they want to earn the IB Diploma. I would bet that the language requirement and the crap Counseling from Carson is a part of the reason why IB Diploma numbers at SLHS are low.

Another problem at Carson is kids coming from Fox Mill did Japanese, but the Japanese teachers at RCMS and SLHS are very bad, and unless you are one of the kids who speaks Japanese at home, these teachers will actively drive kids away from wanting to speak Japanese. Then they are challenged if they want to switch languages in 8th or 9th grade. The only way around it is to do a summer class in the new language.

I haven’t seen any diploma numbers at SLHS. There aren’t that many kids there trying to do IB, but the ones who start generally finish as far as I can tell.

My middle child, a 2024 grad, had a very positive experience with Japanese at South Lakes. He was not an immersion student, so I was worried, especially as I had only studied Romance languages myself, so would be no help. Through his Japanese work at SLHS, and the encouragement of his teacher, he was nominated for and attended governor’s world languages academy for Japanese last summer. He’s starting college next year majoring in Asian studies. Japanese was his strongest teacher connection in high school. Just sharing another experience.

There is one notoriously bad Japanese teacher there who has caused more than one kid to quit. Your son must have had a different one.

After 5 straight years, 4 with one teacher, and 1 with another, doubtful. Just sharing a perspective as a family that did all 5 years there and had a very positive experience.

[Anonymous]

Try nova Cty college language summer program. Ask counselor but should work to skip a year and bump va k into ib track? Anyone else that did this in past?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take the IB classes to get the college credits, grades and overall rigor matter more than the actual IB diploma. This also allows him to skip TOK, CAS, and the extended essay if he wants. Make up for it with an extra HL class or two.

This. Not having the certificate won’t make him any less competitive. He should focus on the classes and grades to be competitive.

It does make them less competitive from what I’ve seen in our high schools. Of course, nothing is set in stone and a lot depends on individual circumstances but schools typically like IB Diploma candidate students. That is students who have done the full IB program and are attempting to get the diploma.

The program doesn’t start until 11th grade but you have to have taken the right courses earlier to be on track for the IB program. This usually impacts kids with their language and math classes.

[Anonymous]

IB stands for International - only in the US is mono-lingual considered 'normal'

and as a reminder, you don't get your IB until after you graduate, and college acceptance is before you graduate.

And the truly 'good' schools don't waive most IB/AP tests (the schools want 128 credit hours of $ from you. you might get placement, but you don't save any $)

let your vent out. it doesn't matter in the end. I hope your kid enjoyed immersion.

I still stand by that immersion elementary was the best thing for my kids and not doing AAP. I wasted too much time on IB & AP and college acceptance.(one at an IB school and one at an AP school, I am the pupil placement paperwork princess)