AP vs. IB?

[Anonymous]

As a parent looking at the choice between IB and AP, I have to confess that I'm not completely convinced that the IB "philosophy" is so very distinct from other high school curricula. More than one mom with a kid in Westland's "middle years" IB program has told me she wasn't really sure how different it was from the regular MS curriculum, except for prefixing "IB" to the class names. Yes, the HS IB program comes with lots of explanatory octagonal and other diagrams, but I found the diagrams a little silly, with a surfeit of colors and arrows. Maybe this is my own denseness, and somebody can explain it better.

I like the idea of teaching, for example, english and history in parallel, with the teachers drawing explicit links between the two and expecting the kids to make connections on tests and papers. But many high schools do this already. Also, many high schools will tell you during their open houses that they have special "capstone" research projects similar to the IB research project.

It's likely, as some others have already said, that the quality of an IB program depends on the dedication and talents of the teachers involved. Until recently, MoCo had only a few IB programs. Now that Weast is putting IB programs all over MoCo, the quality of teachers may well decline. Also, the rapid multiplication of IB programs dilutes the "prestige" argument. I agree with the poster who said that colleges ask whether you took the hardest classes in your school.

If you want to get into a good college, you need to work hard at any school, no question. IB will certainly fit the bill. But so will Walt Whitman (if you've read "The Overachievers"), Churchill, or a MoCo magnet.

So I really want to like IB. DH and I have lived overseas, and we both speak several languages, so this seems like a natural for DC. And yet ... except for the Richard Montgomery IB program (and maybe some in Virginia I'm not familiar with), I'm just not convinced it's all that different from any other challenging MoCo high school.

Can somebody convince me otherwise? I'm posting this negativity because I'm hoping somebody will talk me out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent looking at the choice between IB and AP, I have to confess that I'm not completely convinced that the IB "philosophy" is so very distinct from other high school curricula. More than one mom with a kid in Westland's "middle years" IB program has told me she wasn't really sure how different it was from the regular MS curriculum, except for prefixing "IB" to the class names. Yes, the HS IB program comes with lots of explanatory octagonal and other diagrams, but I found the diagrams a little silly, with a surfeit of colors and arrows. Maybe this is my own denseness, and somebody can explain it better.

I like the idea of teaching, for example, english and history in parallel, with the teachers drawing explicit links between the two and expecting the kids to make connections on tests and papers. But many high schools do this already. Also, many high schools will tell you during their open houses that they have special "capstone" research projects similar to the IB research project.

It's likely, as some others have already said, that the quality of an IB program depends on the dedication and talents of the teachers involved. Until recently, MoCo had only a few IB programs. Now that Weast is putting IB programs all over MoCo, the quality of teachers may well decline. Also, the rapid multiplication of IB programs dilutes the "prestige" argument. I agree with the poster who said that colleges ask whether you took the hardest classes in your school.

If you want to get into a good college, you need to work hard at any school, no question. IB will certainly fit the bill. But so will Walt Whitman (if you've read "The Overachievers"), Churchill, or a MoCo magnet.

So I really want to like IB. DH and I have lived overseas, and we both speak several languages, so this seems like a natural for DC. And yet ... except for the Richard Montgomery IB program (and maybe some in Virginia I'm not familiar with), I'm just not convinced it's all that different from any other challenging MoCo high school.

Can somebody convince me otherwise? I'm posting this negativity because I'm hoping somebody will talk me out of it.

Good luck with that strategy in life. It had the opposite effect on me: I think you're a little dense and generally negative and I don't particularly want to deal with you.

[Anonymous]

I read her comments more as playing devil's advocate than negative.

[Anonymous]

Yes, devil's advocate. In my defense, my kid is in one of the two MoCo MS magnets, speaks a 2nd language fluently and is studying a third. So DC has a decent chance at RM.

I'm just skeptical of linguistic gobbledygook, which is what I see in some IB presentations. That octagonal diagram seemed silly, frankly. I want to know what's behind it.

"Dense" would be accepting everything at face value.

[Anonymous]

12:58 again. So it is a hexagon, not an octagon.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rmhs/ib/IBHexagon.aspx

[Anonymous]

what's RM

[Anonymous]

Richard Montgomery. One of a few MoCo magnets that you get into by testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a nutshell, IB is a philosophy - beginning with PYP at the elementary level and MYP at the middle/early high levels.

What does PYP and MYP stand for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a nutshell, IB is a philosophy - beginning with PYP at the elementary level and MYP at the middle/early high levels.

What does PYP and MYP stand for?

Primary Years Programme
Middle Years Programme

[Anonymous]

This thread reads a lot like one of the school threads. My school (curriculum) is better than your school (curriculum), and if you raise any questions then you're an idiot.

Has anybody had kids in both AP and IB, and is willing to compare and contrast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent looking at the choice between IB and AP, I have to confess that I'm not completely convinced that the IB "philosophy" is so very distinct from other high school curricula. More than one mom with a kid in Westland's "middle years" IB program has told me she wasn't really sure how different it was from the regular MS curriculum, except for prefixing "IB" to the class names. Yes, the HS IB program comes with lots of explanatory octagonal and other diagrams, but I found the diagrams a little silly, with a surfeit of colors and arrows. Maybe this is my own denseness, and somebody can explain it better.

I like the idea of teaching, for example, english and history in parallel, with the teachers drawing explicit links between the two and expecting the kids to make connections on tests and papers. But many high schools do this already. Also, many high schools will tell you during their open houses that they have special "capstone" research projects similar to the IB research project.

It's likely, as some others have already said, that the quality of an IB program depends on the dedication and talents of the teachers involved. Until recently, MoCo had only a few IB programs. Now that Weast is putting IB programs all over MoCo, the quality of teachers may well decline. Also, the rapid multiplication of IB programs dilutes the "prestige" argument. I agree with the poster who said that colleges ask whether you took the hardest classes in your school.

If you want to get into a good college, you need to work hard at any school, no question. IB will certainly fit the bill. But so will Walt Whitman (if you've read "The Overachievers"), Churchill, or a MoCo magnet.

So I really want to like IB. DH and I have lived overseas, and we both speak several languages, so this seems like a natural for DC. And yet ... except for the Richard Montgomery IB program (and maybe some in Virginia I'm not familiar with), I'm just not convinced it's all that different from any other challenging MoCo high school.

Can somebody convince me otherwise? I'm posting this negativity because I'm hoping somebody will talk me out of it.

Good luck with that strategy in life. It had the opposite effect on me: I think you're a little dense and generally negative and I don't particularly want to deal with you.

Chill out. That poster actually raised some good points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My problem with AP course is that they are college level "survey" classes ... you will remember these classes from your freshman year, no doubt. They are jam packed with facts but very little deep investigation of any particular topic. That in depth study is designed to occur during future classes within the major. For high school level kids, the quantity of reading and memorization is very high ... AP classes are very demanding and so allow kids to show prospective colleges that they are hardworking and capable of cramming for a test.

BUT. Do the kids really learn that much? I would prefer that kids study fewer topics, but learn more about the ones they cover. Spend some time reflecting, making connections with things they already know and other topics that are related ... the interdiciplinary approach that the IB program is designed to include, ideally. Practice their critical thinking, writing, research, and other skills. Not all IB programs are as good in practice as they are in theory, of course.

I think both AP and IB both allow kids to demonstrate their abilities to colleges and both are very demanding in terms of homework time. If IB was not available, I would want my kid to take at least some AP classes, if appropriate for his ability level at the time, to allow him to be competitive during college admissions.

But IB is definitely my preference.

My thoughts exactly. I am guessing this is not true of all AP classes, but that is our exact experience with AP World History and AP US History. Which is fine if the student doesn't have a deep interest in history, but my DC was very disappointed, just when the discussions started getting interesting it was time to move on to the next topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent looking at the choice between IB and AP, I have to confess that I'm not completely convinced that the IB "philosophy" is so very distinct from other high school curricula. More than one mom with a kid in Westland's "middle years" IB program has told me she wasn't really sure how different it was from the regular MS curriculum, except for prefixing "IB" to the class names. Yes, the HS IB program comes with lots of explanatory octagonal and other diagrams, but I found the diagrams a little silly, with a surfeit of colors and arrows. Maybe this is my own denseness, and somebody can explain it better.

I like the idea of teaching, for example, english and history in parallel, with the teachers drawing explicit links between the two and expecting the kids to make connections on tests and papers. But many high schools do this already. Also, many high schools will tell you during their open houses that they have special "capstone" research projects similar to the IB research project.

It's likely, as some others have already said, that the quality of an IB program depends on the dedication and talents of the teachers involved. Until recently, MoCo had only a few IB programs. Now that Weast is putting IB programs all over MoCo, the quality of teachers may well decline. Also, the rapid multiplication of IB programs dilutes the "prestige" argument. I agree with the poster who said that colleges ask whether you took the hardest classes in your school.

If you want to get into a good college, you need to work hard at any school, no question. IB will certainly fit the bill. But so will Walt Whitman (if you've read "The Overachievers"), Churchill, or a MoCo magnet.

So I really want to like IB. DH and I have lived overseas, and we both speak several languages, so this seems like a natural for DC. And yet ... except for the Richard Montgomery IB program (and maybe some in Virginia I'm not familiar with), I'm just not convinced it's all that different from any other challenging MoCo high school.

Can somebody convince me otherwise? I'm posting this negativity because I'm hoping somebody will talk me out of it.

Good luck with that strategy in life. It had the opposite effect on me: I think you're a little dense and generally negative and I don't particularly want to deal with you.

Chill out. That poster actually raised some good points.

Don't worry, I'm completely chilled.

[Anonymous]

Suffering from brain freeze, in fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Suffering from brain freeze, in fact.

Really? Just because someone isn't interested in jumping to attention and providing a detailed response to a provocative post they're suffering from a brain freeze? Or let's try this on for size...

Maybe not everyone is as easy to manipulate as you are.