International Baccalaureate at Eastern?

[Anonymous]

Anyone know about how that program's going? I did one when I was in HS many moons ago and while their class offerings are more limited than the RM program I attended, I'm wondering whether it's shaping up to be an option for my dd. She's in es, so this is a long way off, but I was curious about how it's worked out. For example, it looks like everyone takes IB math studies because they don't have IB calc. But Eastern does have AP calc. So, can students sub an AP class where it's more rigorous than the IB one available?

[Anonymous]

I would think not because you also need to submit projects for the Ib track and they'd be no one to grade them.

A better option would be dci if you can get in at that point.

[Anonymous]

I interviewed one of Eastern's several best students for my Ivy over the winter as alumna volunteer. She told me that she was one half a dozen in the first group trying to earn the IB Diploma this year, taking the Theory of Knowledge Class, doing the Community Action Service volunteer work, writing her Extended Essay and preparing to take their remaining IB exams (juniors can take up to 2 of the 6;the exams are given in June and graded in Geneva, with results out in August). The girl struck me as a surprisingly strong student despite the many challenges she faces as a low-income kid who failed to test into Banneker or Walls.

This is interesting- my interviewee mentioned that she'd never had a white or Asian classmate, all the way from PreK3 in a Ward 8 ES, to Eliot-Hine, to Eastern. She wasn't admitted to my Ivy, but did get into a couple of other elite colleges on a lot of financial aid. Good for her.

My impression of Eastern's IB Program is that it's going to limp along for years to come without a solid Ward 6 MS bridge feeding in many strong students, particularly those with impressive foreign language backgrounds. The odd kid will do well, but I'd be surprised if Eastern's IB pass rate will be over one-third for a decade or more (Bannker supports a pass rate of around two-thirds, with three dozen IB students, while there are numerous suburban progams in this Metro area with pass rates of 80% plus).

[Anonymous]

At Eastern, like Banneker, a student can take "a la carte" IB courses, which many do, or they can go for the IB Diploma which requires them to take just those courses. If they go for the latter than there isn't much room (any room?) to take AP courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I interviewed one of Eastern's several best students for my Ivy over the winter as alumna volunteer. She told me that she was one half a dozen in the first group trying to earn the IB Diploma this year, taking the Theory of Knowledge Class, doing the Community Action Service volunteer work, writing her Extended Essay and preparing to take their remaining IB exams (juniors can take up to 2 of the 6;the exams are given in June and graded in Geneva, with results out in August). The girl struck me as a surprisingly strong student despite the many challenges she faces as a low-income kid who failed to test into Banneker or Walls.

This is interesting- my interviewee mentioned that she'd never had a white or Asian classmate, all the way from PreK3 in a Ward 8 ES, to Eliot-Hine, to Eastern. She wasn't admitted to my Ivy, but did get into a couple of other elite colleges on a lot of financial aid. Good for her.

My impression of Eastern's IB Program is that it's going to limp along for years to come without a solid Ward 6 MS bridge feeding in many strong students, particularly those with impressive foreign language backgrounds. The odd kid will do well, but I'd be surprised if Eastern's IB pass rate will be over one-third for a decade or more (Bannker supports a pass rate of around two-thirds, with three dozen IB students, while there are numerous suburban progams in this Metro area with pass rates of 80% plus).

It's not "limping along" now, so why would it be limping along in the future?

[Anonymous]

Isn't it limping along if only 6 kids are even trying for the IB?

[Anonymous]

There's more than 6 kids vying for IB certification, just stop it with your freaking negative posting. The top IB student was the school's Valedictorian this year and the school she selected had their eyes on her since 9th grade. Also, this young lady didn't come from Eliot-Hine? This is the inaugural IB class graduating this year, so the up and coming IB graduates will be stronger. Also, stop being so self-absorbed, the IB programme at Eastern was not created solely for the Cap - Hill child[ren] a city-wide recruitment is the goal and accomplishment. So, the IB programme walks strong among the DCPS curriculum. Eastern has an incoming freshmen class of about 400 students with about 8 to 10% select IB as their academic pathway. The student population is around 1,200 and there's about 120 students on the IB track. Remember students "may" graduate with dual diplomas, it is not they must do so. ESHS offers and spreads the wealth of educating the whole child, so IB is a wonderful component but it does not define Eastern. As for the Asian-American students that attend Eastern, it was a challenging academic year to say the least for that demographics. If you knew the back story to one of the Asian-American students plight it is mind-blowing. If your Ivy League school uses you as a recruitment tool...I wonder if familiarity would've brought more comfort and compassion. Sometimes those who look like us will see the will and skill instead of the won't and don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's more than 6 kids vying for IB certification, just stop it with your freaking negative posting. The top IB student was the school's Valedictorian this year and the school she selected had their eyes on her since 9th grade. Also, this young lady didn't come from Eliot-Hine? This is the inaugural IB class graduating this year, so the up and coming IB graduates will be stronger. Also, stop being so self-absorbed, the IB programme at Eastern was not created solely for the Cap - Hill child[ren] a city-wide recruitment is the goal and accomplishment. So, the IB programme walks strong among the DCPS curriculum. Eastern has an incoming freshmen class of about 400 students with about 8 to 10% select IB as their academic pathway. The student population is around 1,200 and there's about 120 students on the IB track. Remember students "may" graduate with dual diplomas, it is not they must do so. ESHS offers and spreads the wealth of educating the whole child, so IB is a wonderful component but it does not define Eastern. As for the Asian-American students that attend Eastern, it was a challenging academic year to say the least for that demographics. If you knew the back story to one of the Asian-American students plight it is mind-blowing. If your Ivy League school uses you as a recruitment tool...I wonder if familiarity would've brought more comfort and compassion. Sometimes those who look like us will see the will and skill instead of the won't and don't.

Eastern, like other high schools in DCPS, typically loses a substantial number of its freshmen, which means the pool of potential IB candidates will be much smaller than 400 per grade by the time the remaining kids graduate. With average SAT scores only slightly above 1000 (for all three tests), the IB program will be watered down and there will be very few IB diploma recipients. It's just another example of spending money so you can slap an "IB World School" label on a school web site and worry later about the majority of kids whose needs aren't being met.

[Anonymous]

Lost cause folks, look elsewhere for a serious IB Diploma program.

[Anonymous]

Are you freaking serious it was never a goal to get 400 incoming freshmen into the IB program per year. If that was the case...then an application component would've been priority. If you are truly knowledgeable about IB, then you would know the high-school component does not kick into gear until 11th grade. So for someone to think that incoming freshmen are a lost cause due to IB offerings are just clueless. You are aware that Eastern is a comprehensive high school and there's only two high school (Banneker Academic High School) that offer IB and both are predominantly AA populated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you freaking serious it was never a goal to get 400 incoming freshmen into the IB program per year. If that was the case...then an application component would've been priority. If you are truly knowledgeable about IB, then you would know the high-school component does not kick into gear until 11th grade. So for someone to think that incoming freshmen are a lost cause due to IB offerings are just clueless. You are aware that Eastern is a comprehensive high school and there's only two high school (Banneker Academic High School) that offer IB and both are predominantly AA populated.

The only way you'd have more than a token number of IB diploma candidates at a school like Eastern would be to have strong PYP and MYP programs at the ES and MS level, and then make sure students were taking the right pre-IB courses in 9th and 10th grade.

In essence, this program is fairly insigniciant at a school like Eastern. It just becomes away to suggest the school is better because it's an "IB world school," but only a handful of students will get IB diplomas. For the uninitiated, you don't graduate with two diplomas. All anyone will know when they graduate is that they are a "diploma candidate," and if they don't score high enough on the IB tests they'll find out the following October that they aren't ever getting an IB diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lost cause folks, look elsewhere for a serious IB Diploma program.

You're an idiot--do you get your rocks off or something on being negative? What's your ax to grind? What do you want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you freaking serious it was never a goal to get 400 incoming freshmen into the IB program per year. If that was the case...then an application component would've been priority. If you are truly knowledgeable about IB, then you would know the high-school component does not kick into gear until 11th grade. So for someone to think that incoming freshmen are a lost cause due to IB offerings are just clueless. You are aware that Eastern is a comprehensive high school and there's only two high school (Banneker Academic High School) that offer IB and both are predominantly AA populated.

The only way you'd have more than a token number of IB diploma candidates at a school like Eastern would be to have strong PYP and MYP programs at the ES and MS level, and then make sure students were taking the right pre-IB courses in 9th and 10th grade.

In essence, this program is fairly insigniciant at a school like Eastern. It just becomes away to suggest the school is better because it's an "IB world school," but only a handful of students will get IB diplomas. For the uninitiated, you don't graduate with two diplomas. All anyone will know when they graduate is that they are a "diploma candidate," and if they don't score high enough on the IB tests they'll find out the following October that they aren't ever getting an IB diploma.

NP and you are completely wrong PP. The fact that a student who's attended non-IB schools and most likely challenged schools up to the point that they get to Eastern and that they now have a chance to build on the successes they've already achieved (likely against great odds) and have a shot at an IB diploma is IN AND OF ITSELF significant.

You apparently don't understand the idea of planting seeds of positive educational models and figuring out as you get more and more students into the program what it takes to support the students you're attracting to be successful. No, not every student who tries for an IB diploma will get one. But guess what? If there is no IB track or option, every year 0% will get an IB diploma.

Some people here have their heads so firmly stuck in privilege and concepts about who is deserving of these opportunities that they can't see the benefit of starting where you are and building from there. Of course ideally you have PYP and MYP leading up to high school. And that should definitely be a goal within DCPS. But we'll find out this year if it's possible to succeed in DCPS and get an IB diploma without that, and hopefully DCPS will keep investing in Eastern and the feeder schools (ALL OF THEM) to build this as a viable option for more and more students.

[Anonymous]

While providing the few with the opportunity to earn an IB diploma is great, DCPS cannot get a majority of their students at grade level in Reading in high school.

Perhaps the funding will be better spent on literacy in English rather than pushing their resources to the very few who can get an IB diploma. Will love to know how many out of the 6 kids who tried for an IB diploma actually got one and also how much money Eastern spent to get the IB World school designation.

[Anonymous]

Jefferson MS in SW has MYP. I think Browne Ms also offers MYP. So, DCPS is working on that component. My DC was in a school that has its PYP credentials. AFter five years of that curriculum, I'm convinced PYP is really a money grab from the schools budget.