International Baccalaureate at Eastern?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to set the record straight -- Deal is the only DCPS with an IB program. There are others implementing but do not have an approved program up and running. In addition IB is for every student at Deal. It isn't a track for just the smart kids. Everyone does it. We looked at Eastern because we live IB but went to Deal. Limping along is a perfect way to describe the program. Perhaps I am jaded coming from a Deal but I was surprised the IB program was actually an accredited program. While nicely run their level in 9th grade (when my child shadowed) was below what he was working on in 8th grade in science and math. He choose Banneker instead and did really well there. I am sure Eastern will be fine but they are definitely taking the slow road.

PPs may not know that the IB Middle Years (6th - 10th grades) and IB Diploma Program (11th and 12th grades) can work as stand alone programs. There are no terminal exams in the IBMY program, meaning that a broad cross section of kids can bump along following the curriculum, as at Deal. IB Diploma accredidation doesn't mean much - the only metrics worth paying attention to are numbers and percentages of full IB Diploma students earning the credential and point totals. A strong IB Diploma Program will have an average point total in the high 30s. If I find out what what Eastern's average point total is, I'll post it here in the fall. I'm going to guess around 25 or 26.

Growth of the IB Diploma Program has been strongest in the US and the UK in the last decade. Only 20 years ago, most US IB Diploma programs were found in private schools. Now the US has hundreds, including high-powered suburban schools like Richard Montgomery and Washington-Lee (Arlington), where a HS student is either on the full IB track or off. A student who's on takes IB classes with other full IB students, not AP classes with AP students. Fairfax's use of the IB Diploma Program as a tool to short up struggling high schools isn't the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to set the record straight -- [b]Deal is the only DCPS with an IB program. [b]There are others implementing but do not have an approved program up and running. In addition IB is for every student at Deal. It isn't a track for just the smart kids. Everyone does it. We looked at Eastern because we live IB but went to Deal. Limping along is a perfect way to describe the program. Perhaps I am jaded coming from a Deal but I was surprised the IB program was actually an accredited program. While nicely run their level in 9th grade (when my child shadowed) was below what he was working on in 8th grade in science and math. He choose Banneker instead and did really well there. I am sure Eastern will be fine but they are definitely taking the slow road.

There are none in DCPCS.

Actually there is. See this list (includes public, privates and charters). http://www.ibmidatlantic.org/DC.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nonsense. Eastern needs to serve the students it has, not waste money paying money to the IBO for a program that benefits just a few students and doesn't even result in a particularly meaningful credential. The IB model is a joke. There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO.

You have the attention of several of us: please detail what specific ways students will be better challenged at a lower cost. And also please say what Eastern payed to the IBO, since you apparently know this and are making a judgement about better use of funds. Be specific about what lower cost other "ways" would be better, or we'll know you're just blowing smoke out of your... body.

Looks like we're finally laying to rest several fallacies spouted in this thread. Let's add to what we're dismissing the PP above who said "There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO". That poster never ponied up with specifics, and I'm sure no one was holding their breath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If DCPS wants to offer IB, they should have some mechanism to deliver the program to students who can actually benefit from it not to a group of kids where the majority need remediation in English.

If DCPS thinks having an IB high school like Eastern will attract students who want IB from charters like DCI, they are dreaming.

The IB at Eastern sounds like a big budget suck and a waste of money.

DCPS already does this at Deal. I would love it if my kid could go on to a HS that was also IB but not going to consider Eastern after he has attended 2 of the top performing elementary and middle schools in DCPS.

yeah, why is DCPS wasting money on IB at a high school EOTP, when it would be better spent at Wilson?

[Anonymous]

Yes, why do waste money trying to improve the lot of those less fortunate when we could spend the money on those more fortunate? /sarcasm

It's called vision. Something better for the future.

[Anonymous]

The ward 3 education network should try to get IB at Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nonsense. Eastern needs to serve the students it has, not waste money paying money to the IBO for a program that benefits just a few students and doesn't even result in a particularly meaningful credential. The IB model is a joke. There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO.

You have the attention of several of us: please detail what specific ways students will be better challenged at a lower cost. And also please say what Eastern payed to the IBO, since you apparently know this and are making a judgement about better use of funds. Be specific about what lower cost other "ways" would be better, or we'll know you're just blowing smoke out of your... body.

Looks like we're finally laying to rest several fallacies spouted in this thread. Let's add to what we're dismissing the PP above who said "There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO". That poster never ponied up with specifics, and I'm sure no one was holding their breath.

The specific response was "AP classes" which are much less expensive and just as rigorous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Is it your position that DCPS should not offer IB to their students? Are you also one of the many posters that argue that DCPS need to offer more specialty programs to compete against charters?

IB is a waste of money. If students want to be challenged, they can take AP courses. If they do well on them, they save money on college credits.

The suburban school districts put IB into their lowest-performing schools b/c the high-achieving parents only want AP.

Everything you're saying here is a lie. Good IB schools make their kids take AP exams for practice as sophomores.

I didn't know that! So how many IB students at Eastern took AP exams as sophomores?

Did I miss the reply to this question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nonsense. Eastern needs to serve the students it has, not waste money paying money to the IBO for a program that benefits just a few students and doesn't even result in a particularly meaningful credential. The IB model is a joke. There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO.

You have the attention of several of us: please detail what specific ways students will be better challenged at a lower cost. And also please say what Eastern payed to the IBO, since you apparently know this and are making a judgement about better use of funds. Be specific about what lower cost other "ways" would be better, or we'll know you're just blowing smoke out of your... body.

Looks like we're finally laying to rest several fallacies spouted in this thread. Let's add to what we're dismissing the PP above who said "There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO". That poster never ponied up with specifics, and I'm sure no one was holding their breath.

The specific response was "AP classes" which are much less expensive and just as rigorous.

AP is not as rigorous as IB. AP exams were practice for the IB exams and we took them as juniors and sophomores.

[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).

Did you specifically ask her this question? Or, did she just randomly volunteer this information? I am curious as to how this subject was broached,as I think it is a highly inappropriate question. How is it relevant to her interview and academics? What is that questioned designed to measure as far as the applicants ability to succeed at your Ivy?

[Anonymous]

Oh chill out. I asked her if the rebooted Eastern was a diverse school. She said not really, since all her classmates were either AA or Latino, adding that this had been the case in her DCPS schools since the ECE years. She mentioned that she was looking forward to attending college with whites, Asians etc. She also said that I wasn't the only Ivy League interviewer she'd met with that week in February.

Quick tell the PC police! Ban those race-baiting Ivy League interviewers from Eastern!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If DCPS wants to offer IB, they should have some mechanism to deliver the program to students who can actually benefit from it not to a group of kids where the majority need remediation in English.

If DCPS thinks having an IB high school like Eastern will attract students who want IB from charters like DCI, they are dreaming.

The IB at Eastern sounds like a big budget suck and a waste of money.

DCPS already does this at Deal. I would love it if my kid could go on to a HS that was also IB but not going to consider Eastern after he has attended 2 of the top performing elementary and middle schools in DCPS.

Why not Banneker?

PP..you should know "why not banneker?" see previous threads. Though Banneker is a highly rigorous and high performing school, it lacks diversity. Banneker has both IB and AP tracks, but the sheer number of AA students is intimidating for many DCUM parents. Additionally, as some poster will highlight, Banneker's SAT scores are negligibly below the national average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nonsense. Eastern needs to serve the students it has, not waste money paying money to the IBO for a program that benefits just a few students and doesn't even result in a particularly meaningful credential. The IB model is a joke. There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO.

You have the attention of several of us: please detail what specific ways students will be better challenged at a lower cost. And also please say what Eastern payed to the IBO, since you apparently know this and are making a judgement about better use of funds. Be specific about what lower cost other "ways" would be better, or we'll know you're just blowing smoke out of your... body.

Looks like we're finally laying to rest several fallacies spouted in this thread. Let's add to what we're dismissing the PP above who said "There are better ways to challenge more students at a lower cost than essentially paying branding rights to the IBO". That poster never ponied up with specifics, and I'm sure no one was holding their breath.

The specific response was "AP classes" which are much less expensive and just as rigorous.

AP is not as rigorous as IB. AP exams were practice for the IB exams and we took them as juniors and sophomores.

Are students at Eastern taking AP exams as juniors and sophomores to practice for their IB exams?

[Anonymous]

I think AP is plenty rigorous for high school students. AP classes are college-level courses. And the AP program is many times less expensive to administer than IB, and much more flexible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If DCPS wants to offer IB, they should have some mechanism to deliver the program to students who can actually benefit from it not to a group of kids where the majority need remediation in English.

If DCPS thinks having an IB high school like Eastern will attract students who want IB from charters like DCI, they are dreaming.

The IB at Eastern sounds like a big budget suck and a waste of money.

DCPS already does this at Deal. I would love it if my kid could go on to a HS that was also IB but not going to consider Eastern after he has attended 2 of the top performing elementary and middle schools in DCPS.

Why not Banneker?

PP..you should know "why not banneker?" see previous threads. Though Banneker is a highly rigorous and high performing school, it lacks diversity. Banneker has both IB and AP tracks, but the sheer number of AA students is intimidating for many DCUM parents. Additionally, as some poster will highlight, Banneker's SAT scores are negligibly below the national average.

SAT scores are correlated highly with race. A white kid who goes to Banneker is unlikely to get lower scores than he/she would otherwise get.

PP didn't say school had to have white kids - just that it had to be high performing since their kid had gone to Deal.

The subtle and not so subtle racism on these boards is tiresome.