Robinson dumping AP classes and focusing on IB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is a really terrible decision for a school that has so many military kids.

Doesn't fcps have a military liason? Someone needs to get them involved.

IB is useless for military kids.

Which school board member is in cahoots witn the company that owns the IB program?

Not true. A lot of military kids are already accustomed to IB if they’ve been to international schools overseas.

What percentage of military kids do you think are attending international schools abroad? The percentage of deployed abroad hovers around 15%. The percentage deployed abroad whose families accompany them are far lower. It's much more common to be stationed at a base in the US and then have a unit deploy from that base with the family remaining

You’re confusing deployed with posted overseas. Plenty of families move overseas with their service member. My kids went to international schools abroad and they now go to Robinson, as have several of their friends.

[Anonymous]

Am I following right that IB exams are not until senior year? So in addition to everything else in senior year, kids having to go back to study for tests on subjects they took year before? Just that would have me say AP classes better where can take class and test in same time period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Robinson is an IB school. It makes no sense for them to offer random AP classes. And they don’t have the enrollment to justify them anymore. Pupil place to an AP school if you want AP.

GREAT, now they're going to dump all the AP students to an already crowded Lake Braddock. Ugh!

LB is not overcrowded. They're still open to transfers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I following right that IB exams are not until senior year? So in addition to everything else in senior year, kids having to go back to study for tests on subjects they took year before? Just that would have me say AP classes better where can take class and test in same time period.

Only for HL classes (which for 99% of kids are taken senior year only). It is an anomaly of a kid who is multiple years ahead in something who can't test the same year (usually only math) and it's usually not an issue because that kid is brilliant enough to be many years ahead.

The only people who complain about it are those who pushed their kids way too far ahead and the kids are struggling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I following right that IB exams are not until senior year? So in addition to everything else in senior year, kids having to go back to study for tests on subjects they took year before? Just that would have me say AP classes better where can take class and test in same time period.

According to one site: "IB students take their exams in May of their senior year. However, the IBO permits students to take one or two standard level examinations at the end of junior year, upon the recommendation of the school's IB Coordinator. Higher level exams can only be taken at the end of the senior year."

Many AP kids will have taken multiple AP exams by the end of junior year (at the end of the school year in which they took the AP class).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I following right that IB exams are not until senior year? So in addition to everything else in senior year, kids having to go back to study for tests on subjects they took year before? Just that would have me say AP classes better where can take class and test in same time period.

Lots of students don't bother once they have acceptances in hand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Robinson parent and hate the IB program. I wish that Robinson would get with the program and just do AP like the other, higher ranked schools. IB serves zero purpose and is detriment to RSS kids trying to get into colleges.

We bought a house in this district because it was what we could afford at the time. I did not choose RSS for IB. It was forced on us. Can we move? No, that's an unrealistic option at this time. I also don't want to ship my kids out to LB just for APs and kill their school day.

IB is a sad option, and I wish they would poll parents on this topic because I don't know many that actually want this waste of time for the kids.

Wait why do you hate IB? I thought writing and reading are supposed to be challenging and rigorous. Are the math/science classes not up to par? I'm confused what you mean about calling it a waste of time for the kids.. is it because there are too many requirements to obtain the diploma, like the TOK class?

Calculus-based physics is not offered. IB math does not integrate well with taking calculus junior year. IB limits students students to taking 3-4 HL classes, when the very top students would be capable of taking all 6 subjects HL (and with AP, they could take a full AP course load across all subjects).

So is IB less stressful, without as much of the rat race of racking up AP classes? I don’t need my child to take 10+ AP classes, but it seems like that’s what is required if they want to go to a top tier college.

Parents of IB diploma kids are always emphasizing that the diploma program is at least as rigorous as 10-12 AP classes, except when someone asks if taking a lot of AP classes is a "rat race" or "pressure cooker." Then they are nowhere to be found.

?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Robinson parent and hate the IB program. I wish that Robinson would get with the program and just do AP like the other, higher ranked schools. IB serves zero purpose and is detriment to RSS kids trying to get into colleges.

We bought a house in this district because it was what we could afford at the time. I did not choose RSS for IB. It was forced on us. Can we move? No, that's an unrealistic option at this time. I also don't want to ship my kids out to LB just for APs and kill their school day.

IB is a sad option, and I wish they would poll parents on this topic because I don't know many that actually want this waste of time for the kids.

Wait why do you hate IB? I thought writing and reading are supposed to be challenging and rigorous. Are the math/science classes not up to par? I'm confused what you mean about calling it a waste of time for the kids.. is it because there are too many requirements to obtain the diploma, like the TOK class?

Calculus-based physics is not offered. IB math does not integrate well with taking calculus junior year. IB limits students students to taking 3-4 HL classes, when the very top students would be capable of taking all 6 subjects HL (and with AP, they could take a full AP course load across all subjects).

So is IB less stressful, without as much of the rat race of racking up AP classes? I don’t need my child to take 10+ AP classes, but it seems like that’s what is required if they want to go to a top tier college.

Parents of IB diploma kids are always emphasizing that the diploma program is at least as rigorous as 10-12 AP classes, except when someone asks if taking a lot of AP classes is a "rat race" or "pressure cooker." Then they are nowhere to be found.

?

Maybe this wasn't artfully phrased.

To restate - why don't people worry as much over whether the IB diploma program is as stressful as taking a lot of AP courses? Is it less rigorous, or do people just not like to acknowledge the IB diploma program can also be a rat race or pressure cooker?

[Anonymous]

Is it still part of college application to include AP scores of yakr test in junior year? So if got 5s in AP exams, schools see that? Is that not more helpful for trying to get in schools than not having anything other than IB class grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Robinson parent and hate the IB program. I wish that Robinson would get with the program and just do AP like the other, higher ranked schools. IB serves zero purpose and is detriment to RSS kids trying to get into colleges.

We bought a house in this district because it was what we could afford at the time. I did not choose RSS for IB. It was forced on us. Can we move? No, that's an unrealistic option at this time. I also don't want to ship my kids out to LB just for APs and kill their school day.

IB is a sad option, and I wish they would poll parents on this topic because I don't know many that actually want this waste of time for the kids.

Wait why do you hate IB? I thought writing and reading are supposed to be challenging and rigorous. Are the math/science classes not up to par? I'm confused what you mean about calling it a waste of time for the kids.. is it because there are too many requirements to obtain the diploma, like the TOK class?

Calculus-based physics is not offered. IB math does not integrate well with taking calculus junior year. IB limits students students to taking 3-4 HL classes, when the very top students would be capable of taking all 6 subjects HL (and with AP, they could take a full AP course load across all subjects).

So is IB less stressful, without as much of the rat race of racking up AP classes? I don’t need my child to take 10+ AP classes, but it seems like that’s what is required if they want to go to a top tier college.

Parents of IB diploma kids are always emphasizing that the diploma program is at least as rigorous as 10-12 AP classes, except when someone asks if taking a lot of AP classes is a "rat race" or "pressure cooker." Then they are nowhere to be found.

?

Maybe this wasn't artfully phrased.

To restate - why don't people worry as much over whether the IB diploma program is as stressful as taking a lot of AP courses? Is it less rigorous, or do people just not like to acknowledge the IB diploma program can also be a rat race or pressure cooker?

Because by the time they sit down for the 4 exams, the results are meaningless (assuming they even sit for them). Meanwhile, kids in APs can have a half dozen AP scores included with college applications prior to senior year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is a really terrible decision for a school that has so many military kids.

Doesn't fcps have a military liason? Someone needs to get them involved.

IB is useless for military kids.

Which school board member is in cahoots witn the company that owns the IB program?

This argument is largely unfounded. Any juniors enrolled in full IB courseload right now at Robinson who happen to unfortunately receive PCS orders for their senior year would be able to enroll into a full AP load for senior year at the new school. Junior level IB prepares kids for senior AP classes because junior level IB is at a minimum equal to the Honors version of the subject (e.g., IB English SL/HL 1 equates to English 11 Honors which is a pre-req for AP Literature as a senior).

Any incoming military kids who are coming in as juniors will have the opportunity to enroll in two-year IB courses. Incoming seniors is where complications arise. In that limited scenario, they are indeed better off with a different program if they are seeking a full advanced course load.

But really, how many kids transfer in for their senior year only???

[Anonymous]

I wish they would re-survey the community every decade or so and re-evaluate AP vs IB. We live in Robinson boundary, I teach at another IB school, and would prefer AP for my own kids. We would pupil place to Woodson (our closest high school), but switching for high school after everyone has been together in middle is tough. While I’m on this soapbox, it is crummy to have to decide to send a kid to one secondary school for MS AAP and then send them to another secondary for HS. Surely Robinson could support a center and LBs center is huge in comparison to some others (not to mention a reputation for being insular).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Robinson is an IB school. It makes no sense for them to offer random AP classes. And they don’t have the enrollment to justify them anymore. Pupil place to an AP school if you want AP.

GREAT, now they're going to dump all the AP students to an already crowded Lake Braddock. Ugh!

LB is not overcrowded. They're still open to transfers.

Have you seen the traffic there? or the cafeteria during lunch? or the hallways at any give time?

It is sure more than what the staff can handle!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is a really terrible decision for a school that has so many military kids.

Doesn't fcps have a military liason? Someone needs to get them involved.

IB is useless for military kids.

Which school board member is in cahoots witn the company that owns the IB program?

Not true. A lot of military kids are already accustomed to IB if they’ve been to international schools overseas.

You are incorrect.

Very few milktary kids attend high school in Europe.

Again, you don't know what you are talking about. There are many DOD schools at bases around the world that do use the IB program. It's not just Europe.

It is weird how much people hate the IB program. Why?

OP here… this is what I don’t understand!

[Anonymous]

Regardless of IB/AP, I just wanted to give a shout out to Robinson for being an awesome school!