New to DCI-Anything we should know?

[Anonymous]

The inconvenient truth is DCI falls down on teacher turnover even in relative terms. Also, with so few of the seniors aiming for the most highly competitive colleges that this business of taking 2 SL exams a year early and doubling up on APs to have a bunch of standardized test scores to submit with college applications is lost in DCI admins and counselors. Parents can step in to aim higher, hire their own counselors, advise their own kids, but it’s a challenge. Very few DCI parents earned IBDs themselves/have the right background.

[Anonymous]

Well, DCI is slowly but surely improving. But perhaps not enough for families with high standards for middle and high school without the time, energy and resources to bump up the experience for the most capable students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Not buying it from DCI. Where did these kids go to college with the other IBD students who scored in the 40s, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton? I have a niece at Yale who tells me she scored 39.

DCI has a student headed to Yale this year. Just like your niece. So DCI must be graduating students who are just as qualified as your niece.

I am sure that this URM athlete (a talented dancer) would have done well anywhere.

The fact remains that, even after a few years at DCI, most kids there are below grade-level in math and English.

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The fact also remains that high SES white and Asian DCI students can’t expect any breaks in college admissions anywhere they aren’t hooked. IBD points in the low 30s, the norm for academic high fliers at DCI, just aren’t going to wow admissions officers at the most highly competitive colleges for non hooked, non first gen, non URM applicants.

IB test scores aren’t available until colleges have already admitted students. So you’re absolutely right that admissions officers won’t be wowed because they won’t be sent them.

You're not presenting the full picture. I say this as a former college counselor at an IB World School and somebody who earned the Diploma in the 90s. As mentioned above, American IB Diploma students are free to take 1-2 Standard Level exams in the spring of junior year. I know that some DCI families take advantage of the early testing opportunity, more every year. In this country, it's not uncommon for IBD students in the highest-performing programs to double up on AP exams that roughly correspond with Diploma course work, particularly for AP World History, AP European History, languages and sciences, AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Physics etc. Moreover, some American IBD students look abroad for college, where admission generally isn't guaranteed until IBD exams are released in July, and a points bar is cleared. Also, some Americans apply to college in the fall of gap years or prep years (extra year of high school, which can be done at an IB World School), often to take advantage of better odds of admission in Early Decision and Early Applicant Oct-Dec pools than in general admission April pools. Gap year college applications are far more common than pre-Covid. Your view of the college process here in 2023 seems narrow/parochial/outdated.

You need reading comprehension help. IB diplomas are not available until after most kids have already committed to a college.

When I went to an IB world school, kids took APs in their sophomore year. Gap years are a bad idea for US students, and this is a hill I will happily die on. But you advise your kids as you will.

[Anonymous]

NP. You're not making sense to this DCI high school parent. I don't get what you're arguing.

It's a good idea for American IB students reaching for the stars in college admissions to double up on AP exams. Our private college coach started advising us to do this from sophomore year, against the advice of my kid's DCI counselor. Right now, after junior year, my kid has taken 4 AP exams, scored all 5s, and 2 IBD SL exams (still waiting for results). The DCI guidance counselor first told us that taking 2 early SL exams wasn't possible, then told us that it was possible but not necessary!

OP, you should know that DCI's college counselors seem to think that the admissions process works the same for non URMs as for URMs, for high ses families and low-income families. I don't believe that for a minute. We'd be lost in aiming for top SLACs and Ivy-plus schools if we hadn't hired help. If my kid isn't admitted to highly competitive colleges next spring, we're open to a gap year to try again if the kid is. I won't be surprised at all if that's the way things shake out. Die on that Hill if you want; we won't.

[Anonymous]

The point is that it pays to keep an an open mind about ways to make DCI work. It’s not some amazing suburban high school where you can sit back in anticipation of a good return on your residential real estate investment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The point is that it pays to keep an an open mind about ways to make DCI work. It’s not some amazing suburban high school where you can sit back in anticipation of a good return on your residential real estate investment.

True but you can say this about every school in the city.

At least DCI has enough capable kids that they can at least not only teach grade level content but also track certain subjects (math, languages, social studies, electives, etc.) in addition to having the other positive qualities of a suburban school (great facilities, extracurriculars and sports) etc.. in addition to string writing requirements with IB diploma.

Tell me how many middle schools in the city can say that.

Easy enough to supplement what you need and get college counseling.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't say it's easy to supplement. We paid a bomb this summer for a distant language immersion camp and writing instruction after 7th grade English teaching collapsed in the early spring. Fact is, there just isn't nearly enough rigor in the DCI feeders or middle school to support serious IBD work during the last couple years of high school. We don't plan to stay for after 8th grade because my somewhat lazy smart kid hasn't been pushed from day 1, other than for language. DCI must work better if your kid is a self-starter/bookworm/math nerd than not. I don't want to get mired in relativism, sticking around for high school, thinking, well, this program must be fine because it sure beats any of our DCPS HS options or paying for a private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that it pays to keep an an open mind about ways to make DCI work. It’s not some amazing suburban high school where you can sit back in anticipation of a good return on your residential real estate investment.

True but you can say this about every school in the city.

At least DCI has enough capable kids that they can at least not only teach grade level content but also track certain subjects (math, languages, social studies, electives, etc.) in addition to having the other positive qualities of a suburban school (great facilities, extracurriculars and sports) etc.. in addition to string writing requirements with IB diploma.

Tell me how many middle schools in the city can say that.

Easy enough to supplement what you need and get college counseling.

This is a real stretch. DCI's ECs are a pale shadow of what you'd get in a big suburban middle or high school. There isn't a school newspaper, no first-rate competitive sports, no good debate team, no good orchestra or band, no math Olympics, no serious drama program etc. They don't have the money for high octane ECs. Suburban schools have academic tracking in middle school for English, social studies and science. DCI doesn't have that either. At least more serious math tracking does seem to be creeping in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that it pays to keep an an open mind about ways to make DCI work. It’s not some amazing suburban high school where you can sit back in anticipation of a good return on your residential real estate investment.

True but you can say this about every school in the city.

At least DCI has enough capable kids that they can at least not only teach grade level content but also track certain subjects (math, languages, social studies, electives, etc.) in addition to having the other positive qualities of a suburban school (great facilities, extracurriculars and sports) etc.. in addition to string writing requirements with IB diploma.

Tell me how many middle schools in the city can say that.

Easy enough to supplement what you need and get college counseling.

This is a real stretch. DCI's ECs are a pale shadow of what you'd get in a big suburban middle or high school. There isn't a school newspaper, no first-rate competitive sports, no good debate team, no good orchestra or band, no math Olympics, no serious drama program etc. They don't have the money for high octane ECs. Suburban schools have academic tracking in middle school for English, social studies and science. DCI doesn't have that either. At least more serious math tracking does seem to be creeping in.

How many kids in the huge suburban schools actually get a chance to participate in these EC’s? I’m assuming if they are “high octane” that there are a lot of cuts, and only the best get a chance to participate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not buying it from DCI. Where did these kids go to college with the other IBD students who scored in the 40s, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton? I have a niece at Yale who tells me she scored 39.

DCI has a student headed to Yale this year. Just like your niece. So DCI must be graduating students who are just as qualified as your niece.

I am sure that this URM athlete (a talented dancer) would have done well anywhere.

The fact remains that, even after a few years at DCI, most kids there are below grade-level in math and English.

.
The fact also remains that high SES white and Asian DCI students can’t expect any breaks in college admissions anywhere they aren’t hooked. IBD points in the low 30s, the norm for academic high fliers at DCI, just aren’t going to wow admissions officers at the most highly competitive colleges for non hooked, non first gen, non URM applicants.

IB test scores aren’t available until colleges have already admitted students. So you’re absolutely right that admissions officers won’t be wowed because they won’t be sent them.

You're not presenting the full picture. I say this as a former college counselor at an IB World School and somebody who earned the Diploma in the 90s. As mentioned above, American IB Diploma students are free to take 1-2 Standard Level exams in the spring of junior year. I know that some DCI families take advantage of the early testing opportunity, more every year. In this country, it's not uncommon for IBD students in the highest-performing programs to double up on AP exams that roughly correspond with Diploma course work, particularly for AP World History, AP European History, languages and sciences, AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Physics etc. Moreover, some American IBD students look abroad for college, where admission generally isn't guaranteed until IBD exams are released in July, and a points bar is cleared. Also, some Americans apply to college in the fall of gap years or prep years (extra year of high school, which can be done at an IB World School), often to take advantage of better odds of admission in Early Decision and Early Applicant Oct-Dec pools than in general admission April pools. Gap year college applications are far more common than pre-Covid. Your view of the college process here in 2023 seems narrow/parochial/outdated.

You need reading comprehension help. IB diplomas are not available until after most kids have already committed to a college.

When I went to an IB world school, kids took APs in their sophomore year. Gap years are a bad idea for US students, and this is a hill I will happily die on. But you advise your kids as you will.

Anyone else just grab a cocktail and chuckle as they read these "IB debates"? You are all precious. Thanks for the entertainment.

[Anonymous]

Also, how many kids from a huge suburban schools are applying to exactly the same schools? And how many do you think those colleges can admit? On top of that, showing grit and seizing opportunities where there aren't as many will serve you in college admissions -- and life.

[Anonymous]

How, exactly, does a teen "seize opportunities" to play in a good school orchestra or band, or write for a newspaper, or debate on a debate team, or perform in a school musical, when there is none? For that matter, how does a kid learn to speak a language fluently at school when there are very few (or none) native speakers of the language in the program? That's the story for French and Chinese at DCI and it shows.

If you're looking for high performing IBD programs where many grads go on to elite SLACs, Ivy-Plus colleges and top programs abroad, you need to look to the burbs. If you're aiming for the 2nd or 3rd tier schools, DCI works.

[Anonymous]

DCI has nearly all of those activities, btw, and DCYOP is a great program open to all. But anyway, it seems like you have an ax to grind, and that is ok. But for anyone who is interested in DCI do your own research and don't take anything here as gospel!!

[Anonymous]

NP, no axe to grind who agrees that DCI ECs are decidedly 2nd rate at best, more like 3rd rate in most cases, primarily due to lack of resources. That’s just the way DC public charter schools work. Yes, if you want great ECs you need to head to the burbs or privates. If you want good HS ECs Ellington, Walks or JR might work. DCI is a make-do program for DC families who don’t want to move to the burbs. Sorry, but it isn’t more that that.

[Anonymous]

To each his or her own. Me, I’m really happy to embrace the social Justice inherent in DCI’s IB for all. You’ll never find that in any other suburban or urban IB program. What they’re doing is bold and great and my kid is thriving.