Regional IB programs - four years later

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. The question that the MCPS IB information doesn't provide is a comparison, not of IBDP to no-program or unspecified-program education, but of IBDP to the likely course of education for those who might consider IBDP.

That population tends to self-select from among high performers/the highly able. The comparison should be versus the other programs/courses of study that are avaiable, including magnets and high proportions of honors/AP/college-level coursework. And not just at the local school or regional IB, where those options might be limited, but from the most rigorous available in the county, as that is the implied alternative to which MCPS is suggesting IB to students with that profile.

IB can be great. It can provide a reasonable alternative when robustly implemented with fidelity, well coordinated with fullsome AP options and presented as a choice among other rigorous pathways made highly available.

The question is whether MCPS can or will provide the school support necessary to make the regional IBs live up to that (if they aren't already doing so -- from this discussion, it seems the jury is still out on that).

Further, if they can't or won't, will they acknowledge that and look to provide equitable alternatives, whether by increasing magnet seats for programs that do live up to the standard or by fulfilling that via local programming, to serve all students with such achievement/ability, regardless of pyramid.

The bold is spot on. The program can work, especially when combined with the AP and post AP options, implementation matters. You really need to evaluate the results critically. What students is it trying to serve and how does it do that job? Does the diploma matter? What is the value to the student? What are its shortcomings?

Unfortunately the problem is that the district mindset is “we did IB therefore it’s rigorous.”

You seem to be very familiar with the regional IB. I am assuming as the parent of a current student? Would you be able / willing to discuss where they and their classmates have been accepted to college?

One of the things I’m certain of is that the admission rate of IB grads to UC Berkeley is definitely not 58%.

I know you’ll come back with an inane retort like “how do we know that” because that’s all the “analysis” you’re capable of doing.

If you look at the entire thread, your contribution is completely vacuous and consists only of silly challenges along the lines of “who said that”, plus generic statements like “it doesn’t show what you claim it shows”.

Er.... you have me mixed up with somebody else. Please continue that debate as it is sort of useful! But please also tell us about the admissions results at your school?

I’ll let you lead in with the admission results from the IB programs. Do they line up well with the predictions from the slides? Particularly interested in UC Berkeley, but if you have some Ivy League data, that’s good too.

Copying this from a different thread today about Spring Brook

[Post New]02/01/2024 08:10Subject: Re:Spring Brook criteria based IB Program experience.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
It makes me worry if we should accept it. Wonder if the cohort is good.


This year's university acceptances include NYU, Brandeis, BU, MIT, Michigan, UMD, Johns Hopkins so far. One or two went to the Ivy League last year. Maybe not as impressive as some other schools but I will be over the moon happy if my kid gets into one of those!

Who said that? How do we know it’s true?

What motive would they have for lying?

Are you not capable of stalking the Springbok insta account like you stalk the W schools? Or are you just mad you can't find it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. The question that the MCPS IB information doesn't provide is a comparison, not of IBDP to no-program or unspecified-program education, but of IBDP to the likely course of education for those who might consider IBDP.

That population tends to self-select from among high performers/the highly able. The comparison should be versus the other programs/courses of study that are avaiable, including magnets and high proportions of honors/AP/college-level coursework. And not just at the local school or regional IB, where those options might be limited, but from the most rigorous available in the county, as that is the implied alternative to which MCPS is suggesting IB to students with that profile.

IB can be great. It can provide a reasonable alternative when robustly implemented with fidelity, well coordinated with fullsome AP options and presented as a choice among other rigorous pathways made highly available.

The question is whether MCPS can or will provide the school support necessary to make the regional IBs live up to that (if they aren't already doing so -- from this discussion, it seems the jury is still out on that).

Further, if they can't or won't, will they acknowledge that and look to provide equitable alternatives, whether by increasing magnet seats for programs that do live up to the standard or by fulfilling that via local programming, to serve all students with such achievement/ability, regardless of pyramid.

The bold is spot on. The program can work, especially when combined with the AP and post AP options, implementation matters. You really need to evaluate the results critically. What students is it trying to serve and how does it do that job? Does the diploma matter? What is the value to the student? What are its shortcomings?

Unfortunately the problem is that the district mindset is “we did IB therefore it’s rigorous.”

You seem to be very familiar with the regional IB. I am assuming as the parent of a current student? Would you be able / willing to discuss where they and their classmates have been accepted to college?

One of the things I’m certain of is that the admission rate of IB grads to UC Berkeley is definitely not 58%.

I know you’ll come back with an inane retort like “how do we know that” because that’s all the “analysis” you’re capable of doing.

If you look at the entire thread, your contribution is completely vacuous and consists only of silly challenges along the lines of “who said that”, plus generic statements like “it doesn’t show what you claim it shows”.

Er.... you have me mixed up with somebody else. Please continue that debate as it is sort of useful! But please also tell us about the admissions results at your school?

I’ll let you lead in with the admission results from the IB programs. Do they line up well with the predictions from the slides? Particularly interested in UC Berkeley, but if you have some Ivy League data, that’s good too.

Copying this from a different thread today about Spring Brook

[Post New]02/01/2024 08:10Subject: Re:Spring Brook criteria based IB Program experience.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
It makes me worry if we should accept it. Wonder if the cohort is good.


This year's university acceptances include NYU, Brandeis, BU, MIT, Michigan, UMD, Johns Hopkins so far. One or two went to the Ivy League last year. Maybe not as impressive as some other schools but I will be over the moon happy if my kid gets into one of those!

Who said that? How do we know it’s true?

I have seen some of them on Instagram. But it is always possible those kids are lying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. The question that the MCPS IB information doesn't provide is a comparison, not of IBDP to no-program or unspecified-program education, but of IBDP to the likely course of education for those who might consider IBDP.

That population tends to self-select from among high performers/the highly able. The comparison should be versus the other programs/courses of study that are avaiable, including magnets and high proportions of honors/AP/college-level coursework. And not just at the local school or regional IB, where those options might be limited, but from the most rigorous available in the county, as that is the implied alternative to which MCPS is suggesting IB to students with that profile.

IB can be great. It can provide a reasonable alternative when robustly implemented with fidelity, well coordinated with fullsome AP options and presented as a choice among other rigorous pathways made highly available.

The question is whether MCPS can or will provide the school support necessary to make the regional IBs live up to that (if they aren't already doing so -- from this discussion, it seems the jury is still out on that).

Further, if they can't or won't, will they acknowledge that and look to provide equitable alternatives, whether by increasing magnet seats for programs that do live up to the standard or by fulfilling that via local programming, to serve all students with such achievement/ability, regardless of pyramid.

The bold is spot on. The program can work, especially when combined with the AP and post AP options, implementation matters. You really need to evaluate the results critically. What students is it trying to serve and how does it do that job? Does the diploma matter? What is the value to the student? What are its shortcomings?

Unfortunately the problem is that the district mindset is “we did IB therefore it’s rigorous.”

You seem to be very familiar with the regional IB. I am assuming as the parent of a current student? Would you be able / willing to discuss where they and their classmates have been accepted to college?

One of the things I’m certain of is that the admission rate of IB grads to UC Berkeley is definitely not 58%.

I know you’ll come back with an inane retort like “how do we know that” because that’s all the “analysis” you’re capable of doing.

If you look at the entire thread, your contribution is completely vacuous and consists only of silly challenges along the lines of “who said that”, plus generic statements like “it doesn’t show what you claim it shows”.

Er.... you have me mixed up with somebody else. Please continue that debate as it is sort of useful! But please also tell us about the admissions results at your school?

I’ll let you lead in with the admission results from the IB programs. Do they line up well with the predictions from the slides? Particularly interested in UC Berkeley, but if you have some Ivy League data, that’s good too.

Copying this from a different thread today about Spring Brook

[Post New]02/01/2024 08:10Subject: Re:Spring Brook criteria based IB Program experience.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
It makes me worry if we should accept it. Wonder if the cohort is good.


This year's university acceptances include NYU, Brandeis, BU, MIT, Michigan, UMD, Johns Hopkins so far. One or two went to the Ivy League last year. Maybe not as impressive as some other schools but I will be over the moon happy if my kid gets into one of those!

Who said that? How do we know it’s true?

I have seen some of them on Instagram. But it is always possible those kids are lying.

Right. But not the kids at Georgetown Day because they are all extremely ethical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Because the whole point of the regional program was to lure top kids to the school. It wasn't the IB curriculum, which was in place at Kennedy before this program.

It still remains the goal to this day. They make it seem that the program is the way to an ivy admission. I can’t really fault the gullible parents looking for an edge for their kids, I’m more shocked at the dishonesty of the administrators that make all those fake claims with a straight face.

"They" who? Who said that, and where and when did they say it?

They, the IBO. Can you spot the lies and the dishonest sales pitch?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/a-j/kennedyhs/uploadedfiles/programs/ib/ib20dp20college20info202012.pdf

You mean the table that cites the college acceptances that's sourced from the IBDP themselves c. 2012? In 2012, it was a bit easier to get into those schools and the percentages are probably correct for the population sampled.

Are you mad MCPS didn't update their slide?

Look, we all know who you are. I suspect you're the same dude crapping all over the College That Changes Lives Thread. You've got that style. We get it. You hate small colleges. You hate IB. You only think there are a few majors that can exist to define success.

We all feel sorry for you.

Now, in all kindness, please go away.

No, I’m mad they present those slides in information nights to parents in 2023. They are as deceptive this year as they were 12 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

Not the PP, but you are asking for data that does not yet exist. The very first cohort of criteria-based magnet IB kids are in 12th grade this year. We'll know this summer how they did.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but MCPS parents always talk about how there need to be more magnet programs. So now there are three or four more. Cost is minimal since buses were running to those schools anyway - why be mad about it?

Except IB DP is two years and we should have some data by now.

When parents say they want more magnets they mean quality education as in the magnet schools that are sought after. Not to take the same shitty school put the IB label on it, overhype how great the IB program is, and call it a magnet.

Whoa there! You're twisting like a pretzel. And you've just shown everyone you don't know much about IB programs.

Gather up the best students from a region and put them together from 0800-1430 everyday. Even if the school sucks they will be better together than if they were spread out. You might not know what it's like to see your child go from zero friends / peers in 8th grade to dozens? I do. It was worth every moment! Just having classmates to talk to about weird math notation or the 12 concepts of understanding... so completely worth it!

This. What do many of you (or maybe it's just our sad Stem-ming little troll) don't get is that our kids need this. You *should* get the concept, you're obsessed with prestige and peer groups, just not in regional IBs.

And again, speaking to the larger community at Kennedy, there are a lot brilliant talented kids not in the IB department.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Because the whole point of the regional program was to lure top kids to the school. It wasn't the IB curriculum, which was in place at Kennedy before this program.

It still remains the goal to this day. They make it seem that the program is the way to an ivy admission. I can’t really fault the gullible parents looking for an edge for their kids, I’m more shocked at the dishonesty of the administrators that make all those fake claims with a straight face.

"They" who? Who said that, and where and when did they say it?

They, the IBO. Can you spot the lies and the dishonest sales pitch?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/a-j/kennedyhs/uploadedfiles/programs/ib/ib20dp20college20info202012.pdf

You mean the table that cites the college acceptances that's sourced from the IBDP themselves c. 2012? In 2012, it was a bit easier to get into those schools and the percentages are probably correct for the population sampled.

Are you mad MCPS didn't update their slide?

Look, we all know who you are. I suspect you're the same dude crapping all over the College That Changes Lives Thread. You've got that style. We get it. You hate small colleges. You hate IB. You only think there are a few majors that can exist to define success.

We all feel sorry for you.

Now, in all kindness, please go away.

No, I’m mad they present those slides in information nights to parents in 2023. They are as deceptive this year as they were 12 years ago.

Then write them an angry letter and stop stalking people who are happy their kids got into college and like high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among the schools that offer both AP and IB, about 2/3 of the students choose AP and 1/3 IB. You can argue the students vote with their feet and follow the more beneficial program. For the exams, IB has a higher passing rate, possibly indicating that it attracts stronger students.

It seems redundant to offer both, not sure the IB diploma is that much more of an indicator of rigorous high school coursework and they are essentially equivalent. For people that like to have choices, it’s probably worth keeping it.

The regional IB programs feel somewhat of a second rate choice, the very strong students don’t need it, and they seem to have a very persistent marketing pitch.

In conclusion, meh.

This but our school has few AP classes and no advanced math after calculus which is a huge issue.

There’s no advanced math after IB HL Calculus either. I’m willing to bet that the AP offering at your school is better than what’s offered in the IB program.

It's not called IB HL Calc. It's call IB HL Math Analysis, which is a two year course that covers a few years worth of math using applications. It delves much deeper into the math concepts that regular math classes.

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/subject-brief-dp-math-analysis-and-approaches-en.pdf

They offer this at Kennedy, to the best of my knowledge. Am I wrong? I have the dumb math kid who is in the SL version.

I'm really tired of hearing my kid's high school get bashed by people who would never send their kids there regardless. Hearing you bash Ms. Davis and the other teachers who have invested so much of their time into our kids is also disheartening. One thing I think most of you don't understand (I suspect most of you never had the luxury of understanding), is learning for its own sake is important. We didn't want our kid to take IB to go to a "top college," or keep up with W schools, we wanted them to go because the classes would challenge and interest them and play to their strengths. We wanted them to do IB because writing is something they do best. Taking AP exams is joyless. Learning, and learning how to learn is part of what makes an adaptable, well-rounded member of society who can find a job and be a good person.

When our kid got into Kennedy and not RMIB I was relieved. I didn't want them in a toxic pressure cooker in the first place, I wanted them in a collaborative learning environment with peers and teachers that "got" them. Kennedy has given us that. In fact, I'm not sure another high school in the DCC could have done it as well. I must note we are zoned for Blair, so that was an option.

I really liked the former principal. He came from a middle school that holds a 2E program, and he told me once that those were the kind of kids he thought could integrate into the IB: intense, quirky kids with tons of potential who needed a smaller environment than the typical chaos of a Moco high school.

I still think he's right. Those kinds of kids (they don't have to be 2E) have thrived.

We don't have one of the high flyers at Kennedy IB. Our kid has struggled for grades at times (as far as I can tell they're *not* inflated, they don't do that at FARMS schools, where parents don't complain), but Kennedy's done a great job of meeting them where they're at. They turned in their ToK paper and it was fantastic. They've learned executive function. They take school seriously. They're happy.

And they've gotten into six colleges, all with merit, all ranked from the 50s to 100 in US News and World Report. We're still waiting to hear from the reaches.

I'm so tired of how toxic this place can be. How mean-spirited so many of you are about hard-working people doing their jobs, and minor children who are working so hard.

My kid's sitting for the IB diploma. They did the work. Will they pass? I don't know. I don't care. It was the experience that mattered, college credit is gravy. (Most of the schools they're applying to only give credit and don't let them out of core requirements anyway, so it doesn't matter as much. If some of you looked beyond state schools you'd find that true at most of the better slacs.)

Again, six merit offers. Happy kid. I know there's a lot of you who can't say the same.

Great post. Congrats to your kid, and I agree that IB is more than just test taking, which is what AP is about (my kid took both types of classes).

-parent of former RMIDBP grad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among the schools that offer both AP and IB, about 2/3 of the students choose AP and 1/3 IB. You can argue the students vote with their feet and follow the more beneficial program. For the exams, IB has a higher passing rate, possibly indicating that it attracts stronger students.

It seems redundant to offer both, not sure the IB diploma is that much more of an indicator of rigorous high school coursework and they are essentially equivalent. For people that like to have choices, it’s probably worth keeping it.

The regional IB programs feel somewhat of a second rate choice, the very strong students don’t need it, and they seem to have a very persistent marketing pitch.

In conclusion, meh.

This but our school has few AP classes and no advanced math after calculus which is a huge issue.

There’s no advanced math after IB HL Calculus either. I’m willing to bet that the AP offering at your school is better than what’s offered in the IB program.

It's not called IB HL Calc. It's call IB HL Math Analysis, which is a two year course that covers a few years worth of math using applications. It delves much deeper into the math concepts that regular math classes.

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/subject-brief-dp-math-analysis-and-approaches-en.pdf

They offer this at Kennedy, to the best of my knowledge. Am I wrong? I have the dumb math kid who is in the SL version.

I'm really tired of hearing my kid's high school get bashed by people who would never send their kids there regardless. Hearing you bash Ms. Davis and the other teachers who have invested so much of their time into our kids is also disheartening. One thing I think most of you don't understand (I suspect most of you never had the luxury of understanding), is learning for its own sake is important. We didn't want our kid to take IB to go to a "top college," or keep up with W schools, we wanted them to go because the classes would challenge and interest them and play to their strengths. We wanted them to do IB because writing is something they do best. Taking AP exams is joyless. Learning, and learning how to learn is part of what makes an adaptable, well-rounded member of society who can find a job and be a good person.

When our kid got into Kennedy and not RMIB I was relieved. I didn't want them in a toxic pressure cooker in the first place, I wanted them in a collaborative learning environment with peers and teachers that "got" them. Kennedy has given us that. In fact, I'm not sure another high school in the DCC could have done it as well. I must note we are zoned for Blair, so that was an option.

I really liked the former principal. He came from a middle school that holds a 2E program, and he told me once that those were the kind of kids he thought could integrate into the IB: intense, quirky kids with tons of potential who needed a smaller environment than the typical chaos of a Moco high school.

I still think he's right. Those kinds of kids (they don't have to be 2E) have thrived.

We don't have one of the high flyers at Kennedy IB. Our kid has struggled for grades at times (as far as I can tell they're *not* inflated, they don't do that at FARMS schools, where parents don't complain), but Kennedy's done a great job of meeting them where they're at. They turned in their ToK paper and it was fantastic. They've learned executive function. They take school seriously. They're happy.

And they've gotten into six colleges, all with merit, all ranked from the 50s to 100 in US News and World Report. We're still waiting to hear from the reaches.

I'm so tired of how toxic this place can be. How mean-spirited so many of you are about hard-working people doing their jobs, and minor children who are working so hard.

My kid's sitting for the IB diploma. They did the work. Will they pass? I don't know. I don't care. It was the experience that mattered, college credit is gravy. (Most of the schools they're applying to only give credit and don't let them out of core requirements anyway, so it doesn't matter as much. If some of you looked beyond state schools you'd find that true at most of the better slacs.)

Again, six merit offers. Happy kid. I know there's a lot of you who can't say the same.

I'm an IB Kennedy parent as well and while I do think the program has promise, we can't bury our head in the sand and act like it's in a good place right now.

It's not. I don't know how much blame lies at the feet of Ms. Davis specifically. But I've had several interactions and encounters with her and she is pretty problematic, disorganized and chaotic. The kids are also very frustrated with her. Talk to them about what they think of her.

So while you're here doing PR on her behalf, do the work to talk to people about what they think is wrong and stop trying to dismiss the lived experiences of others.

The previous principal you're talking about, Dr. Rubens, was widely disliked and blamed for the neglect and mediocrity that Kennedy has suffered from. Ms. Adamson was brought in for a clean-up job.

You don't have to take my word it. Look at the MSDE Student and Staff surveys about the climate at Kennedy. Spoiler alert: It wasn't good. And that's an indictment of Dr. Rubens' leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among the schools that offer both AP and IB, about 2/3 of the students choose AP and 1/3 IB. You can argue the students vote with their feet and follow the more beneficial program. For the exams, IB has a higher passing rate, possibly indicating that it attracts stronger students.

It seems redundant to offer both, not sure the IB diploma is that much more of an indicator of rigorous high school coursework and they are essentially equivalent. For people that like to have choices, it’s probably worth keeping it.

The regional IB programs feel somewhat of a second rate choice, the very strong students don’t need it, and they seem to have a very persistent marketing pitch.

In conclusion, meh.

This but our school has few AP classes and no advanced math after calculus which is a huge issue.

There’s no advanced math after IB HL Calculus either. I’m willing to bet that the AP offering at your school is better than what’s offered in the IB program.

It's not called IB HL Calc. It's call IB HL Math Analysis, which is a two year course that covers a few years worth of math using applications. It delves much deeper into the math concepts that regular math classes.

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/subject-brief-dp-math-analysis-and-approaches-en.pdf

They offer this at Kennedy, to the best of my knowledge. Am I wrong? I have the dumb math kid who is in the SL version.

I'm really tired of hearing my kid's high school get bashed by people who would never send their kids there regardless. Hearing you bash Ms. Davis and the other teachers who have invested so much of their time into our kids is also disheartening. One thing I think most of you don't understand (I suspect most of you never had the luxury of understanding), is learning for its own sake is important. We didn't want our kid to take IB to go to a "top college," or keep up with W schools, we wanted them to go because the classes would challenge and interest them and play to their strengths. We wanted them to do IB because writing is something they do best. Taking AP exams is joyless. Learning, and learning how to learn is part of what makes an adaptable, well-rounded member of society who can find a job and be a good person.

When our kid got into Kennedy and not RMIB I was relieved. I didn't want them in a toxic pressure cooker in the first place, I wanted them in a collaborative learning environment with peers and teachers that "got" them. Kennedy has given us that. In fact, I'm not sure another high school in the DCC could have done it as well. I must note we are zoned for Blair, so that was an option.

I really liked the former principal. He came from a middle school that holds a 2E program, and he told me once that those were the kind of kids he thought could integrate into the IB: intense, quirky kids with tons of potential who needed a smaller environment than the typical chaos of a Moco high school.

I still think he's right. Those kinds of kids (they don't have to be 2E) have thrived.

We don't have one of the high flyers at Kennedy IB. Our kid has struggled for grades at times (as far as I can tell they're *not* inflated, they don't do that at FARMS schools, where parents don't complain), but Kennedy's done a great job of meeting them where they're at. They turned in their ToK paper and it was fantastic. They've learned executive function. They take school seriously. They're happy.

And they've gotten into six colleges, all with merit, all ranked from the 50s to 100 in US News and World Report. We're still waiting to hear from the reaches.

I'm so tired of how toxic this place can be. How mean-spirited so many of you are about hard-working people doing their jobs, and minor children who are working so hard.

My kid's sitting for the IB diploma. They did the work. Will they pass? I don't know. I don't care. It was the experience that mattered, college credit is gravy. (Most of the schools they're applying to only give credit and don't let them out of core requirements anyway, so it doesn't matter as much. If some of you looked beyond state schools you'd find that true at most of the better slacs.)

Again, six merit offers. Happy kid. I know there's a lot of you who can't say the same.

I'm an IB Kennedy parent as well and while I do think the program has promise, we can't bury our head in the sand and act like it's in a good place right now.

It's not. I don't know how much blame lies at the feet of Ms. Davis specifically. But I've had several interactions and encounters with her and she is pretty problematic, disorganized and chaotic. The kids are also very frustrated with her. Talk to them about what they think of her.

So while you're here doing PR on her behalf, do the work to talk to people about what they think is wrong and stop trying to dismiss the lived experiences of others.

The previous principal you're talking about, Dr. Rubens, was widely disliked and blamed for the neglect and mediocrity that Kennedy has suffered from. Ms. Adamson was brought in for a clean-up job.

You don't have to take my word it. Look at the MSDE Student and Staff surveys about the climate at Kennedy. Spoiler alert: It wasn't good. And that's an indictment of Dr. Rubens' leadership.

Has anyone from the Kennedy IB program been accepted to any colleges this year? Maybe it is foolish of me to assume that some have? Is it that bad???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among the schools that offer both AP and IB, about 2/3 of the students choose AP and 1/3 IB. You can argue the students vote with their feet and follow the more beneficial program. For the exams, IB has a higher passing rate, possibly indicating that it attracts stronger students.

It seems redundant to offer both, not sure the IB diploma is that much more of an indicator of rigorous high school coursework and they are essentially equivalent. For people that like to have choices, it’s probably worth keeping it.

The regional IB programs feel somewhat of a second rate choice, the very strong students don’t need it, and they seem to have a very persistent marketing pitch.

In conclusion, meh.

This but our school has few AP classes and no advanced math after calculus which is a huge issue.

There’s no advanced math after IB HL Calculus either. I’m willing to bet that the AP offering at your school is better than what’s offered in the IB program.

It's not called IB HL Calc. It's call IB HL Math Analysis, which is a two year course that covers a few years worth of math using applications. It delves much deeper into the math concepts that regular math classes.

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/subject-brief-dp-math-analysis-and-approaches-en.pdf

They offer this at Kennedy, to the best of my knowledge. Am I wrong? I have the dumb math kid who is in the SL version.

I'm really tired of hearing my kid's high school get bashed by people who would never send their kids there regardless. Hearing you bash Ms. Davis and the other teachers who have invested so much of their time into our kids is also disheartening. One thing I think most of you don't understand (I suspect most of you never had the luxury of understanding), is learning for its own sake is important. We didn't want our kid to take IB to go to a "top college," or keep up with W schools, we wanted them to go because the classes would challenge and interest them and play to their strengths. We wanted them to do IB because writing is something they do best. Taking AP exams is joyless. Learning, and learning how to learn is part of what makes an adaptable, well-rounded member of society who can find a job and be a good person.

When our kid got into Kennedy and not RMIB I was relieved. I didn't want them in a toxic pressure cooker in the first place, I wanted them in a collaborative learning environment with peers and teachers that "got" them. Kennedy has given us that. In fact, I'm not sure another high school in the DCC could have done it as well. I must note we are zoned for Blair, so that was an option.

I really liked the former principal. He came from a middle school that holds a 2E program, and he told me once that those were the kind of kids he thought could integrate into the IB: intense, quirky kids with tons of potential who needed a smaller environment than the typical chaos of a Moco high school.

I still think he's right. Those kinds of kids (they don't have to be 2E) have thrived.

We don't have one of the high flyers at Kennedy IB. Our kid has struggled for grades at times (as far as I can tell they're *not* inflated, they don't do that at FARMS schools, where parents don't complain), but Kennedy's done a great job of meeting them where they're at. They turned in their ToK paper and it was fantastic. They've learned executive function. They take school seriously. They're happy.

And they've gotten into six colleges, all with merit, all ranked from the 50s to 100 in US News and World Report. We're still waiting to hear from the reaches.

I'm so tired of how toxic this place can be. How mean-spirited so many of you are about hard-working people doing their jobs, and minor children who are working so hard.

My kid's sitting for the IB diploma. They did the work. Will they pass? I don't know. I don't care. It was the experience that mattered, college credit is gravy. (Most of the schools they're applying to only give credit and don't let them out of core requirements anyway, so it doesn't matter as much. If some of you looked beyond state schools you'd find that true at most of the better slacs.)

Again, six merit offers. Happy kid. I know there's a lot of you who can't say the same.

I'm an IB Kennedy parent as well and while I do think the program has promise, we can't bury our head in the sand and act like it's in a good place right now.

It's not. I don't know how much blame lies at the feet of Ms. Davis specifically. But I've had several interactions and encounters with her and she is pretty problematic, disorganized and chaotic. The kids are also very frustrated with her. Talk to them about what they think of her.

So while you're here doing PR on her behalf, do the work to talk to people about what they think is wrong and stop trying to dismiss the lived experiences of others.

The previous principal you're talking about, Dr. Rubens, was widely disliked and blamed for the neglect and mediocrity that Kennedy has suffered from. Ms. Adamson was brought in for a clean-up job.

You don't have to take my word it. Look at the MSDE Student and Staff surveys about the climate at Kennedy. Spoiler alert: It wasn't good. And that's an indictment of Dr. Rubens' leadership.

Has anyone from the Kennedy IB program been accepted to any colleges this year? Maybe it is foolish of me to assume that some have? Is it that bad???

Of course they've been accepted to colleges. Why would you think the outcome is that they wouldn't get accepted to ANY colleges? Do you know how many colleges are out there?

That's not the issue anyone is worried about.

In terms of the state of Kennedy's Regional IB program, we're worried about:
- IB Passage rate (for exams and diplomas)
- Quality of instruction in accordance with IB standards

And that's it. The other issues that people have with Kennedy have to do with admin, safety and security, etc., which have nothing to do with IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Because the whole point of the regional program was to lure top kids to the school. It wasn't the IB curriculum, which was in place at Kennedy before this program.

It still remains the goal to this day. They make it seem that the program is the way to an ivy admission. I can’t really fault the gullible parents looking for an edge for their kids, I’m more shocked at the dishonesty of the administrators that make all those fake claims with a straight face.

"They" who? Who said that, and where and when did they say it?

They, the IBO. Can you spot the lies and the dishonest sales pitch?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/a-j/kennedyhs/uploadedfiles/programs/ib/ib20dp20college20info202012.pdf

You mean the table that cites the college acceptances that's sourced from the IBDP themselves c. 2012? In 2012, it was a bit easier to get into those schools and the percentages are probably correct for the population sampled.

Are you mad MCPS didn't update their slide?

Look, we all know who you are. I suspect you're the same dude crapping all over the College That Changes Lives Thread. You've got that style. We get it. You hate small colleges. You hate IB. You only think there are a few majors that can exist to define success.

We all feel sorry for you.

Now, in all kindness, please go away.

No, I’m mad they present those slides in information nights to parents in 2023. They are as deceptive this year as they were 12 years ago.

Then write them an angry letter and stop stalking people who are happy their kids got into college and like high school.

Why are you so triggered that someone is expressing a negative opinion about an IB program? I get that you think it’s unrivaled, good for you and your kid. I think it’s subpar and presented some reasons. Feel free to ignore my posts, if you can’t handle them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among the schools that offer both AP and IB, about 2/3 of the students choose AP and 1/3 IB. You can argue the students vote with their feet and follow the more beneficial program. For the exams, IB has a higher passing rate, possibly indicating that it attracts stronger students.

It seems redundant to offer both, not sure the IB diploma is that much more of an indicator of rigorous high school coursework and they are essentially equivalent. For people that like to have choices, it’s probably worth keeping it.

The regional IB programs feel somewhat of a second rate choice, the very strong students don’t need it, and they seem to have a very persistent marketing pitch.

In conclusion, meh.

This but our school has few AP classes and no advanced math after calculus which is a huge issue.

There’s no advanced math after IB HL Calculus either. I’m willing to bet that the AP offering at your school is better than what’s offered in the IB program.

It's not called IB HL Calc. It's call IB HL Math Analysis, which is a two year course that covers a few years worth of math using applications. It delves much deeper into the math concepts that regular math classes.

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/subject-brief-dp-math-analysis-and-approaches-en.pdf

They offer this at Kennedy, to the best of my knowledge. Am I wrong? I have the dumb math kid who is in the SL version.

I'm really tired of hearing my kid's high school get bashed by people who would never send their kids there regardless. Hearing you bash Ms. Davis and the other teachers who have invested so much of their time into our kids is also disheartening. One thing I think most of you don't understand (I suspect most of you never had the luxury of understanding), is learning for its own sake is important. We didn't want our kid to take IB to go to a "top college," or keep up with W schools, we wanted them to go because the classes would challenge and interest them and play to their strengths. We wanted them to do IB because writing is something they do best. Taking AP exams is joyless. Learning, and learning how to learn is part of what makes an adaptable, well-rounded member of society who can find a job and be a good person.

When our kid got into Kennedy and not RMIB I was relieved. I didn't want them in a toxic pressure cooker in the first place, I wanted them in a collaborative learning environment with peers and teachers that "got" them. Kennedy has given us that. In fact, I'm not sure another high school in the DCC could have done it as well. I must note we are zoned for Blair, so that was an option.

I really liked the former principal. He came from a middle school that holds a 2E program, and he told me once that those were the kind of kids he thought could integrate into the IB: intense, quirky kids with tons of potential who needed a smaller environment than the typical chaos of a Moco high school.

I still think he's right. Those kinds of kids (they don't have to be 2E) have thrived.

We don't have one of the high flyers at Kennedy IB. Our kid has struggled for grades at times (as far as I can tell they're *not* inflated, they don't do that at FARMS schools, where parents don't complain), but Kennedy's done a great job of meeting them where they're at. They turned in their ToK paper and it was fantastic. They've learned executive function. They take school seriously. They're happy.

And they've gotten into six colleges, all with merit, all ranked from the 50s to 100 in US News and World Report. We're still waiting to hear from the reaches.

I'm so tired of how toxic this place can be. How mean-spirited so many of you are about hard-working people doing their jobs, and minor children who are working so hard.

My kid's sitting for the IB diploma. They did the work. Will they pass? I don't know. I don't care. It was the experience that mattered, college credit is gravy. (Most of the schools they're applying to only give credit and don't let them out of core requirements anyway, so it doesn't matter as much. If some of you looked beyond state schools you'd find that true at most of the better slacs.)

Again, six merit offers. Happy kid. I know there's a lot of you who can't say the same.

I'm an IB Kennedy parent as well and while I do think the program has promise, we can't bury our head in the sand and act like it's in a good place right now.

It's not. I don't know how much blame lies at the feet of Ms. Davis specifically. But I've had several interactions and encounters with her and she is pretty problematic, disorganized and chaotic. The kids are also very frustrated with her. Talk to them about what they think of her.

So while you're here doing PR on her behalf, do the work to talk to people about what they think is wrong and stop trying to dismiss the lived experiences of others.

The previous principal you're talking about, Dr. Rubens, was widely disliked and blamed for the neglect and mediocrity that Kennedy has suffered from. Ms. Adamson was brought in for a clean-up job.

You don't have to take my word it. Look at the MSDE Student and Staff surveys about the climate at Kennedy. Spoiler alert: It wasn't good. And that's an indictment of Dr. Rubens' leadership.

I'm not trying to do "PR" I've had a lot of interactions with Ms. Davis. I find she can sometimes get flustered and go off-tangent when talking to me, but I do it too. I feel like it's friendly, not chaotic or disorganized. I'm not crazy about the language you're using to describe her... Calling a person "problematic" has come to signify something quite serious, and I don't want to know why you'd go there. I suspect we would disagree.

My kid likes Ms Davis. Did you go to the school plays she put on last year?

Kennedy isn't perfect. It does suffer from apathy, although that looks less like checked out staff and more like overworked ones to me. It doesn't have a wealth of clubs and opportunities like you'd find at a wealthier school, but most of that is pure economics. With more money they could do more stuff. Kennedy isn't the first high FARMS school my child has attended. I suspect it might be yours.

With our kids coming in, Kennedy got a new parent association. Your opinion of Dr. Rubens would match mine of their effectiveness, and ability to integrate with the rest of the school community.

But none of that really matters to my kid. They're happy, they got into colleges, the colleges are giving us money, they learned things, it's all good.

Because Kennedy isn't our first FARMS school, it's also not the first time I've seen the culture class between people who are used to being treated like clients and people who are not. My expectations adjust for that. I consider that adaptation and empathy a life skill I want my child to learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Because the whole point of the regional program was to lure top kids to the school. It wasn't the IB curriculum, which was in place at Kennedy before this program.

It still remains the goal to this day. They make it seem that the program is the way to an ivy admission. I can’t really fault the gullible parents looking for an edge for their kids, I’m more shocked at the dishonesty of the administrators that make all those fake claims with a straight face.

"They" who? Who said that, and where and when did they say it?

They, the IBO. Can you spot the lies and the dishonest sales pitch?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/a-j/kennedyhs/uploadedfiles/programs/ib/ib20dp20college20info202012.pdf

You mean the table that cites the college acceptances that's sourced from the IBDP themselves c. 2012? In 2012, it was a bit easier to get into those schools and the percentages are probably correct for the population sampled.

Are you mad MCPS didn't update their slide?

Look, we all know who you are. I suspect you're the same dude crapping all over the College That Changes Lives Thread. You've got that style. We get it. You hate small colleges. You hate IB. You only think there are a few majors that can exist to define success.

We all feel sorry for you.

Now, in all kindness, please go away.

No, I’m mad they present those slides in information nights to parents in 2023. They are as deceptive this year as they were 12 years ago.

Then write them an angry letter and stop stalking people who are happy their kids got into college and like high school.

Why are you so triggered that someone is expressing a negative opinion about an IB program? I get that you think it’s unrivaled, good for you and your kid. I think it’s subpar and presented some reasons. Feel free to ignore my posts, if you can’t handle them.

I can handle them fine. I enjoy mocking you at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Because the whole point of the regional program was to lure top kids to the school. It wasn't the IB curriculum, which was in place at Kennedy before this program.

It still remains the goal to this day. They make it seem that the program is the way to an ivy admission. I can’t really fault the gullible parents looking for an edge for their kids, I’m more shocked at the dishonesty of the administrators that make all those fake claims with a straight face.

"They" who? Who said that, and where and when did they say it?

They, the IBO. Can you spot the lies and the dishonest sales pitch?

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/a-j/kennedyhs/uploadedfiles/programs/ib/ib20dp20college20info202012.pdf

You mean the table that cites the college acceptances that's sourced from the IBDP themselves c. 2012? In 2012, it was a bit easier to get into those schools and the percentages are probably correct for the population sampled.

Are you mad MCPS didn't update their slide?

Look, we all know who you are. I suspect you're the same dude crapping all over the College That Changes Lives Thread. You've got that style. We get it. You hate small colleges. You hate IB. You only think there are a few majors that can exist to define success.

We all feel sorry for you.

Now, in all kindness, please go away.

No, I’m mad they present those slides in information nights to parents in 2023. They are as deceptive this year as they were 12 years ago.

Then write them an angry letter and stop stalking people who are happy their kids got into college and like high school.

Why are you so triggered that someone is expressing a negative opinion about an IB program? I get that you think it’s unrivaled, good for you and your kid. I think it’s subpar and presented some reasons. Feel free to ignore my posts, if you can’t handle them.

I can handle them fine. I enjoy mocking you at this point.

Same!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Among the schools that offer both AP and IB, about 2/3 of the students choose AP and 1/3 IB. You can argue the students vote with their feet and follow the more beneficial program. For the exams, IB has a higher passing rate, possibly indicating that it attracts stronger students.

It seems redundant to offer both, not sure the IB diploma is that much more of an indicator of rigorous high school coursework and they are essentially equivalent. For people that like to have choices, it’s probably worth keeping it.

The regional IB programs feel somewhat of a second rate choice, the very strong students don’t need it, and they seem to have a very persistent marketing pitch.

In conclusion, meh.

This but our school has few AP classes and no advanced math after calculus which is a huge issue.

There’s no advanced math after IB HL Calculus either. I’m willing to bet that the AP offering at your school is better than what’s offered in the IB program.

It's not called IB HL Calc. It's call IB HL Math Analysis, which is a two year course that covers a few years worth of math using applications. It delves much deeper into the math concepts that regular math classes.

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/subject-brief-dp-math-analysis-and-approaches-en.pdf

They offer this at Kennedy, to the best of my knowledge. Am I wrong? I have the dumb math kid who is in the SL version.

I'm really tired of hearing my kid's high school get bashed by people who would never send their kids there regardless. Hearing you bash Ms. Davis and the other teachers who have invested so much of their time into our kids is also disheartening. One thing I think most of you don't understand (I suspect most of you never had the luxury of understanding), is learning for its own sake is important. We didn't want our kid to take IB to go to a "top college," or keep up with W schools, we wanted them to go because the classes would challenge and interest them and play to their strengths. We wanted them to do IB because writing is something they do best. Taking AP exams is joyless. Learning, and learning how to learn is part of what makes an adaptable, well-rounded member of society who can find a job and be a good person.

When our kid got into Kennedy and not RMIB I was relieved. I didn't want them in a toxic pressure cooker in the first place, I wanted them in a collaborative learning environment with peers and teachers that "got" them. Kennedy has given us that. In fact, I'm not sure another high school in the DCC could have done it as well. I must note we are zoned for Blair, so that was an option.

I really liked the former principal. He came from a middle school that holds a 2E program, and he told me once that those were the kind of kids he thought could integrate into the IB: intense, quirky kids with tons of potential who needed a smaller environment than the typical chaos of a Moco high school.

I still think he's right. Those kinds of kids (they don't have to be 2E) have thrived.

We don't have one of the high flyers at Kennedy IB. Our kid has struggled for grades at times (as far as I can tell they're *not* inflated, they don't do that at FARMS schools, where parents don't complain), but Kennedy's done a great job of meeting them where they're at. They turned in their ToK paper and it was fantastic. They've learned executive function. They take school seriously. They're happy.

And they've gotten into six colleges, all with merit, all ranked from the 50s to 100 in US News and World Report. We're still waiting to hear from the reaches.

I'm so tired of how toxic this place can be. How mean-spirited so many of you are about hard-working people doing their jobs, and minor children who are working so hard.

My kid's sitting for the IB diploma. They did the work. Will they pass? I don't know. I don't care. It was the experience that mattered, college credit is gravy. (Most of the schools they're applying to only give credit and don't let them out of core requirements anyway, so it doesn't matter as much. If some of you looked beyond state schools you'd find that true at most of the better slacs.)

Again, six merit offers. Happy kid. I know there's a lot of you who can't say the same.

I'm an IB Kennedy parent as well and while I do think the program has promise, we can't bury our head in the sand and act like it's in a good place right now.

It's not. I don't know how much blame lies at the feet of Ms. Davis specifically. But I've had several interactions and encounters with her and she is pretty problematic, disorganized and chaotic. The kids are also very frustrated with her. Talk to them about what they think of her.

So while you're here doing PR on her behalf, do the work to talk to people about what they think is wrong and stop trying to dismiss the lived experiences of others.

The previous principal you're talking about, Dr. Rubens, was widely disliked and blamed for the neglect and mediocrity that Kennedy has suffered from. Ms. Adamson was brought in for a clean-up job.

You don't have to take my word it. Look at the MSDE Student and Staff surveys about the climate at Kennedy. Spoiler alert: It wasn't good. And that's an indictment of Dr. Rubens' leadership.

I'm not trying to do "PR" I've had a lot of interactions with Ms. Davis. I find she can sometimes get flustered and go off-tangent when talking to me, but I do it too. I feel like it's friendly, not chaotic or disorganized. I'm not crazy about the language you're using to describe her... Calling a person "problematic" has come to signify something quite serious, and I don't want to know why you'd go there. I suspect we would disagree.

My kid likes Ms Davis. Did you go to the school plays she put on last year?

Kennedy isn't perfect. It does suffer from apathy, although that looks less like checked out staff and more like overworked ones to me. It doesn't have a wealth of clubs and opportunities like you'd find at a wealthier school, but most of that is pure economics. With more money they could do more stuff. Kennedy isn't the first high FARMS school my child has attended. I suspect it might be yours.

With our kids coming in, Kennedy got a new parent association. Your opinion of Dr. Rubens would match mine of their effectiveness, and ability to integrate with the rest of the school community.

But none of that really matters to my kid. They're happy, they got into colleges, the colleges are giving us money, they learned things, it's all good.

Because Kennedy isn't our first FARMS school, it's also not the first time I've seen the culture class between people who are used to being treated like clients and people who are not. My expectations adjust for that. I consider that adaptation and empathy a life skill I want my child to learn.

Let me get this straight. You're holding the volunteer parent association to a higher standard than the staff who are hired and paid to run the school? You think somehow the PTA is the issue here and that if they'd done a better job at integrating with the rest of the school community as you claim, then what would have happened? And what are you aware of was done? Did you volunteer to lend your expertise and talents, since you believe they failed?

I'm not going to go further in about Ms. Davis and her flaws because if you are a parent at Kennedy and you think the school play she held was great, then I don't think you're in touch with real student sentiment about her. Or Dr. Rubens, clearly.