Reply to High school IB programs.. international advantages? Experience?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm involved with an IB diploma program in Montgomery county.  There is a lot of information available about the program on the IB website - ibo.org.  In short, diploma students in their final two years of HS take six IB courses (English, social science, second language, experimental science, math, and an arts course or an extra course from another one of the course areas), plus a core course called theory of knowledge which links everything together.  Students also write a 4000 word Extended Essay on a researchable topic of their choosing, and participate in a Creativity, Action, and Service program which can include all kinds of things but generally sports, music/art, tutoring, community service, and more in various forms.  Students take IB-made exams at the end of their course sequences which determine whether or not they pass the diploma.

IB diplomas are recognized all over the world including in Germany.  The IB diploma  can be used for German university entrance in lieu of the Abitur.  Some university programs will put special stipulations on the diploma - an engineerng program might require an advanced math course from IB, for example - but generally different university programs will publish a specific score minimum on the diploma exams for entry into programs.  But it's much easier than trying to enter with a state diploma from Maryland or any other state.

In my school, about 10-15% of our diploma candidates leave the country to attend university in many different parts of the world.  The great majority stay home or go to Canada.  North American universities do recognize the rigor of IB programs a but generally admit students on SAT /ACT scores and grades as opposed to whether they achieve their IB diploma or not.

There are several public schools that offer IB programs in Montgomery county.  Most of them only require that you reside within the school service boundaries.  One of them - Richard Montgomery - is a competitive admissions program where students test in in eighth grade and begin attending in 9th grade.

Hope this helps.

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Thank you! That was helpful. Besides wondering how accepted it is internationally, I guess what I'm trying to tease out is whether it is simply more rigorous than regular high school, or actually enriches the school experience for the kids. Like a lot of people, I don't like the currrent teach-to-the-test culture, and am leary of things that just make more work for the kids. More work is fine, but only if it is stimulating and engaging, if not exciting! I see high-achieving high school kids being so overloaded that it's hard for them to achieve balance in their lives. I hope for my kids to have a great education, but one that doesn't burn them out.
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