Reply to Questions about Richard Montgomery IB program

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Can someone please explain how it works?  I looked at the website, and read a couple old threads on DCUM, but I still have questions.

1. It seem to be a four-year program, where students must test into it in 8th grade, and stick with it through 12th grade.  Correct?
2. How do students test in? What are the criteria? I could not find them listed anywhere.
3. How many students are in the program at each grade level?
4. What percentage each RM class are in the IB program?

Any help appreciated.[/quote]

My daughter is a rising senior in the IB program at Richard Montgomery; below are my answers to your questions:

1.  The IB diploma program is really on two years (11th and 12th grade); the majority of students enter the program in 9th grade (by applying/testing-in during 8th grade) but for the first two years (9th and 10th grade) they are taking Pre-IB courses (i.e., perequisites for IB courses).  They usually take Pre-IB courses with MYP (the IB middle years program) who are continuing with that program from Julius West (?) middle school.  A number of these students also join the IB program at RM once they apply/are accepted during their 10th grade year (the last year of the MYP program).  The overwhelming majority (95%+) of students in the IB program at Richard Montgomery "stick with it through 12th grade" and earn an IB diploma.

2.  The application is usually available by the first week of October (on the MCPS website, special programs page) and is due the first week of November.  The admissions test is administered the first week of December; you can expect to receive an acceptance/waitpool/rejection letter late February/early March.

3.  There are approximately 100 "magnet IB" students per grade (my daughter's class started out with 107 students but had dropped to under 100 students by the start of 10th grade just from families moving out of the county; I'm pretty sure that her class is back over 100 with the addition of students from the MYP program last year/in 11th grade).

4.  I'm not sure I understand this question.  The IB students make-up about 20% of the school's population -- i.e., there are approximately 500 students in each grade and approximately 100 of them are in the magnet program.  As a 9th grader, 4-5 out of 7 classes will be Pre-IB/MYP; as a 10th grader, 6-7 out of 7 classes will be Pre-IB/MYP; as a 11th grader 6-7 out of 7 classes will be IB; and as a 12th grader, 5-7 classes will be IB; basically, once a student has taken the required gym, health, and tech courses, it's pretty much all "magnet courses with magnet students."  However, because RM has one lunch period and a wide variety of clubs/extracurricular activities, it has been relatively easy for my daughter to develop close friendships with students who are not in the IB program (although majority of her close friends and even acquaintances are other IB students).  [/quote]

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