Reply to IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?

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[quote=Anonymous]
For a bigger overview of IB and AP, go to this link for FCPS Advanced Academics programs in high school. There are links here to details about both IB and AP:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/continuum/hs.shtml

Consider visiting the schools and talking with the IB coordinators at Marshall and whoever coordinates AP at Langley. IB schools have designated coordinators who oversee the whole IB program; I don't know how that would work in an AP school but I'm sure Langley has dealt with these questions as well.

Marshall has two "IB information nights" each year, one in early December (check that date, OP!)  and one in the spring. At these nights, IB students currently in the program talk and answer questions about it, and teachers and coordinators--as well as parents with kids now in IB--talk to you as well. I strongly advise that you get to the first one, in the fall, and not wait until spring, so you have information earlier in the school year when your son need to make a choice. Absolutely take your son with you to hear the presentation and to hear from the students. The IB information night really told us a huge amount about IB from those actually doing it right now.

Full dislosure: We just "pupil placed" our eighth grader from our assigned HS to Marshall for IB. It's true as posted above that it is rigorous and more "prescriptive" than AP. But there is some flexibility in IB and there are IB electives, not just IB core courses.

AP is "a la carte." You take it class by class. You can take one AP class in one subject and never take another one in any other subject, or you can take loads of AP classes. With IB there is more of a connected progression of classes. You could look at the specific AP class offerings at Langley and the IB class offerings at Marshall with your son and see what specific classes at each would most interest him. One thing to know: While not everyone gets the full IB diploma, kids can also take some IB classes a la carte, without going for the diploma track. Those going to for the full IB diploma have a more prescribed track.

IB diploma candidates must do the "Extended Essay" which is a research paper of 4,000 words on a topic of their choice. It's done a lot like a college writing project, with the student working with an adviser, doing drafts, etc., but the research and writing is on his or her own. I know two families who both pupil placed all their kids to IB largely for this experience and for the other big diploma requirement, the Theory of Knowledge seminar, which operates a lot like a college seminar. Those families all said they felt their kids were very well prepared for college because of those two elements of IB.

The programs' reputation among some FCPS parents and students we talked to, when choosing, was that "AP is better for science and math, IB is for kids who like to write," but that's a narrow view. Yes, IB [i]does[/i] expect more writing, especially for kids on the diploma track, but in talking with current IB students there were several who were highly focused on biology or chemistry and planning to pursue those in college as well. And I know one AP student who wants to pursue English and writing in college and is focusing her AP courses there. So either is what the student makes of it.

There is also a lot of focus in this competitive area on the notion that "AP gets you out of college classes because you get credits but colleges don't like IB and you won't get credits for it." As the poster at 8:45 rightly noted, that's not necessarily the case. [/quote]

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