Reply to Serious effort to remove IB from FCPS?

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[quote=Anonymous]IB has it's place, it is a good program. Kids should be able to choose IB and pursue the diploma. But it should be an option and not something that kids are forced to participate in. We do not think IB is a good fit for our kid. He is taking a foreign langauge in 7th grade and Algebra 1 H. He will be eligible for Calculus in 11th grade. That is not possible at an IB school. He takes math HL, starting in 10th grade, and cannot take the test until 12th grade. And the class doesn't teach calculus. It is a mish mash of mathematical subjects. His options then are to take AP Pre Calc and AP Calc as online courses at his base school or transfer to an AP school.

Online classes are suboptimal, I am sorry, they just are. And why should parents have to provide transportation for him to take a class that is offered, in person at 2/3rds of the schools in the County? Why should my kid have to leave his friends to take classes that are offered at 2/3rds of the schools in the County?

Alexandria, Arlington, Loudoun offer IB as a selective program that kids can apply for. That is what FCPS should do. Have a few schools were IB is an option that kids can enroll in, think IB academies, while the rest of the students have access to AP classes. We have schools with lower enrollment, place the IB academies there. FCPS will provide bus service and the IB kids can attend those schools Junior and Senior year. They will have more peers interested in the diploma, which should be helpful for motivating them to succeed in a challenging program.

Not to mention, many schools do offer credit for classes that are part of the general education program if they pass the AP or IB exam at a high enough level. There are far more AP options, meaning that you can save a good amount of money at college with AP classes. IB classes that can be used for college are fewer in number and some of them are hard to get credit for. We have friends who have to submit the high school syllabus for an IB exam course in order to try and get credit for the college class. I know of no one who has had to do that with an AP class. [/quote]

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