Reply to Fall 2022 Over/Under-Enrollment at FCPS High Schools

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Regardless of the school’s name, an FCPS high school with an IB program that produces only four IB diploma recipients in a graduating class needs to pull the plug on IB.  It’s nuts they think they are honoring John Lewis by associating his name with such poor achievement.[/quote]

Achievement is not measured by IB diplomas alone.

And the faux “concern” for Lewis is pretty transparent.[/quote]

C’mon.  You know a high school IB program at a school with 400 or so seniors and only 4 IB diploma graduates sucks big time. [/quote]

How many IB classes are being taken? How many juniors and seniors take 1, 2, 3, 4 or more IB classes during high school? Looking at IB diplomas awarded is only one metric and is not the best metric to use. Should FCPS high schools no longer offer AP classes if only have single-digit graduates with the Capstone?[/quote]

One percent of graduates earning the [b]AP Capstone [/b]shows terrible results at the top end, which likely are reflected in the other lower level metrics that you mentioned. And AP is [b]no[/b] better for a la carte courses if that is the way they are going to be taken. AP is also less expensive. FCPS is not obligated to maintain two different sets of advanced courses. Simplify everything in the county by making all schools AP.

I would support a School Board candidate that pledged to take a serious look at IB. Unfortunately there are a few members who just won't give IB up.[/quote]

Fixed the bolded for you.[/quote]

DP, but that "fix" seems off.  AP Capstone are two AP courses, but they aren't the centerpiece of the AP program in the same way the "IB diploma" has been the focus of an IB program for decades.  Langley just started to offer one of the Capstone courses, and Woodson doesn't appear to offer Capstone yet at all.

But go ahead and try to muddy the water.  It won't make IB, or Lewis, look one bit better. [/quote]

My now college kid was recommended for capstone along with a lot of other kids.

Mine did not want to take it because that meant she would not be able to take both advanced theater and advanced chorus, so it was a hard pass for our family.

Most of the other kids invited felt the same way.  They didn't want to drop their performing arts classes, or their extra math classes, or their academy classes.

But all of these kids graduated with many AP college credits,  most of them are either graduating from college a year early due to AP classe.  Or the AP classes gave them enough room in their schedule to double major in two rigorous programs.

The ability to knock out a demester or year of college is proceless for lower income families.[/quote]

Literally everything here is true of IB and the reason kids might not pursue the full IB diploma.

Everything.[/quote]

Nope.

Capstone consists of two AP courses.  You could easily have a conflict between Capstone and an elective like theatre or chorus, whereas students who really wanted to do the full IB programme could take the  elective and still find a way to meet their distribution requirements.

Also, AP is more flexible, because courses are 1-year courses, whereas many IB courses are on a two-year track.  So it's more likely students will commit to take the AP courses and then get college credit for them.

Plus, AP is less expensive to taxpayers than IB programmes that demand dedicated IB coordinators and impose a bunch of miscellaneous training costs and fees on schools.

It's no surprise that, relatively speaking, AP schools tend to be at or above capacity, whereas IB schools are more likely to struggle to fill seats.  Or that FCPS then just leaves them under-enrolled, because they know few parents at AP schools would put up getting moved into an IB school without a fight. [/quote]

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