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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The IB program at Einstein was a disaster for my kid. His English and History classes leading up to it didn't have hardly any writing, so he was not prepared for the level of writing required by the IB classes. And his college did not give him any credit for his IB scores (5 to 7). I wish we had gone all AP.[/quote]

Yeah, not being able to offer specific “pre-IB” classes to freshmen and sophomores anymore has really hampered their ability to prepare kids for the work required for IB—now they have to do it on the fly in 11th and 12.

My Einstein IB student says you can really tell which kids were in the Eastern magnet program, because they’ve at least been exposed to that kind of extensive academic research and writing, and deep analysis. They’re less lost on the research side of things, and more prepared to discuss in class and defend their arguments. They may not remember everything from MS, but it generally comes back when they need it. [/quote]
Yes. This is why RMIB is a much better program. Magnet kids start taking magnet level English classes in 9th grade.  That class is a shock to the system for a lot of these high performing kids.  Expectations are high, and many get Cs on their first paper.  They do eventually meet expectations, and become strong writers.  But, wow, that first class.  I think it was the first time my DC got a C on their writing assignment after coasting through MS.  They got straight As though, all throughout.

My DC is more of a STEM person so RMIB really helped improve their writing.[/quote]

I really wish there was a way non-magnet IB schools could offer those pre-IB courses. I don't know why MCPS won't allow them any more, but if it's just a problem with the IB name, call them something different. But you can’t throw kids to the wolves and expect them to thrive.

My Einstein kid had been in magnet programs in ES and MS, and had no interest in either RMIB or Kennedy, but still wanted a rigorous and challenging HS curriculum. IB was a perfect fit for their interests and strengths, but without the preparation they had at Eastern, it would have been much more stressful and overwhelming. The extended essay is really just a more structured version of the middle school IDRIP, with more leeway to choose your topic.

Theirs was the last class to have a Pre-IB section of Honors English 9, and they felt like it really did make a difference in getting those non-MS-magnet freshmen up to speed on literary analysis, critical frameworks, etc. But it seemed like there was still a big gap on the research and writing side of things, because the even the standard MCPS “honors” curriculum doesn't allow for much of either.[/quote]

What is the middle school IDRIP? TIA! [/quote]

Humanities magnet kids (mine was at Eastern) spend the better part of a year learning how to research, write, and accept feedback to re-write a long research paper. It may be called something else nowadays?

They went to the library at UMD to do research, created and organized extensive note cards, outlines, and drafts, and learned how to properly cite sources and write in MLA style. [/quote]

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