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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am the PP with an IB kid at a poorly regarded school.  Not only is she getting a good education, her school's demographics do, in fact, give her an advantage in college admissions, beyond IB.  For example, there were significantly more graduating seniors accepted to UVA this year at her school than at higher SES schools, where the fight for just a few spots is super competitive.

I'm not saying IB is all that, or a good fit for everyone, particularly those who struggle with writing.  But there are certain types of students who can benefit tremendously from the program.  And the fact that IB is typically offered in lower SES schools means that those who thrive in the program have an easier route to top colleges and universities, where they arrive prepared.[/quote]

The top AP schools get significantly more kids into UVA  [/quote]

If that is true it is once again correlation not causation.

[quote]and the kids are better prepared because they’ve spent years with a stronger peer group.[/quote]

You don't know enough about the "peer groups" to say which is stronger, you're just making things up.[/quote]

It’s objectively clear which schools have stronger peer groups.  It’s not the IB schools.

IB schools in FCPS are frequently under-enrolled, under-performing, and troubled. For example, you can read about the litany of complaints raised to Justice’s new principal this week by unhappy parents. [/quote]

Our school’s IB teachers (not Justice) seem to delight in repeating to formerly-straight-A students that IB classes are so rigorous that they should “not worry about a B” because of the weighted GPA calculation. 🙄
These teachers are so cavalier about it and it brings such stress to these very bright, overworked students who are trying their best to hit all the benchmarks for college applications, including maintaining a high GPA while enrolled in the most rigorous classes. They seem out of touch with what’s expected by AOs.
Meanwhile, the surrounding AP schools routinely boast that their straight-A students continue to earn As even in their AP classes. In fact, it’s expected. Unlike the “Bs are still a good grade in an IB class, so don’t worry so much” lectures that our concerned IB students get from their teachers, we don’t hear reports of the teachers at AP schools trying to convince their AP students that Bs are exceptional. 
This is why “the AP schools” have more success getting students into UVA.
And I’m not suggesting that it’s grade inflation in the part of the AP schools. It’s more like a strange pride in grade deflation on the part of IB teachers/departments at certain fcps IB schools.
And it is not isolated students or just my precious snowflake. This is across the board.
[/quote]

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