Reply to Serious effort to remove IB from FCPS?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I hope not. It’s an excellent program and we have been extremely pleased with the rigor. [/quote]

The only rigor on display at most IB schools in FCPS is rigor mortis. That’s a main reason why they are so keen to redistrict. Easier than dealing with the root causes. [/quote]
It’s fine to like AP better but you don’t need to insult IB just because you are not a fan.  Just like people who like IB don’t need to diss AP.  Is it really that hard not to be a jerk?[/quote]

I’ve taught both AP and IB English. I prefer IB, and that’s where I placed my own child.

I’ve been listening to AP vs IB arguments for over a decade. I’ve noticed that most people against IB don’t have strong knowledge of the program.

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We don't really need a program that results in 82.5% to 97.4% of the seniors at high schools within FCPS [b]not[/b] getting a IB diploma, which is the original goal of IB at the high school level.

The IBO only started encouraging kids to take courses a la carte to generate more revenue when it became clear relatively few American students were interested in doing the full IB diploma "programme."[/quote]

IB English produces writers. My own child wasn’t a diploma candidate, but her experience in IB courses turned her into a remarkably strong communicator.

There’s value in the classes, not just the program. [/quote]

The goal of the IB diploma programme, or at least the original goal, is an IB diploma.  The overwhelming majority of FCPS students in IB schools are not pursuing an IB diploma, and they could get just as valuable writing experience at lower cost to taxpayers in AP classes.
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No... the goal isn't the diploma. Directly from the IB mission statement:

"The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right."

I'd argue that now is a GREAT time to teach students to be compassionate, lifelong learners who can appreciate different viewpoints.

I've been to a ton of IB trainings over the years. Never once have I heard that the purpose of the program is to spit out diplomas. There's no quota. 
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You've regurgitated a bunch of PR puffery and conveniently overlooked the fact that every school that the IBO agrees to designate as an "IB World School" has to commit to offer the full diploma programme.  Absent that commitment, which skews academic resources at IB schools, the school can't offer any IB courses at the HS level.

The IBO also characterizes its programmes for students ages 3-19 as the "Primary Years Programme" (i.e., IB prep at the ES level), the "Middle Years Programme (i.e., IB prep at the MS level), and the [b]"Diploma Programme"[/b] (i.e., IB at the HS level).  So, nice try, but fail on your part.  While the IBO wouldn't say the purpose of the programme is to "spit out" diplomas, the main goal is absolutely the full IB diploma.  Relatively few students in FCPS pursue a full IB diploma, however, and certainly not enough to justify the current expense.

We should not be funding eight IB schools and we certainly should not be considering redistricting kids from AP schools to IB schools against their will.  [/quote]

I suppose you at the same poster who is stuck on diplomas…

I’ve been teaching IB for 15 years. No, that mission statement is not “PR puffery.” Global issues are a major focus of the course, and students spend a significant amount of time analyzing texts through that lens. I appreciate the emphasis on global perspective that is crafted directly into our coursework.

And we have many students taking DP courses who are not DP candidates. I don’t see any of them stuck on the terminology. Plenty of us see the value of the coursework, and not merely the diploma. And they head off to college with 3-6 credits of college English, just like their AP counterparts. 
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