Anonymous
Post 11/21/2024 12:04     Subject: Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:It’s not just that IB teaches “writing,” they also teach students to do independent research and synthesize their findings to support an argument. AP teaches writing, critical thinking, and assessment of sources, but on a much smaller scale, with a highly circumscribed application of the skills. The long-term IA projects and Extended Essay in the IB program are much closer to what they’ll be doing in college. And they write an IA paper in every class, including math and science courses, which is pretty rare in high school.

I agree with the PP’s assessment that the curriculum is less linear and more thematic than traditional approaches. But I’d only call it “woke” (whatever that means these days, anyway) in the sense that it attempts to step away from a Eurocentric viewpoint, and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to learning.

Which makes sense, since the diploma program is taught in dozens of countries around the world, not all of them in the US or Europe. That’s the entire point of it—to develop a global perspective.


This is very well said. Prior to my child starting IB (12th grader), I would have said you can find a good path with AP or IB. I would now encourage people to try IB for the reasons mentioned above. The experience has been fantastic and not a ton of extra work.

The program really tries to teach the students how to complete the longer assignments by assigning interim deadlines to assist with pacing. If a student chooses to procrastinate, they will be miserable. Many students also take AP classes and/or AP exams corresponding to their IB classes.
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2024 11:32     Subject: Re:Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:As another PP said, there are lots of threads on the topic here.

Use these to get up to speed:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1153633.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1183449.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1158823.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1182395.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1088788.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1182348.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1117890.page


If you are debating AP, IB or Dual Enrollment, here is a locked thread discussing the various options for HS students:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1183762.page
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2024 14:42     Subject: Why IB?
People say cohort is better, so maybe that to question if 'why IB?'
Anonymous
Post 11/15/2024 21:35     Subject: Re:Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We went to RMIB open house and they handed out their list of college acceptances. Those were insane.


Insane how?


Insanely good given that everyone keeps talking about that "college admissions are a lottery". A lot of kids going to very top schools.
Anonymous
Post 11/15/2024 21:21     Subject: Re:Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:We went to RMIB open house and they handed out their list of college acceptances. Those were insane.


Insane how?
Anonymous
Post 11/15/2024 19:00     Subject: Re:Why IB?
We went to RMIB open house and they handed out their list of college acceptances. Those were insane.
Anonymous
Post 11/15/2024 08:24     Subject: Re:Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:The irony is that the same folks who'd be concerned about a "Race to Nowhere" if a student were taking 10 AP courses gladly sign their kids up for IB diploma programs. Marketing it as teaching students "how to think" and creating "global citizens" plays well with certain parents, and the IBO (which has its North American headquarters in the former Fannie Mae building in DC) milks that for all it's worth.

We pulled our kid from an IB school after seeing how the school tended to separate kids into IB diploma and non-IB diploma buckets. We found our AP school to be a more welcoming environment; most of the kids took a number of AP courses, and kids weren't so quickly put in buckets by school administrators looking to tout the number of the school's IB diploma candidates.

At RMHS, RMIB students take AP classes, as well. And non IB magnet students can take IB classes. So, there is some mixing.

RM is our home school, and one DC went through the IB magnet program and the other didn't, but this DC also took some IB classes.

IMO, the diploma doesn't mean much for US colleges. Even so, my DC who went through that program said it was a good experience. They were stronger in STEM than in ELA, so going through this program really helped them become a better writer.

DC told me that RMS English 9 was the hardest class for a lot of the IB kids because it was the first time these straight A high achieving students were really challenged in writing. Many got Cs on their first essay. That is how rigorous the program is.

It's a ton of writing, so don't do it if your kid isn't willing to put in the effort. There are other paths: AP and dual enrollment.
Anonymous
Post 11/15/2024 08:11     Subject: Re:Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:For most normal people, the politics of the IB curriculum would be “Con”, but in MCPS, I’m sure they’re a “Pro”.

If you’re a “world citizen,” you’ll love it…


To educate people to understand the larger context or think critically is a threat to the GOP. They will likely outlaw this.
Anonymous
Post 11/14/2024 23:37     Subject: Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:I'm not opposed to the IB curriculum, but I've heard enough about over-stressed IB students—and school cultures that glorify that stress—that I'd want to know more about the specific program.


My kid in a non-magnet MCPS HS has found nothing but encouragement with IB. It’s a lot of work, but they knew that going in.

But the trade-off is that that they have fewer course options than the magnet programs offer. It’s been a challenge to patch together the right combination of SL, HL, and AP classes to achieve the highest rigor in every subject.
Anonymous
Post 11/14/2024 23:32     Subject: Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Do you know if doing an IB diploma helped your kid with college admissions - getting into their top choice soley because they wrote they are an IBDP candidate (assuming they have not earned the IBDP by the time they apply to college)?


IB Diploma means nothing (except a sense of personal achievement) if you attend a USA college from a USA high school.


It means you’ve taken rigorous courses that prepared you for college. Universities knows this.
Anonymous
Post 11/14/2024 18:08     Subject: Re:Why IB?
The irony is that the same folks who'd be concerned about a "Race to Nowhere" if a student were taking 10 AP courses gladly sign their kids up for IB diploma programs. Marketing it as teaching students "how to think" and creating "global citizens" plays well with certain parents, and the IBO (which has its North American headquarters in the former Fannie Mae building in DC) milks that for all it's worth.

We pulled our kid from an IB school after seeing how the school tended to separate kids into IB diploma and non-IB diploma buckets. We found our AP school to be a more welcoming environment; most of the kids took a number of AP courses, and kids weren't so quickly put in buckets by school administrators looking to tout the number of the school's IB diploma candidates.
Anonymous
Post 11/14/2024 18:00     Subject: Why IB?
I'm not opposed to the IB curriculum, but I've heard enough about over-stressed IB students—and school cultures that glorify that stress—that I'd want to know more about the specific program.
Anonymous
Post 11/14/2024 17:48     Subject: Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:Do you know if doing an IB diploma helped your kid with college admissions - getting into their top choice soley because they wrote they are an IBDP candidate (assuming they have not earned the IBDP by the time they apply to college)?


IB Diploma means nothing (except a sense of personal achievement) if you attend a USA college from a USA high school.
Anonymous
Post 11/13/2024 20:55     Subject: Why IB?
Anonymous wrote:Self selection of academically focused kids and teachers who like to teach them.


This. I think it also helped with college acceptances.