Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has a consent item on the agenda for the 12/3 meeting to enter into a new 10-year contract with the IBO that would increase annual IB payments to the IBO from about $1.69 million per year to $2.0 million over the next five years.

Why should FCPS commit now to pay the IBO $10 million when there needs to be an assessment of whether IB should be discontinued at many of the current IB high schools with unsuccessful IB programs and very few IB diploma graduates?

IDK. 12/2/25 work session has item 3.02 on secondary course offerings. https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
That includes:
Add 1.0 Weight to GPA
● IB SL Ab Initio

Note Honors English is .5 GPA bump but Standard Level IB English is 1. https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/DN5JVB4EC30C/$file/SB%20Attachment%20FCPS%20Course%20Review%20Recs%20-%202026-27SY.pdf

Apparently adding 2 for credit courses to assist Diploma candidates- Core Support for the IB DP (11) and Core Support for the IB DP (12). So the program budget doesn't accurately reflect the costs - nobody at Gatehouse works on IB? In addition to the staffer required at each school there are now 2 more courses. If there are few diploma candidates what is this???

I want to understand your post but don’t. Willing to executive summary what you are saying?

What is MLL?

Anonymous wrote:This is why locking into IB for five more years at eight high schools is a bad idea, but FCPS is too sclerotic to look at what makes sense. They make a big deal about the need for a fresh boundary review, but then they turn around and perpetuate lackluster IB programs.

Some families see having IB as some type of special programming that they have to defend, never mind that their kids are not completing the diploma. We are at SLHS and the number of parents who approach IB classes as if they are similar to AP classes is high. They don't understand that the SL classes do not get college credit and then complain when their kids go to college that their kid didn't get college credits for their classes. They assume that IB is so different then AP that their kids will be better prepared for college then a kid in AP, ignoring the thousands of kids with AP classes who go to college and do just fine. It is like IB is a badge of honor.

And very few of their kids go for the diploma because it isn't flexible enough and they don't want to take the extra classes.

If FCPS is going to force schools to have IB, they should have to have a full slate of AP classes at those kids so kids have a choice. Without that, the kids who want AP will keep leaving the schools. I suspect that the only reason Robinson doesn't see more kids placing out is because they have AP and IB. The SLHS departures would look worse if they didn't have kids from Herndon placing into SLHS.

I suspect that the Western HS will lead to more pupil placing from SLHS and HHS to the new Western HS as there will be a closer by AP program that offers a different learning path that kids can pupil place for.

This is why locking into IB for five more years at eight high schools is a bad idea, but FCPS is too sclerotic to look at what makes sense. They make a big deal about the need for a fresh boundary review, but then they turn around and perpetuate lackluster IB programs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

It’s not about preparing for college, it’s about attaining college credits. IB credits aren’t as universally accepted.

That’s actually incorrect. IB credits are taken at most schools. 20 years ago not consistently the case. But in 2025, schools honor them as much as AP. This is perpetual myth being spread around the community.

IB HL credits are accepted, SL not so much. And schools don’t tell parents that. The HL classes are harder to get enough students for. The HL Science classes are less mathematically rigorous then AP class, for example Physics HL is an Algebra based class while there is a Physic-C option for calculus based AP classes. Also, IB tests are supposed to be taken senior year only. So that kid who has taken IB Bio IB Chem IB foreign language IB Math IB English IB History IB Government is going to have a miserable senior year.

I teach at an IB school and will break this down into simple terms. HL classes are hard and this is why colleges are likely to award credit. They are more like college courses. SL classes are more like general level courses in HS, which is why colleges are NOT likely to award credit. They are not college level. You are not told this. If the kids went to other schools, they would have more options with AP.

My own kids attend an AP school.

Yup but parents think any IB class is similar to AP and are not aware that the SL classes are not college credit worthy. It is ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

It’s not about preparing for college, it’s about attaining college credits. IB credits aren’t as universally accepted.

That’s actually incorrect. IB credits are taken at most schools. 20 years ago not consistently the case. But in 2025, schools honor them as much as AP. This is perpetual myth being spread around the community.

IB HL credits are accepted, SL not so much. And schools don’t tell parents that. The HL classes are harder to get enough students for. The HL Science classes are less mathematically rigorous then AP class, for example Physics HL is an Algebra based class while there is a Physic-C option for calculus based AP classes. Also, IB tests are supposed to be taken senior year only. So that kid who has taken IB Bio IB Chem IB foreign language IB Math IB English IB History IB Government is going to have a miserable senior year.

I teach at an IB school and will break this down into simple terms. HL classes are hard and this is why colleges are likely to award credit. They are more like college courses. SL classes are more like general level courses in HS, which is why colleges are NOT likely to award credit. They are not college level. You are not told this. If the kids went to other schools, they would have more options with AP.

My own kids attend an AP school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

It’s not about preparing for college, it’s about attaining college credits. IB credits aren’t as universally accepted.

That’s actually incorrect. IB credits are taken at most schools. 20 years ago not consistently the case. But in 2025, schools honor them as much as AP. This is perpetual myth being spread around the community.

IB HL credits are accepted, SL not so much. And schools don’t tell parents that. The HL classes are harder to get enough students for. The HL Science classes are less mathematically rigorous then AP class, for example Physics HL is an Algebra based class while there is a Physic-C option for calculus based AP classes. Also, IB tests are supposed to be taken senior year only. So that kid who has taken IB Bio IB Chem IB foreign language IB Math IB English IB History IB Government is going to have a miserable senior year.

FCPS needs to take a critical look at all of its programs. Like many things FCPS on the whole executes IB poorly.

Reduce the offering to 2 or 3 schools, shore up the program so that those who want it for their kids can have the best IB program FCPS can offer.

Allow pupil placement into IB schools which also should offer full slate of AP and DE courses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

It’s not about preparing for college, it’s about attaining college credits. IB credits aren’t as universally accepted.

That’s actually incorrect. IB credits are taken at most schools. 20 years ago not consistently the case. But in 2025, schools honor them as much as AP. This is perpetual myth being spread around the community.

That wasn't our experience, we felt lied to about the college credits. But overall we were happy with the program. Our kids cranked out their college essays like they were nothing, no pricy college counselors needed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

It’s not about preparing for college, it’s about attaining college credits. IB credits aren’t as universally accepted.

That shows the priorities of a lot of parents, my kids didn't get as many credits but they were better prepared for college.

Says who?

The AP schools dominate things like SAT scores.

But you already knew that the AP schools are the richer schools, the IB schools are the ones being flooded with ESL kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

It’s not about preparing for college, it’s about attaining college credits. IB credits aren’t as universally accepted.

That shows the priorities of a lot of parents, my kids didn't get as many credits but they were better prepared for college.

Says who?

The AP schools dominate things like SAT scores.

Anonymous wrote:AAP is a problem, especially in grades 3-4. It robs gen ed and MLL students the chance to work with peer mentors on a daily basis. What is left is classes full of low level gen ed students and MLL students. The presence of AAP students in elementary schools is creating a divide in the schools. Caught in the middle are students who want to be AAP but cannot get access for whatever reason. These students have a tough time fitting in with the four special education and ten MLL students in their homeroom.

Peer mentors?

This must be a joke post.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

IB is a failed, expensive, impractical program that wastes all taxpayer's money and brings down the quality of the IB high schools.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has a consent item on the agenda for the 12/3 meeting to enter into a new 10-year contract with the IBO that would increase annual IB payments to the IBO from about $1.69 million per year to $2.0 million over the next five years.

Why should FCPS commit now to pay the IBO $10 million when there needs to be an assessment of whether IB should be discontinued at many of the current IB high schools with unsuccessful IB programs and very few IB diploma graduates?

There are fewer than 500 IB diplomas awarded out of all FCPS IB candidates.

They could send every one of them to Nova each year or almost 1 semester at our cheaper in state universities for that money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get rid of IB programs and offer more AP and dual enrollment classes. Robinson parent.

Marshall parent here. What's wrong with giving students as many options as possible? If taught correctly, IB courses prepare students for college just as well as DE and AP classes.

It’s not about preparing for college, it’s about attaining college credits. IB credits aren’t as universally accepted.

That’s actually incorrect. IB credits are taken at most schools. 20 years ago not consistently the case. But in 2025, schools honor them as much as AP. This is perpetual myth being spread around the community.