Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 17:56     Subject: IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
IB is a very hard program. My kid was in a magnet IB program in MoCo and it was HARD.

That being said, DC doubled up on APs for all the IB exams as well. Full scholarship in college now. STEM student and I am not scared that DC will change major. College can not throw anything on this child that he cannot handle.

Having said that - IB is intense and some of the time line clashes with the college application process. It does curtail some of the typical teen HS experience as well.

But, is it the best and most rigorous education a kid can get? Absolutely. It is like being a Special Ops soldier vs just a army or navy soldier. It is that intense. Not for everyone. The standards are quite high and it means that for many bright students it will bring down their GPA.

Students in magnet IB course were not doing IB and AP to get college credits (though some colleges were giving them as much as 24 - 50 credits) but mainly as a signalling device to universities about their capabilities.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 17:31     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Listen, OP. If IB was so great you would have seen parents at McLean and Langley clamoring for it instead of being nearly completely housed (with a few exceptions) in the poorest, poor performing schools in the county.

It's a scam. Pure and simple.


Cosign. Look at the AAP board. People are insane about getting every single thing possible to better their kids. There is no way, no how, IB would be passed over by McLean and Langley types if it didn't lack value. It's a pointless program that is expensive and used to prop up struggling schools. What is sad is those poor schools could use the resources more than the "IB" cohort.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 16:24     Subject: IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Listen, OP. If IB was so great you would have seen parents at McLean and Langley clamoring for it instead of being nearly completely housed (with a few exceptions) in the poorest, poor performing schools in the county.

It's a scam. Pure and simple.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 14:13     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do not go to an IB school. The whole program is smoke and mirrors. The supposed "IB philosophy" is nothing more than best practices for teaching, and the same methods are widely used at other non-IB schools. The grading system is ridiculous, biased against American students, and is likely to pull down your GPA. AP schools have many more choices, and their value is well-understood by American colleges.

The only advantage to an IB diploma is for the student who plans to study in Europe after high school, or in Canada. In those universities, IB credits are easily transferable.

This is completely incorrect information, obviously written by someone who doesn't understand the IB program with an axe to grind. Look up the IB program explanations on the Fairfax website, or better yet, attend an information night at the IB high school near you.


Wrong. It was written by a teacher who used to teach in a local IB school.




Don't believe everything you read on an anonymous forum


Agree. PP's previous post shows s/he has no clue about IB.


I wouldn't be so sure, but I'd like that poster to elaborate on the claim that IB grading is biased against American students and will pull down their GPAs. I don't understand that, as I understand IB courses get weighted the same extra 1.0 as AP courses. If he/she is referring to the grading of IB exams, that's a different point, but it wouldn't have any impact on a student's GPA.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 13:56     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do not go to an IB school. The whole program is smoke and mirrors. The supposed "IB philosophy" is nothing more than best practices for teaching, and the same methods are widely used at other non-IB schools. The grading system is ridiculous, biased against American students, and is likely to pull down your GPA. AP schools have many more choices, and their value is well-understood by American colleges.

The only advantage to an IB diploma is for the student who plans to study in Europe after high school, or in Canada. In those universities, IB credits are easily transferable.

This is completely incorrect information, obviously written by someone who doesn't understand the IB program with an axe to grind. Look up the IB program explanations on the Fairfax website, or better yet, attend an information night at the IB high school near you.


Wrong. It was written by a teacher who used to teach in a local IB school.




Don't believe everything you read on an anonymous forum


Agree. PP's previous post shows s/he has no clue about IB.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 13:54     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do not go to an IB school. The whole program is smoke and mirrors. The supposed "IB philosophy" is nothing more than best practices for teaching, and the same methods are widely used at other non-IB schools. The grading system is ridiculous, biased against American students, and is likely to pull down your GPA. AP schools have many more choices, and their value is well-understood by American colleges.

The only advantage to an IB diploma is for the student who plans to study in Europe after high school, or in Canada. In those universities, IB credits are easily transferable.

This is completely incorrect information, obviously written by someone who doesn't understand the IB program with an axe to grind. Look up the IB program explanations on the Fairfax website, or better yet, attend an information night at the IB high school near you.


Wrong. It was written by a teacher who used to teach in a local IB school.




Don't believe everything you read on an anonymous forum
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 13:48     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do not go to an IB school. The whole program is smoke and mirrors. The supposed "IB philosophy" is nothing more than best practices for teaching, and the same methods are widely used at other non-IB schools. The grading system is ridiculous, biased against American students, and is likely to pull down your GPA. AP schools have many more choices, and their value is well-understood by American colleges.

The only advantage to an IB diploma is for the student who plans to study in Europe after high school, or in Canada. In those universities, IB credits are easily transferable.

This is completely incorrect information, obviously written by someone who doesn't understand the IB program with an axe to grind. Look up the IB program explanations on the Fairfax website, or better yet, attend an information night at the IB high school near you.


Wrong. It was written by a teacher who used to teach in a local IB school.



Ouch.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 13:19     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do not go to an IB school. The whole program is smoke and mirrors. The supposed "IB philosophy" is nothing more than best practices for teaching, and the same methods are widely used at other non-IB schools. The grading system is ridiculous, biased against American students, and is likely to pull down your GPA. AP schools have many more choices, and their value is well-understood by American colleges.

The only advantage to an IB diploma is for the student who plans to study in Europe after high school, or in Canada. In those universities, IB credits are easily transferable.

This is completely incorrect information, obviously written by someone who doesn't understand the IB program with an axe to grind. Look up the IB program explanations on the Fairfax website, or better yet, attend an information night at the IB high school near you.


Wrong. It was written by a teacher who used to teach in a local IB school.

Good thing you are no longer teaching IB courses.


Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 13:14     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?


Anonymous wrote:
Do not go to an IB school. The whole program is smoke and mirrors. The supposed "IB philosophy" is nothing more than best practices for teaching, and the same methods are widely used at other non-IB schools. The grading system is ridiculous, biased against American students, and is likely to pull down your GPA. AP schools have many more choices, and their value is well-understood by American colleges.

The only advantage to an IB diploma is for the student who plans to study in Europe after high school, or in Canada. In those universities, IB credits are easily transferable.

This is completely incorrect information, obviously written by someone who doesn't understand the IB program with an axe to grind. Look up the IB program explanations on the Fairfax website, or better yet, attend an information night at the IB high school near you.


Wrong. It was written by a teacher who used to teach in a local IB school.


Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 13:08     Subject: Re:IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?

You seem to confuse preference for hate, but people have explained why they prefer AP for their kids and for FCPS - more flexibility, less of a "one-size-fits-all" approach, more content-oriented, less politically infused, and less expensive.

Feel free to counter, but most in FCPS do prefer AP.


IB is a very expensive program for the number of kids who participate in it. A program that the taxpayers fund.

Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 13:01     Subject: IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. Why so many IB haters? I love IB. I think it's a great program. Far better than APs if kids can handle.


You seem to confuse preference for hate, but people have explained why they prefer AP for their kids and for FCPS - more flexibility, less of a "one-size-fits-all" approach, more content-oriented, less politically infused, and less expensive.

Feel free to counter, but most in FCPS do prefer AP.


Agree to disagree. Have a good day.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 12:59     Subject: IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. Why so many IB haters? I love IB. I think it's a great program. Far better than APs if kids can handle.


You seem to confuse preference for hate, but people have explained why they prefer AP for their kids and for FCPS - more flexibility, less of a "one-size-fits-all" approach, more content-oriented, less politically infused, and less expensive.

Feel free to counter, but most in FCPS do prefer AP.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 12:48     Subject: IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
I don't get it. Why so many IB haters? I love IB. I think it's a great program. Far better than APs if kids can handle.
Anonymous
Post 06/22/2015 08:16     Subject: IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I keep seeing that IB hurts college acceptance chances because US schools don't understand it. That isn't necessarily true. I am also looking at IB for DS, also rising 8th and was surprised at how much higher the acceptance rate is fir IB a diploma candidates at selective colleges: http://www.fcps.edu/RobinsonSS/ib-program/pdf/info-night-2014.pdf


This was true 10 years ago. A lot has changed last 10 years.


Like US selective colleges colleges understood IB 10 years ago, and have now forgotten?


The poster was saying colleges may not have understood IB or given credit for IB courses 10 years ago, but do now. Wasn't hard to follow at all.
Anonymous
Post 06/21/2015 22:45     Subject: IB Program- What is it? IB or AP?
Anonymous wrote:I have a suspicion that the poster who pupil placed to Marshall for IB dis so to avoid Falls Church HS. Am I right?


Not likely, I can think of a dozen kids who pupil placed at Marshall who were in the Madison district as well as handfuls from McLean and Langley and that is only in my son's class. Get some facts next time.