American High Schools Try the International Baccalaureate Program
Reader Comments
MYP and PYP
Carolle A Asbeck -
The MYP and PYP programs are NOT curriculum, they are "programmes" which revolve around IB "themes" - Who we are, where we are in place and time...... working their way up to "Can suicide bombers be right?"
As with all IB programmes, you must purchase the "curriculum" from the IB Store. IBO requires the entire school to become IB at the PYP level.
College Performance and Graduation
It sounds like the stats regarding college performance, and timeliness in graduation, has a lot to due with the type of students who are initially enrolled in this IB Program. The majority of these students seem to be high achievers who are very self motivated to begin with. This is a wonderful program for them- but what about the students who are "middle of the line" achievers? Very rarely is there a school or program which really addresses, motivates, and/or empowers this particular student population to reach their true potential.
ABOUT THE IB PROGRAM
THIS ARTICLE IS REALLY REALISTIC,AM A JUNIOR STUDENT OF A MAGNET SCHOOL IN NEVADA WERE THERE ARE ONLY 2 SCHOOLS THE PROVIDE THE IB PROGRAM AND I ALWAYS THOUGH OF JOINING THE PROGRAM BECAUSE LIKE MOST OF US AMERICANS , I NEED FINANCIAL HELP FOR COLLEGE .THE PROGRAM IS SO DEMANDING(BUT REALLY HELPFUL WHEN APPLYING FOR COLLEGE)THE IT WILL BE REALLY HARD TO JOIN THE PROGRAM AND HAVE COLLEGE CLASSES WHILE YOU ARE IN SCHOOL ,THEREFORE I DECIDED TO JOIN OTHER CLUBS, COLLEGE COURCES, AND AP CLASSES, BUT GOING BACK TO THE PROGRAM ;MOST OF MY FRIENDS ARE IN IT THIS PEOPLE TEND TO BE MORE REALLISTIC AND REALLY OUTGOING AND MOST OF THEM ARE ALSO IN CLUBS , SPORTS , AND XTR. CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES;THE IB PROGRAM TAKES THE BEST OF A STUDENT TO TEACH THEM SKILLS TO HAVE A BALANCE IN LIFE AND APPLY THIS SKILL IN REAL LIFE .
IB / AP and College Admissions
I have a student currently enrolled in an IB program. The workload is substantially greater than anything I did in high school and is much more demanding than the standard curriculum. I would also say that IB is more challenging than AP not only because of the final testing requirements but also because the student must enroll in a full load of challenging IB classes each year compared to selectively choosing 2 or 3 AP classes. HOWEVER, I'm learning that most universities don't consider the achievement gained thru IB or AP when evaluating GPA - only the "unweighted" GPA is typically considered. An "A" in an IB/AP class is viewed the same an "A" in a non-IB/AP class. Unless you have a straight A IB/AP student, taking these challenging classes will often hurt rather than help in the college admissions process for all but the very top schools. We're reevaluating the merits of continuing in IB now.
Boy oh boy, that Bert Okma is a good comrade!
I don't know the man. But how ironic that of the 500 or so IB programs in the U.S., U.S News picks Bert Okma to focus its article on. That would be the SAME Bert Okma who went running to IBNA to help them develop a "Playbook" on how to handle "attacks" on IB.
http://truthaboutib.com/images/Upper_St_Clair.pdf
This is very exciting
I had not heard anything about IB schools before reading this article. This would seem to be one of the most truly innovative and exciting things in the U.S. educational system today.
oops, guess not
Seems this blog doesn't allow you to link. Please copy and paste either URL into your browser. My apologies for taking up 3 posts.
working link
http://truthaboutib.com/
How Much is IBO Paying U.S. News for this Article?
Wow. This is the most biased, one sided advertisement for IB yet, full of exaggerations, misinformation and bravado. It even cites the flawed Fordham Study, just like Jay Mathews does. For a full rebuttal of everything in this article, please visit:
www.truthaboutib.com
Everything You Want To Know About International Baccalaureate But Were Afraid to Ask.
