International Baccalaureate: A K-12 Success Story

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PYP has been an absolute disaster for my child and a source of intense frustration. I had no idea when I enrolled that, in the traditional sense, there are no textbooks, homework, tests or grades. My child is way behind grade level in math and writing despite tests showing aptitude somewhat above average. In the face of horrific math results, they refuse to assign homework problems. I suspect it works better for very high apptitude children with highly educated parents who play an active role in home learning. Some people do like it and thrive in it. More power to them! But kids like that would thrive with the traditional method also so you can't fully attritbute their success to PYP. They key is to get educated and make an informed decision. Unfortunatley it's too late for me. I can't switch and I just see my child learning almost nothing. It's not that I'm biased it's just that this didn;t make sense for our situation.

Jenny of CA 11:56PM February 05, 2013

I am an IB student myself, and I live in Canada. IB was originally meant for military families that had to move around a lot, and because of that, this program was implemented so that when the children moved to a different place, they would be taking the same program as the place they were before. As an IB student, I have learned much more from IB than I have in regular classes. I am only an IB certificate student, so I am only taking two classes in a IB. That may not exactly give me the full experience, but it sure allows me to have a contrast. I am in IB English and History. English class has definitely made me a more critical thinker, and allows me to come up with intuitive ways to solve a problem, not to mention the amazing essay-writing abilities I attain. I would just like to know if any of you "CONCERNED PARENTS" have ever been in the IB program. I have gotten nothing but good out of it. Yes, it can stress me out sometimes, but that's the reality of life. Life is going to stress you out sometimes. Especially when you head into university or a job. So, in a way, the IB program prepares you for that, and I can tell you for certain that in the regular classes I take, most of those kids are clueless to what they'll be dealing with once they out of high school, because in the regular stream of class, they coddle students. Which I definitely don't think is right. I used to be one of those kids that rarely ever got their homework handed in, and just didn't care about anything. The IB program made me into a harder worker and made me have more ambition, which I think is really important for high school students to learn. The IB program also allows students to connect with other students going through the exact same things as them, when they are from opposite sides of the world. It is a very rewarding program, and seeing as it is free where I am, I definitely don't see a need for complaint. So, get back to helicopter-ing over YOUR kids, ladies, and not everyone else's too.

Kay-Lynne Collier 10:54PM January 04, 2013

Deutsch writes: "The IB is a success story in primary and secondary education in the United States and across the globe."
There is one high school in Tucson, Arizona that is authorized to offer the IB Diploma Program. In spite of school community opposition, IB was FORCED into the school by the at-the-time principal (who exited not long after doing her dirty deed of bringing in IB; now she's peddling IB fluff n' puff in another local district). By the end of the second year of IB implementation -- the same year of the first IB graduating class -- the school district was approaching $1 million for the litany of IB costs. The result?: Out of the 32 IB Diploma Candidates in the Class of 2010, ONLY ONE STUDENT RECEIVED AN IB DIPLOMA!
Deutsch writes: "Our assessment is not standardized."
That is precisely why criticism exists from those who are familiar with IB assessments:
". . . there is a vagueness to the assessment criteria" (-- IB MYP teacher);
"The IB is getting far too much credit (undeserved) for being at the cutting edge in education. However, my biggest problem with IB is their internal assessment portion of the course. The process is contrived, very subjective and is in my opinion an enormous waste of time for both students and teachers.” (-- IB chemistry and biology teacher)
Deutsch writes: "In April, a research report released by SRI International found that 64 percent of IB Diploma Program students in the United States enrolled in selective or highly selective universities. . ."
IB programs often end up in schools that ALREADY HAVE HIGH ACHIEVING STUDENT POPULATIONS WHO WOULD GET INTO SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES ANYWAY, WITHOUT IB. There is a screening process for the IB Diploma Program that allows schools to weed out students who are not deemed high-achieving. Cherry-picking bright kids does not mean that IB Diploma programs are anything special. However, it does indicated that the IBO has cleverly targeted smart kids who will make IB look good.
Deutsch writes: "The world is changing and becoming more global. For the United States to remain competitive, it needs to make high-quality, inquiry-based, international education available to students throughout the country."
"Global Mobility Patterns of International Baccalaureate Diploma Students" (March 2010, IBAP Annual Regional Conference) says that among international students the United States is the top destination for higher education (aka "tertiary" education). In light of this fact, it makes no sense for U.S. schools to reform in content and purpose to accommodate the arbitrary sub-standard non-academic global education criteria that IB programs focus on.
The fact that global education reform has been slipping into U.S. education for DECADES to accommodate (United Nations') "global" issues is precisely why U.S. education has been in decline. But many bright kids have slipped through the global social engineering net, thus, IB enters to capture that population.

Arizona Parent of AZ 11:27AM June 05, 2011

I see Mr. Deutsch is trying to justify his $246,138 (2009) salary with more puffed up hearsay and propaganda. Mr. Deutsch doesn't expect anyone to further explore the "research" conducted on IB over the years which decidedly concludes that IB schools do NOT outperform non-IB schools and that only the tiny handful of students who earn a 42-45 on the IB Diploma perform better than the average student admitted to Cambridge University in the UK. American taxpayers should just take his word for IB's alleged excellence and fork over at least $200,000 per year, per program(me) in order to slap the IB label on their schools.
http://truthaboutib.com/breakingnewsopinions.html

Lisa of NY 8:04AM June 03, 2011

Parents! Educate yourselves on the dangers of IB! Do not allow this program to take a foothold in your district.
www.truthaboutib.com

MominWI of WI 4:19PM June 02, 2011

Here's the problem Drew, you have NO studies that show IB students outperform AP students. In fact, in our district college credits are awarded MORE often to AP students.
Inquiry based ed is an enormous FAILURE for many students. It's why only the self motivated students do well in IB. Most students do not appreciate having to do the work of the teacher and figuring out what the teacher should be teaching them.
I've noted frustrated students, over-worked students, stressed out students, etc. For what? All they are doing is busy work because the teacher is the facilitator instead of an instructor.
Luckily we do not train doctors and engineers with this absurd pedagogy. Think about it. What if doctors went to Medical school and were told...figure it out. See the absurdity yet?
IF not, there are NUMEROUS studies that show Constructivism (that's what Inquiry based fads are actually called)
That's what IB doesn't tell the parents. Constructivism actually slows down the pace of learning for no real benefit other than to add additional work on to the student. They become good researchers however the time committed to inquiry based puts them at a disadvantage compared to the AP students who taught via direct instruction.
If you need more info I would suggest looking at the numerous studies that show these kids are at a disadvantage. Honestly, IB says they teach kids to think critically but the IB Cult never looks at the program with a critical eye. They wont tell you all of the problems that come with it. They wont tell you that your children will fall behind the longer they are in an inquiry based classroom.
Google: Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching
That, and it's a political indoctrination program for the United Nations.

MOMwithAbrain of NH 4:11PM June 02, 2011