Dawn in Ohio Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Our public high school offers the International Baccalaureate program. My oldest child is in 6th grade right now, but I am looking ahead a few years and wondering if this might be something good for her to pursue. I don't know much about the program. Do any of you have experience with it? How difficult is the program? My daughter isn't super smart, but she works hard. Is it hard to get into an IB program? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Our public high school offers the International Baccalaureate program. My oldest child is in 6th grade right now, but I am looking ahead a few years and wondering if this might be something good for her to pursue. I don't know much about the program. Do any of you have experience with it? How difficult is the program? My daughter isn't super smart, but she works hard. Is it hard to get into an IB program? My older dd is in a pre-IB program now- just started this fall. (It's pre-IB for 9th & 10th grades because the actual IB program is only 2 years.) It was dd's idea to apply, but I encouraged it because it means being in classes with the most motivated students. For the school dd's at, I think about 2/3 of the kids who applied got accepted. About half the kids accepted drop out (of IB) before their senior year. I know some kids who graduated with an IB diploma over the last few years, and they are all doing great in college. They said IB was a LOT of work, but they feel it was worth it. It's not "busy work"- they really have to use their brains. IB has a reputation for having a heavy homework load, but so far it's not too bad for dd. This is good, because dd is planning to do 3 sports seasons. Here's a link to the IB website. Feel free to ask any more questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Me! Me! Me! I am an IB graduate and I cannot recommend it highly enough! As PiCo said it is hard work but so worth it. None of it was busy work. I felt that I was always learning. And it really made me think. I was so far ahead of my classmates when I started college that it wasn't even funny! My class did have a lot of drop outs (of those who started with me only 33% graduated) but I think in part it was because the IB was very new to my school and many students didn't know what it was about. They thought it sounded cool. I only felt overwhelmed by the work once and that is when I was writing my Extended Essay which is a research paper you have to write in a subject of your choosing. It is about 4000 words long. Now I laugh at how worried I was about it but then it felt overwhelming. What I found the most positive about it was that because we (the students) were motivated the teachers put in a lot of effort into us. I always felt like I could go to them for help and they would give me the time. Anything else feel free to ask. Oh and I am not the smartest cookie in the jar but I enjoy a challenge and hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 What I found the most positive about it was that because we (the students) were motivated the teachers put in a lot of effort into us. I always felt like I could go to them for help and they would give me the time. Yes- that's another benefit of IB. The teachers are all extremely motivated. They have to go through extra training to become "IB Certified", so you know they want to be exactly where they are. Dd's history teacher has a yahoo group where kids discuss current events or whatever they are doing in class. Biology teacher's website is so extensive it's almost rediculous. They are all just so "in" to whatever their subject is. It's so much more interesting to learn from a fanatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 It's an amazing opportunity. Our high school offers the IB program and is highly competitive to get into. It's offered as grade school, but the benefits are obvious when a student receives with 1-2 years of college credit at their high school graduation. Our babysitter received 35 credits and her parents were thrilled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 My ds just started a pre IB program this year. I know several IB graduates who are in college now. All are doing well. Academically the transition to college was quite easy. IB requires extensive writing and thinking. They have to explain their reasoning for every conclusion in every subject--even math. My ds is actually in a class with IB students this year, but as a ninth grader he will not get credit for it as IB. He's getting credit for French 4, but he does all the work the 11 and 12 graders are doing. It is his favorite class. His preIB classes are very demanding. The teachers want the students well prepared for IB. For a student to do well in IB, he must be extremely motivated and organized (ds is still trying to master organized). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in SC Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 My older dd is in a pre-IB program now- just started this fall. (It's pre-IB for 9th & 10th grades because the actual IB program is only 2 years.) It was dd's idea to apply, but I encouraged it because it means being in classes with the most motivated students. For the school dd's at, I think about 2/3 of the kids who applied got accepted. About half the kids accepted drop out (of IB) before their senior year. I know some kids who graduated with an IB diploma over the last few years, and they are all doing great in college. They said IB was a LOT of work, but they feel it was worth it. It's not "busy work"- they really have to use their brains. IB has a reputation for having a heavy homework load, but so far it's not too bad for dd. This is good, because dd is planning to do 3 sports seasons. Here's a link to the IB website. Feel free to ask any more questions! I am assuming that IB programs are only available to public schooled students. Is this correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I am assuming that IB programs are only available to public schooled students. Is this correct? No. There are private schools that offer them too. They wouldn't be available to home school students though if that is what you are asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in SC Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 No. There are private schools that offer them too. They wouldn't be available to home school students though if that is what you are asking. Yep. That's what I was asking. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percytruffle Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Hi Dawn. It sure looks and sounds like a great program academicaly. Our schools here in NY offer the IB program. I just wanted you to be aware that not everyone is equally behind the core values the program is founded around. I have no personal experience with the program nor do I have any opinion either way since I have never considered it for my own dc who were hs'ed all the way through hs. Here is some info to mull over just so you are informed about the opposition to the program. After all, there is always another side to each story and this program is no exception. ;) The International Baccalaureate Curriculum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I was in an IB high school for 10th and 11th grades... So one year that was a mix of pre-IB and IB courses, and another that was all IB courses. (I skipped my senior year to go to college, so I'm not an IB graduate, though I did have a couple of certificates... The IB courses I could have gotten credit for in college overlapped with my AP credits, so it wasn't helpful in terms of granting credit...) It was overall a positive experience. Certainly a much stronger curriculum than the other classes available at that public school. (On the other hand, I don't believe it was any more rigorous than the private prep school I attended in 9th grade...) I hear a range of opinions on the quantity of work required from students. Of course, you'll find that even with kids in the same classes. I put in very little effort and was at the top of my class when I left. I don't mean that as a brag -- if anything, I'm pretty ashamed of how little I got away with... But it was more than I would have done in standard classes (where I probably would have gone completely insane). As with any other curricula, the individual teachers are the most important element. English and math were very strong in the school where I went (and art was pretty strong too), but science was just pathetic and social studies and French were weaker than I would have liked. So even with IB hanging over them, some things were better than others. But overall, I would be comforted by the structure and oversight of IB in choosing a public school for my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 It sure looks and sounds like a great program academicaly. just so you are informed about the opposition to the program. After all, there is always another side to each story and this program is no exception. ;) The International Baccalaureate Curriculum Thanks for posting this. IB sounds like a highly academic, rigorous program (we have them here in NS, too), but I've always wondered if there were other things about it that I should consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Hi Dawn. It sure looks and sounds like a great program academicaly. Our schools here in NY offer the IB program. I just wanted you to be aware that not everyone is equally behind the core values the program is founded around. I have no personal experience with the program nor do I have any opinion either way since I have never considered it for my own dc who were hs'ed all the way through hs. Here is some info to mull over just so you are informed about the opposition to the program. After all, there is always another side to each story and this program is no exception. ;) The International Baccalaureate Curriculum Thanks for posting this, you beat me to it!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in Ohio Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 Very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate the feedback. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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