What International Baccalaureate (IB) Students Are Saying About IB
June 24, 2011
These remarks are from “Beyond IB Puffery, a work in progress”, a compilation of news and blog articles, quotes, and commentaries about the International Baccalaureate program. (Used with permission. Emphasis added by compiler.)
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– Excerpt from “Board meeting sees IB debate” By Maureen Donlan/Staff writer | Coeur d’Alene Press: [Idaho] | April 6, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 9:58 am, Fri Dec 10, 2010. http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_7113bf6b-fcf9-5cf7-88ef-b20f1c10dd7b.html
“It is clear to me that the IB program reflects a broader shift in the public school curriculum of many regions of this country, a shift toward a more relativistic, globalist and secular humanist world view,” said Tyler Smotherman, Coeur d’Alene High School’s student council president. “In my IB classes that I’ve taken, I’ve noticed a clear slant toward naturalism, socialism, radical environmentalism, pantheism, Buddhism, gay marriage, abortion rights and other topics that could be grossly categorized as progressive or leftist or what have you, and I say grossly because those words are really inadequate.”
Smotherman said he has also witnessed hostility toward some ideologies and belief systems like Christianity, American exceptionalism, traditional gender roles, capitalism, “and other topics that can be roughly categorized as more conservative.”
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— Posted by Harold Karns Nov 6, 2010 at 12:02 pm in the comment section of the editorial “Is un-American ideology really infiltrating BHS?,” IB Unleashed, 10/25/10] http://bhsunleashed.com/2010/10/25/is-un-american-ideology-really-infiltrating-bhs/comment-page-2/#comments
“I have to say to my fellow IB students, I’m at a loss here.
I can drum up critiques on IB, I’m not sure why no one else can.
IB teaches us to look at all sides of an issue. I think it’s worthwhile to look at the GOOD vs BAD when it comes to IB or any other issue.
I was disappointed in the American History class. I’m looking through some of the comments by the opponents of IB and quite frankly this is the first I’ve heard these arguments against IB. Now I kind of wish I had heard them PRIOR to signing up for IB.
It makes me angry that no one told me the GOOD vs BAD about IB prior to signing up.
I dropped out of the diploma program because I got sick of teaching myself. I continue to take IB classes, but I didn’t realize that this form of learning can actually put IB students behind AP students. That is news to me.
I now take AP courses and a couple of IB courses and will be graduating in the Spring.
I would encourage my fellow IB students to stop getting so defensive of IB and really look at the evidence that has been presented. Your knee jerk responses lack an open mind when it comes to discussing this program honestly.
Are there some good things I found with IB? Sure. I think it helps improve your writing skills. I think it gave me additional time to look deeper at some of the issues presented. I found the teachers (or as they call themsevles: Facilitators of learning) to be wonderful individuals.
However, I do feel I am a bit behind on some of my subjects compared to my AP peers. I do now see that the subjects discussed in my classes were to the “left” on the political spectrum. While many arguments were made, the topics themselves were handpicked for us by IB and definitely leaned to the “left”.
Is that brainwashing? I suppose for some kids they can be swayed. Let’s be honest about that. Others come with a set of values and beliefs and cannot be swayed one way or another.
I am an IB student who has always felt the need to look at all sides of an issue before weiging in on an opinion. I think it’s wise to keep an open mind to truth and facts. I find truth and facts going ignored by the Bedford IB students on this thread.
I think a better approach would have been to actually look at the arguments made against IB. Acknowledge the ones that are honest and truthful. Understand that in a tough economy, every dollar spent on education is valuable to taxpayers.
Taxpayers are angry right now at our government that is saddling us with this enormous debt. Those are issues that face our generation.
If the IB students cannot honestly discuss this program as IB students, then you have missed the point of IB. You’ve essentially confirmed what the opponents have been saying!”
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— From a post by _revol_ on 24 Jul 2007, 12:36. http://www.last.fm/group/International+Baccalaureate/forum/24099/_/308386
“IB is totally overrated, they don’t even care if you on’t hand in your cas diary, if you don’t do group 4 of if you don’t hand in enough bio practicals. It also doesn’t matter if your music teacher loses your performance tape and you have to re-record your performance, because they grade you on the better one anyway and they don’t REALLY listen to them.
It also doesn’t matter if you don’t meet extended essay deadlines and if you sit exams with complete disregard to the instructions on the paper. They give you the benefit of the doubt.
Also, a word to the wise, if you’re doing a psychology extended essay, MAKE THINGS UP. They consider this ‘analysis’ as opposed to just vomiting up information. You really don’t have to research anything. They advise you to write on a topic that particularly interests you as you will, in theory, become especially invested in the project. This is also a lie. It’s definitely a better idea to just pick something pretentious that requires minimum research.
also, if you are doing continuous assessment (in conjunction with IB- instead of exams) then you can just go ahead and not do any continuous assessment, it turns out it makes absolutely no difference.
Generally IB is just one big anti-climax”
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— Subject: A frustrating confrontation with IB,: James Liu: 3/25/2011
5:54 pm EDT, TAIB forum. http://truthaboutib.com/forum.html
[Maryland] “I am a senior at Seneca Valley High School right now, in Montgomery County, sometimes considered Maryland’s top school districts. However, that’s offset by the fact that my school has the lowest SAT scores in said county. Most students just go to the local community college, with some even being kicked out of there, and a sizeable number fail to graduate. Yet, we are somehow an IB World School. Of course, the reasons are actually quite apparent. Having the IB is what keeps this school funded. A far cry from the other IB in our county, Richard Montgomery (a truly rigorous magnet ranking in the top 100 nationally), our school is desperate; the first IB Diploma class will be the year after mine. We’ve had 3 different principals in the past 4 years I’ve attended. The administration is blindly adamant on pushing unqualified kids into AP and IB courses in an attempt to raise our school’s rankings.
Allow me to illustrate with numbers. With a PSAT of 229 and an SAT of 2230, I top both lists in my school, and am the only National Merit Semifinalists. Along with me, there are perhaps 20 others who pass their APs. My AP Language teacher from last year showed me the new numbers. Based on their 10th grade PSAT scores, over half of the incoming students fall in the lowest category, with a 0.3% chance of passing the exam. 0.3%, according to collegeboard’s own predictions. Why, then, are these students allowed to even take AP? Might I add that these same students FAILED their HSAs. If you don’t know, HSAs are a basic set of tests required in Maryland state for a student to graduate. In other words, even ESOL students, meaning non English-speaking students, are expected to pass. Last year, my year in AP Lang, out of 120 students, passing scores did not even amount to 30%, with only three 5’s. The contradiction here is blatant.
As a middle schooler, I concede that my grades were too poor to get into RM, despite more than sufficient test scores. At the time, I saw IB as just one other magnet, all of which share similar elitism. As a high schooler, the friends I stayed in contact with who went into the IB changed my impression into a more ominous one. However, I only really grew to oppose it after hearing the chatter through my teachers on its dark methodology, and participating in the program myself this year (though I’m certainly too late to pursue a Diploma). I won’t get into the details of other issues with IB such as the cost and ideology. Those are already well documented throughout TAIB. However,
I will share this anecdote:
Becoming fed up with the IB, I decided I would resist a bit. Having joined Journalism class this semester, I was presented with an opportunity: wouldn’t a news article be perfect for expressing dissent? No one had dared such a thing before, so I thought I might be the first. My initial draft was, admittedly, rhetoric-heavy. However, as my article dealt primarily with the tone and ideology, it was not as if statistics could be used to back me up (my friend decided to write a similar article but with a separate focus on finances), so my main backup consisted of quotes. Aside from my sources amongst teachers and students as well as my own experiences, I thankfully stumbled upon TAIB for direct quotes from IB officials. All was looking well.
After cutting down my article to accomodate the size limit (there was much more I’d have liked to add), I showed a preliminary draft to a few people, including my current Literature teacher. He in turn showed it to the second Literature teacher (note that there are two, in addition to IB), who after but a brief skim decided to come to me immediately. She ranted about my lack of sources, or at least lack of reliable ones. First of all, my sources were confidential, so she had no way of guessing at their credibility. Second, my sources included teachers with far more experience than her, in both teaching and IB itself. She also said how the article quotes were slanted towards students who disliked the IB. Well, in acuality I only included students who participated in the IB.
She then spent a few minutes (I was already quite late for my next class, ironically an IB one; she held me back during an in-between period) ranting about how my article should be in the Opinion section, not the Editorial section. First, this was blatant red herring. Second, the newspaper doesn’t even have an Opinion section; the Editorial section is reserved for opinionated pieces. Third, I don’t decide what section the article goes in, that choice is reserved for the editor in chief, which brings me to my fourth point, that this arrogant teacher has no experience or expertise whatsoever regarding journalism.
She then said how Seneca wasn’t a “real IB” anyway. I’m not sure what the point of that comment was, as it only undermined her own argument. Go figure. Anyway, I responded that I was late for class, and if she wanted to really respond, that she should do it in writing herself. I was then scolded for being disrespectful. I’m not sure why, as it was a legitimate suggestion. I’d already asked around, and other kids, even those in the IB, did not want to write a pro-IB response. This was because I’d already been asked to find a counterbalancing article by my journalism teacher.
I mentioned this, but they just dodged the point. While I’m on the subject of disrespect, I’ll say that the behavior of the teacher in this case was the real example of disrespect. To harass a student for having a different opinion without any prior research and then play the high ground is nothing short of pathetic.
Honestly, though, I somewhat expected such a thing to happen. It was the first major resistance to my article. However, I soon found that my article would not be published at all. The editor in chief notified me that the administration had expressed extreme dislike. He told me that although they had not explicitly forbidden my article from being published, the disapproval was explicit. He elaborated, saying that it was essentially a threat that if the article was published, the journalism program would be subject to extreme scrutiny in the future, if not removal altogether. I decided that this was not worth that much, so I agreed and let it go.
Most of all, I’m disappointed that the administration is so immature as to resort to such underhanded methods. I’d at least prefer if I had received a proper response to the article, or at least a notification in person, or even an email. But, I was offered no such basic courtesies. Though this will not affect me personally, it will affect th entire school for years to come, including many of my friends. I wrote the article as an attempt to instill at least some measure of doubt, so that the IB would be watched with a weary eye. It’s not as if I expected them to oust the program instantaneously. It seems, however, that any dissenting opinion is untolerable.”
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— Posted by Cos Cobber | Feb. 18, 2011 at 11:33 am (Posted in the comment section)
http://christopherfountain.com/2011/02/18/still-more-on-ib-and-its-agenda/
“I attended a public school here in the northeast which adopted many of the philosophies of the IB curriculum many years ago under a different governing body. Honors classes and tracking were eliminated (but AP classes reserved) and while our curriculum didn’t exactly change, the emphasis was shifted to large scale thesis driven projects covering multiple disciplines (projects combining science / math / history etc) vs keeping in subject in its own silo. The projects were largely student driven and for me fun as I was a curious sort. The challenge under this approach is that it requires keen judgment on the part of the teachers to steer the students back to meaningful projects, otherwise as another commented stated, you end up with embarrassing, unimpressive thesis projects. Needless to say, this approach also gives the teachers more latitude which allows for personal agendas to creep in. My school also had a fair amount of tension among the teachers and admin as many simply did not want to bother with collaborative projects.
Actually, looking back, my school did manage to maintain its eye on fundamentals in all disciplines but writing. In writing it seemed concepts and critical thinking ruled, while grammar and spelling were ignored. . . .”
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— Posted by Katie S. Oct 26, 2010 at 11:56 am in the comment section of the editorial “Is un-American ideology really infiltrating BHS?,” IB Unleashed, 10/25/10] http://bhsunleashed.com/2010/10/25/is-un-american-ideology-really-infiltrating-bhs/comment-page-2/#comments from http://bhsunleashed.com/2010/10/25/is-un-american-ideology-really-infiltrating-bhs/
“. . . – The grading on many of the tests, extended essay, and Theory of Knowledge Essay can be subjective. – In subjects like Physics, the European way of wording problems and presenting information is used, so it’s hard at times to understand what they are asking and what they expect from us.
– It’s hard to gain college credit for the courses. . . . “
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— Excerpt from “Why I think the IB sucks Part 1 – The 6 Subjects,”:By a Student. For Students. Posted Oct 5, 2009, http://th3studentsblog.wordpress.com/category/the-ib/ Also posted at the site: “Why I think the IB sucks Part 2 – Coursework,” Posted Oct 5, 2009; and “When you get that IB feeling,” Posted Sept 17, 2009
“. . . I think the IB is inefficient. It is well-rounded, but not efficient.
It may suit some. It is great for general knowledge. But those who want general knowledge will get it by themselves.
I also feel that the IB, although well rounded and widely spread around the biggest subjects, it doesn’t really fulfill some areas. It leaves some subjects completely superficial. Biggest example is TOK. TOK is very superficial. TOK tries to be philosophical. It tries to get you to think. But the whole “Areas of Knowledge” and “Ways of Knowing” are not only pointless, but conflict each other.
Some TOK teachers even feel TOK is a pointless subject, and that’s saying something. TOK will not benefit anything. Those who want to study philosphy at Uni will do it, with or without TOK. For the rest, it’s a waste of time.
CAS is another one. CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) tries bring out the creative, the active, and the servitude of people. The old system used hours. And basically students wouldn’t do CAS activities for the “greater good”, but for the freakin’ hours. . . . Agreed, some activities are indeed fun and useful, but it shouldn’t be a subject that should make or break you; i.e pass or fail your IB. . . ..”
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[California] High school students knock IB
By Jesse Duarte | Napa Valley Register | March 10, 2011 12:00 am
http://napavalleyregister.com/star/news/local/article_8b306270-4ae5-11e0-b742-001cc4c03286.html
Excerpt: More than 170 high school students are urging the St. Helena School Board to eliminate the International Baccalaureate program in favor of traditional Advanced Placement classes.
A letter signed by 177 high school students — about a third of the student body — says IB is unnecessary, impractical, and less useful to students than AP classes, which have mostly been phased out over the last few years.
[ . . . ]
The letter claims that IB doesn’t benefit the majority of high school students because “only a fraction of (the) student population is enrolled in an IB class.”
Only eight high school seniors are enrolled in the IB Diploma Program for juniors and seniors, but 110 students are enrolled in at least one IB class.
“The IB Diploma Program has essentially created an exclusive prep school within a public high school, funded with moneys that should be available for the benefit of all students,” the letter argues.
Students say the Diploma Program “isolates students from one another.”
“All juniors and seniors in the (diploma) program, and the majority of students taking more than one or two IB classes, are with the same students throughout the school day,” the letter states. “This contributes to a lack of student unity, and creates apathy as well as antipathy on campus.”
[ . . . ]
Students say the implementation of IB classes “has cut other much-needed classes, many of which were geared toward a wider array of students,” including vocational courses.
“In addition to cutting classes themselves, IB has eliminated the possibility of new classes in general, e.g., an anatomy/physiology course — SHHS is the only high school in the Napa-Santa Rosa area which does not offer anatomy,” the letter states.
[ . . . ]
Supporters of IB have said it values critical thinking and analysis more than AP, but students disagree.
“Certainly, IB encourages independent thought and analysis — but only if it results in a conclusion previously prescribed by the program,” students claim. “This serves to hinder true independent thought in students for fear of a failing grade.”
AP is far more likely than IB to be recognized by American colleges and universities, students added.
[ . . . ], , , students say that after two years, “it has become painfully obvious that the more parents and students learn of the IB program, the less they want to be involved.”
The letter concludes that the district should cut its losses rather than “continue to pour time, money and effort into a poor investment.”.
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[Florida] Gulf High School IB student, parents object to book
By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer | St. Petersburg Times | In Print: Sept 16, 2009
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/gulf-high-school-ib-student-parents-object-to-book/1036488
Excerpt: On the first day of classes, instead of handing English teacher Jan Ledman her 1,500-word paper, Marí turned in a note from her father, Rafael. It said the family agreed that Murakami’s book — described in part by Publisher’s Weekly as a detective story that moves to “explicit sexual fantasy” — was pornographic and that if the assignment had to be based on that novel, the assignment would not be forthcoming.
“If I was just sitting in their school parking lot and reading it to 14- to 16-year-old children, I’m sure the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office would want to have a word with me,” Rafael Mercado said of the passage he read.
The decision could cost his daughter dearly.
Deborah Lepley, Gulf High’s IB administrator, said the school had to tell the International Baccalaureate Organization years ago which novels the students would write essays about. If students do not write on the chosen texts, she said, they will get a zero, which could affect their chances to successfully complete an IB diploma.
Alicia Durbano, a diploma program manager for the International Baccalaureate program, said once a school selects books for the essay, those are the ones the students must use. But she stressed that the list of choices included more than 500 titles, and that it was up to the school to pick appropriately.
Other IB schools around the world have a variety of religions, cultures and backgrounds, Durbano noted. “They make selections of books that really comply with their values and ideals. It is not compulsory to choose those types of books. That is why the list is so large.”
One option for the Mercados, Ledman said, is for the parents to read the book and black out all the offensive words. That’s what another family did when it objected to the book two years ago, she said.
But the Mercados have declined that suggestion, saying they have no intention of subjecting themselves to more graphic sex descriptions. Besides, Marí observed, when the class discusses the book, the details are certain to come out, anyway.
Excerpt: Marí, a leader in the school’s Christian club who’s received recruitment letters from Yale and MIT, said she’s willing to give up on IB if it comes down to her being required to read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
“It’s not fair that I have to read something that I’m totally against,” she said. “If I have to drop out of IB, that’s something I have to do. I’m not going to read the book.”
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[California] Year two: IB pros and cons
By Joseph Mullin | Oct. 15, 2009 | The Gazette, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, CA
Issue Date: Oct 15, 2009 | Issue: 2009-10 Issue 2 | Last Update: Sept 21, 2010
http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/editionid/25605/articleid/300030/Year_two_IB_pros_and_cons.aspx
Excerpt: Oakmont band director Ritchey Hodge recalls the discussions surrounding the adoption of the IB program.
“IB representatives came over from other schools to tell us what it was about,” Hodge said. “None of those schools run a 4×4 schedule, and when we looked further into (the possibility of IB music,) they kind of laughed at us, (saying) it doesn’t work very well with the 4×4 schedule.”
The truth, Hodge said, is that IB and the 4×4 block don’t jive well with performance and other visual and performing arts classes. Because most on-campus programs have a performance or practice period during the day, most IB students don’t have room in their schedule to take the IB class and the performance class.
Despite these concerns, Roseville Joint Union High School District officials still decided to move forward with the adoption of the IB program. Both Granite Bay and Oakmont implemented the IB program at the beginning of last year, officially making both schools IB certified.
Excerpt: . . . critics have raised questions about the cost of having the program at two schools in the same district. Because the RJUHSD only receives additional money from interdistrict transfers, having the IB program at Oakmont and GBHS does not bring in any more money than the district would by having it at one school.
Excerpt: Another difference between the two programs is how they handle elective courses the IB students want to take.
“There’s been greater attention (given) to make sure that all or most (GBHS) IB students get an elective that they can choose,” Padgett said. “That seems to give them more of a normal high school (experience).”
The downside to offering an elective period during the day is that the IB-required Theory of Knowledge course was moved to a zero-period slot, requiring GBHS IB students to come in early to school a couple of days a week.
Oakmont, on the other hand, chose to fit all the IB classes into the school day.
“We work with (the IB students) the four periods of the day,” Mahoney said. “So as soon as 2:35 hits, the students can participate in whatever after-school curricular activities they want to be involved in.”
Excerpt: There are . . . concerns regarding the effect the IB program has had on other extra-curriculars. As the IB programs at GBHS and Oakmont grow, it will begin to affect more and more campus activities. Dan Nunes, an English teacher and the newspaper adviser at Oakmont, says he has seen the effects IB has had on his program.
“My journalism program went from predominantly juniors and senior AP Literature and Language kids (to) 75 to 80 percent sophomore IB students,” Nunes said. “It’s been beneficial in that I know I’m getting a younger crop of kids, but what’s frustrating and saddening to me is that I know that they’re probably not going to be able to take my class again, because they have their (IB) goals they have to meet.”
Excerpt: . . . for Hodge and other critics, having the IB program at two schools in the same district is a mistake – because of the damage that will be done to electives on both campuses.
“I think it’s ridiculous to have it at two schools,” Hodge said. “Why would you? If you have one school that’s an IB school, we’re probably going to have less electives, and it’s going to affect the whole school, but we know that’s going to happen at this one school.”
In other words, Hodge said, why do damage to two schools’ elective programs when it can be limited to one school?
The IB program has had other impacts on school and district policies, much to the dismay of some teachers in some departments.
For example, an IB student is currently taking government/ economics as an online course without having failed the class before, a practice usually prohibited by school and district policies.
Normally, online courses can only be taken for credit recovery, not to replace the on-campus version of the course. But government/economics teachers were told at a common assessment meeting three weeks ago that a GBHS IB student was taking the online class.
“The teacher that was teaching (the online course) basically said, ‘Someone’s taking it at your school already,’ which we were never told about,” said GBHS AP government and economics teacher Jarrod Westberg. “Is this something where the kids that end up going into (the IB) program can find any way out of … classes not structured with IB? It’s definitely a concern.”
“That’s something we’re wrestling with right now, because it wasn’t supposed to be an out,” Dell’Orto said. . . .
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Comments
(See comment section for “International Baccalaureate is Anti-American & Anti-Christian?” Feb. 22, 2006. About.com Pittsburgh)
http://pittsburgh.about.com/b/2006/02/22/international-baccalaureate-is-anti-american-anti-christian.htm
“The [IB] physics curriculum just cut out three and a half weeks of physics, replacing it with about four weeks of global warming type stuff.“ — (25) Steve, March 15, 2009 at 4:17 am
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[California] Why be IB? Now’s a bad time: Nonsensical move punishes all non-IB students
By Joseph Mullen [a sophomore, is a Gazette senior writer] 4/14/2008 5:06:00 PM
The Gazette, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, CA | Oct. 15, 2009 | Last Update: Sept. 21, 2010
http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/schoolid/35/articleid/221301/newspaperid/11/Why_be_IB_Now8217s_a_bad_time__Nonsensical_move_punishes_all_nonIB_students.aspx
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[Canada] AP vs. IB: Which Should You Take and Why?” by William Song | Youth Canada | Aug. 8, 2008
http://www.youthcanada.ca/article/ap-vs-ib-which-should-you-take-and-why
Excerpt: IB offers two main programs: the certificate program and the diploma program. In order to obtain an IB certificate, a candidate has to merely take at least one IB course and write an externally assessed exam at the end of the course in May. The diploma program is generally what is referred to by “IB”, and it consists of several requirements: 6 prescribed courses, a 4000 word Extended Essay, and a philosophyrequirement by the name of Theory of Knowledge. IB courses are divided into 6 main categories, and in order to satisfy the diploma requirements, a candidate must take one of each. Group 1 is the analysis of literature in the candidate’s first language. Group 2 is a slight introduction into a second language. Group 3 is a social science, spanning the gamut of courses from History to Geography to Psychology to Anthropology to Economics to Business and Management. Group 4 is an experimental science such as Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. Group 5 is mathematics and computer science, and Group 6 is a visual or performing arts course. Group 6 courses are, however, optional, and a candidate may substitute any other course for the arts course. Courses may be taken at Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL), indicating the difficulty of the course, but a candidate must only take 4HL’s and 2SL’s or 3HL’s and 3SL’s.
Excerpt: In terms of difficulty, I would say that AP is slightly more difficult, whereas the workload for IB is significantly greater. Having looked through AP Physics C and AP Calculus BC texts, I can attest to the fact that these courses cover more difficult material than the equivalents of IB Physics HL and IB Mathematics HL. However, whereas AP courses are yearlong courses, IB courses span over two years and cover a lot more material.
Assessment is slightly different in AP and IB. AP scores are solely determined by AP exams written in the month of May. IB scores are determined by both external and internal assessment, usually 80% external and 20% internal. External assessment entails exams written in May being sent out across the world to be graded by certified IB examiners. Internal assessment is assessment by the candidate’s teacher, and is heavily monitored to reduce bias. AP exams are graded on a scale of 1-5, whereas IB is graded from 1-7. It is worthy to note, however, that while up to 30% of candidates in a session may score a 5 on some AP exams, less than 10% of candidates are awarded 7’s in any IB subject. . . .
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[Arizona] Student comment about IB Diploma Program implementation
[The following appeared in the Arizona Daily Star online comments. Note: Marica Volpe served as the principal of Cholla High School in Tucson, Arizona. Volpe later left and hired at another local school district that is going through the IB DP application process. Emphasis added]
http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/comments/index.php?id=180759
10. Comment by Will H. (Steelers) May 2, 2007 @ 12:34PM
Marica Volpe is ruining Cholla High School. She is . . . forcing the teachers to teach classes that they are either not qualified to teach or that they are over qualified to teach. She is the cause of over 25 Cholla staff not returning next year. As a Cholla student I believe Marica Volpe is the cause of our school’s rapid deterioration, . . . She has attempted to strong-arm many teachers into teaching classes under the auspices of the new International Baccalaureate program, and if they refuse she takes from them the classes that they enjoy teaching, such as certain electives and A.P. classes. As a result, we lose some of our best teachers and our favorite classes are handed over to inexperienced teachers. . . .
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[Florida] The Disadvantages of IB
By Mirray Wassef | Gator Gazette. Land O’Lakes High School. Land O’Lakes, FL
Issue Date: Oct 1, 2006 | Issue: Fall Last Update: Jan, 23, 2007
http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/editionid/7513/articleid/3071/The_Disadvantages_of_IB.aspx
Excerpts: . . . in the first two years (Pre-IB), students are allowed one elective, whereas students who choose the standard high school diploma can choose up to three each year. Students in Pre-IB only have room for one elective, so if any of them want to take two different courses, they have to pick one for freshman year and one for sophomore year.
In IB students’ junior year, they are allowed an elective, but are limited to three choices: Theatre Arts, Chemistry II, and Physics III. These courses do fit the IB standards, but no English or History based electives are available. If someone is not interested in a career in science, and does not care much for acting, what on wanted to take a writing class to improve his writing skills, or if someone else would really like to study a specific course of history, the IB Program at the school is preventing him from taking courses he is really interested in studying. One thing about high school that is that students pick the courses they really want to study. If a student is in IB at here, he is not receiving is not privilege that all the other students have. For example, instead of having up to fourteen electives, IB students are only allowed two, plus one of the three they have to pick.
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“In IB we trust?” by Liam Julian | The Education Gadfly | Nov 3, 2005
http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/gadfly/issue.cfm?edition=&id=216#2542
Excerpt: As a 14-year-old, I was drawn to IB by its promises of educational exploration. When I attended freshman orientation, the teachers lavished praise on (and parents practically drooled over) IB’s blend of high expectations and achievement. It sounded fantastic: a college-like experience, where students are encouraged to question their teachers and probe for deeper knowledge, in high school. I trusted the promises and prepared to enter, finally, the world of real academic inquiry.
I soon learned, however, that academic inquiry was constrained by a curriculum that tried to be all things to all people. . . . Excerpt: The combination of politicized curriculum, obsessive focus on exams instead of learning, and rampant hypocrisy deeply upset me, . . .
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“America’s Failing Public School System” by Ashley Anderson | Sept 16, 2003 | NewsWithViews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/public_schools/public_schools10.htm
Excerpt: “. . . The Advanced Placement courses have now been replaced with IB classes,. . . In this class, we were assigned numerous short stories to read, mostly about the myths of other countries, and about their religions. This class bragged it was a higher-level class, in which advanced students could “maximize” their learning capacity. I was busy learning about the religions and cultures of other countries, but never knowing such authors as Henry van Dyke, Washington Irving, O. Henry, or even Henry Wadsworth Longfellow until I attended private school. These authors and others like Mark Twain and Emily Dickinson are purely American, and the basis for all literary writings in America to date. Why were they never taught to me? Even in the so-called advanced classes we never read “Rip van Winkle.” Instead, we were assigned books like “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, which gave the details of killing babies and living in a world where no one was special and a person’s worth was based on his/her ability to conform to the group. . . .”
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[Canada] OPINION: How do I hate IB? Let me Count the Ways
By Matthew F., Port Moody Secondary, Port Moody, BC | SNN Student Magazine | Jan. 2004
Originally published in the Port Moody Secondary Student Newspaper “BlueShift”
http://www2.sd43.bc.ca/portmoodysecondary/blueshift/index.htm
Excerpt: . . . I am proud to be an IB student, and I recommend it to anyone with the talent and the inclination necessary for it.
That being said, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is not immune from my wrath. They conspire to make an already difficult program more difficult by keeping students and teachers alike in the dark. I will relate to you a relatively boring anecdote about how this hatred began. You see, I took Math HL in 2002-2003 – my Grade 11 year. Being one of those strange students who enjoy mathematics, I wanted to take another math course my Grade 12 year, rather than let my math skills stagnate. Through the IB website, I discovered the existence of Further Mathematics SL, a course which seemed to fit the bill for my math needs. However, when I tried to find out more about this course, I ran into a brick wall. It seems the IBO refuses to even allow prospective students to see the syllabus for a given course. I was forced to ask a friend to find it for me. I finally found the syllabus, talked to the IB coordinator about taking the course, and everything progressed from there. However, the difficulty of what should have been a simple task was ridiculous. If I were to do this for the Advanced Placement (AP) program, this would be simple.
In fact, the AP provides past exams for free on their website. On the other hand, the IBO makes you pay, or beg your teachers/IB coordinator. Want to find out your component marks for IB courses you’ve already taken? Sorry. You’ll have to see your IB coordinator for that, and add to his already ridiculous workload.
Furthermore, you also do not always see the criterion you are graded against. For example, the two classes of students who took IB Chemistry SL in 2002-2003 were graded down 56% on their lab component because they did not know what criteria they were being graded against. I received 7 on the exam and a 2 on the lab work. There’s something wrong there, and it totally undermines the two years of hard work I put into that course.
Excerpt: . . . the IBO seems to be more concerned about making money than about the best interests of their students. If they would just be more open about the program, they could eliminate many of the headaches faced by IB students around the world. Considering that they receive in excess of $150 CDN per exam, as well as exorbitant registration fees, you would think that they could provide a free .PDF detailing their syllabi. Furthermore, would it be so onerous to mail out exam scores instead of having an online-only database which didn’t even work properly in July 2003 and caused me unnecessary hours of agony? . . .
These remarks are from “Beyond IB Puffery, a work in progress”, a compilation of news and blog articles, quotes, and commentaries about the International Baccalaureate program. (Used with permission. Emphasis added by compiler.)
====================== =================================
– Excerpt from “Board meeting sees IB debate” By Maureen Donlan/Staff writer | Coeur d’Alene Press: [Idaho] | April 6, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 9:58 am, Fri Dec 10, 2010. http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_7113bf6b-fcf9-5cf7-88ef-b20f1c10dd7b.html
“It is clear to me that the IB program reflects a broader shift in the public school curriculum of many regions of this country, a shift toward a more relativistic, globalist and secular humanist world view,” said Tyler Smotherman, Coeur d’Alene High School’s student council president. “In my IB classes that I’ve taken, I’ve noticed a clear slant toward naturalism, socialism, radical environmentalism, pantheism, Buddhism, gay marriage, abortion rights and other topics that could be grossly categorized as progressive or leftist or what have you, and I say grossly because those words are really inadequate.”
Smotherman said he has also witnessed hostility toward some ideologies and belief systems like Christianity, American exceptionalism, traditional gender roles, capitalism, “and other topics that can be roughly categorized as more conservative.”
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— Posted by Harold Karns Nov 6, 2010 at 12:02 pm in the comment section of the editorial “Is un-American ideology really infiltrating BHS?,” IB Unleashed, 10/25/10] http://bhsunleashed.com/2010/10/25/is-un-american-ideology-really-infiltrating-bhs/comment-page-2/#comments
“I have to say to my fellow IB students, I’m at a loss here.
I can drum up critiques on IB, I’m not sure why no one else can.
IB teaches us to look at all sides of an issue. I think it’s worthwhile to look at the GOOD vs BAD when it comes to IB or any other issue.
I was disappointed in the American History class. I’m looking through some of the comments by the opponents of IB and quite frankly this is the first I’ve heard these arguments against IB. Now I kind of wish I had heard them PRIOR to signing up for IB.
It makes me angry that no one told me the GOOD vs BAD about IB prior to signing up.
I dropped out of the diploma program because I got sick of teaching myself. I continue to take IB classes, but I didn’t realize that this form of learning can actually put IB students behind AP students. That is news to me.
I now take AP courses and a couple of IB courses and will be graduating in the Spring.
I would encourage my fellow IB students to stop getting so defensive of IB and really look at the evidence that has been presented. Your knee jerk responses lack an open mind when it comes to discussing this program honestly.
Are there some good things I found with IB? Sure. I think it helps improve your writing skills. I think it gave me additional time to look deeper at some of the issues presented. I found the teachers (or as they call themsevles: Facilitators of learning) to be wonderful individuals.
However, I do feel I am a bit behind on some of my subjects compared to my AP peers. I do now see that the subjects discussed in my classes were to the “left” on the political spectrum. While many arguments were made, the topics themselves were handpicked for us by IB and definitely leaned to the “left”.
Is that brainwashing? I suppose for some kids they can be swayed. Let’s be honest about that. Others come with a set of values and beliefs and cannot be swayed one way or another.
I am an IB student who has always felt the need to look at all sides of an issue before weiging in on an opinion. I think it’s wise to keep an open mind to truth and facts. I find truth and facts going ignored by the Bedford IB students on this thread.
I think a better approach would have been to actually look at the arguments made against IB. Acknowledge the ones that are honest and truthful. Understand that in a tough economy, every dollar spent on education is valuable to taxpayers.
Taxpayers are angry right now at our government that is saddling us with this enormous debt. Those are issues that face our generation.
If the IB students cannot honestly discuss this program as IB students, then you have missed the point of IB. You’ve essentially confirmed what the opponents have been saying!”
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— From a post by _revol_ on 24 Jul 2007, 12:36. http://www.last.fm/group/International+Baccalaureate/forum/24099/_/308386
“IB is totally overrated, they don’t even care if you on’t hand in your cas diary, if you don’t do group 4 of if you don’t hand in enough bio practicals. It also doesn’t matter if your music teacher loses your performance tape and you have to re-record your performance, because they grade you on the better one anyway and they don’t REALLY listen to them.
It also doesn’t matter if you don’t meet extended essay deadlines and if you sit exams with complete disregard to the instructions on the paper. They give you the benefit of the doubt.
Also, a word to the wise, if you’re doing a psychology extended essay, MAKE THINGS UP. They consider this ‘analysis’ as opposed to just vomiting up information. You really don’t have to research anything. They advise you to write on a topic that particularly interests you as you will, in theory, become especially invested in the project. This is also a lie. It’s definitely a better idea to just pick something pretentious that requires minimum research.
also, if you are doing continuous assessment (in conjunction with IB- instead of exams) then you can just go ahead and not do any continuous assessment, it turns out it makes absolutely no difference.
Generally IB is just one big anti-climax”
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— Subject: A frustrating confrontation with IB,: James Liu: 3/25/2011
5:54 pm EDT, TAIB forum. http://truthaboutib.com/forum.html
[Maryland] “I am a senior at Seneca Valley High School right now, in Montgomery County, sometimes considered Maryland’s top school districts. However, that’s offset by the fact that my school has the lowest SAT scores in said county. Most students just go to the local community college, with some even being kicked out of there, and a sizeable number fail to graduate. Yet, we are somehow an IB World School. Of course, the reasons are actually quite apparent. Having the IB is what keeps this school funded. A far cry from the other IB in our county, Richard Montgomery (a truly rigorous magnet ranking in the top 100 nationally), our school is desperate; the first IB Diploma class will be the year after mine. We’ve had 3 different principals in the past 4 years I’ve attended. The administration is blindly adamant on pushing unqualified kids into AP and IB courses in an attempt to raise our school’s rankings.
Allow me to illustrate with numbers. With a PSAT of 229 and an SAT of 2230, I top both lists in my school, and am the only National Merit Semifinalists. Along with me, there are perhaps 20 others who pass their APs. My AP Language teacher from last year showed me the new numbers. Based on their 10th grade PSAT scores, over half of the incoming students fall in the lowest category, with a 0.3% chance of passing the exam. 0.3%, according to collegeboard’s own predictions. Why, then, are these students allowed to even take AP? Might I add that these same students FAILED their HSAs. If you don’t know, HSAs are a basic set of tests required in Maryland state for a student to graduate. In other words, even ESOL students, meaning non English-speaking students, are expected to pass. Last year, my year in AP Lang, out of 120 students, passing scores did not even amount to 30%, with only three 5’s. The contradiction here is blatant.
As a middle schooler, I concede that my grades were too poor to get into RM, despite more than sufficient test scores. At the time, I saw IB as just one other magnet, all of which share similar elitism. As a high schooler, the friends I stayed in contact with who went into the IB changed my impression into a more ominous one. However, I only really grew to oppose it after hearing the chatter through my teachers on its dark methodology, and participating in the program myself this year (though I’m certainly too late to pursue a Diploma). I won’t get into the details of other issues with IB such as the cost and ideology. Those are already well documented throughout TAIB. However,
I will share this anecdote:
Becoming fed up with the IB, I decided I would resist a bit. Having joined Journalism class this semester, I was presented with an opportunity: wouldn’t a news article be perfect for expressing dissent? No one had dared such a thing before, so I thought I might be the first. My initial draft was, admittedly, rhetoric-heavy. However, as my article dealt primarily with the tone and ideology, it was not as if statistics could be used to back me up (my friend decided to write a similar article but with a separate focus on finances), so my main backup consisted of quotes. Aside from my sources amongst teachers and students as well as my own experiences, I thankfully stumbled upon TAIB for direct quotes from IB officials. All was looking well.
After cutting down my article to accomodate the size limit (there was much more I’d have liked to add), I showed a preliminary draft to a few people, including my current Literature teacher. He in turn showed it to the second Literature teacher (note that there are two, in addition to IB), who after but a brief skim decided to come to me immediately. She ranted about my lack of sources, or at least lack of reliable ones. First of all, my sources were confidential, so she had no way of guessing at their credibility. Second, my sources included teachers with far more experience than her, in both teaching and IB itself. She also said how the article quotes were slanted towards students who disliked the IB. Well, in acuality I only included students who participated in the IB.
She then spent a few minutes (I was already quite late for my next class, ironically an IB one; she held me back during an in-between period) ranting about how my article should be in the Opinion section, not the Editorial section. First, this was blatant red herring. Second, the newspaper doesn’t even have an Opinion section; the Editorial section is reserved for opinionated pieces. Third, I don’t decide what section the article goes in, that choice is reserved for the editor in chief, which brings me to my fourth point, that this arrogant teacher has no experience or expertise whatsoever regarding journalism.
She then said how Seneca wasn’t a “real IB” anyway. I’m not sure what the point of that comment was, as it only undermined her own argument. Go figure. Anyway, I responded that I was late for class, and if she wanted to really respond, that she should do it in writing herself. I was then scolded for being disrespectful. I’m not sure why, as it was a legitimate suggestion. I’d already asked around, and other kids, even those in the IB, did not want to write a pro-IB response. This was because I’d already been asked to find a counterbalancing article by my journalism teacher.
I mentioned this, but they just dodged the point. While I’m on the subject of disrespect, I’ll say that the behavior of the teacher in this case was the real example of disrespect. To harass a student for having a different opinion without any prior research and then play the high ground is nothing short of pathetic.
Honestly, though, I somewhat expected such a thing to happen. It was the first major resistance to my article. However, I soon found that my article would not be published at all. The editor in chief notified me that the administration had expressed extreme dislike. He told me that although they had not explicitly forbidden my article from being published, the disapproval was explicit. He elaborated, saying that it was essentially a threat that if the article was published, the journalism program would be subject to extreme scrutiny in the future, if not removal altogether. I decided that this was not worth that much, so I agreed and let it go.
Most of all, I’m disappointed that the administration is so immature as to resort to such underhanded methods. I’d at least prefer if I had received a proper response to the article, or at least a notification in person, or even an email. But, I was offered no such basic courtesies. Though this will not affect me personally, it will affect th entire school for years to come, including many of my friends. I wrote the article as an attempt to instill at least some measure of doubt, so that the IB would be watched with a weary eye. It’s not as if I expected them to oust the program instantaneously. It seems, however, that any dissenting opinion is untolerable.”
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— Posted by Cos Cobber | Feb. 18, 2011 at 11:33 am (Posted in the comment section)
http://christopherfountain.com/2011/02/18/still-more-on-ib-and-its-agenda/
“I attended a public school here in the northeast which adopted many of the philosophies of the IB curriculum many years ago under a different governing body. Honors classes and tracking were eliminated (but AP classes reserved) and while our curriculum didn’t exactly change, the emphasis was shifted to large scale thesis driven projects covering multiple disciplines (projects combining science / math / history etc) vs keeping in subject in its own silo. The projects were largely student driven and for me fun as I was a curious sort. The challenge under this approach is that it requires keen judgment on the part of the teachers to steer the students back to meaningful projects, otherwise as another commented stated, you end up with embarrassing, unimpressive thesis projects. Needless to say, this approach also gives the teachers more latitude which allows for personal agendas to creep in. My school also had a fair amount of tension among the teachers and admin as many simply did not want to bother with collaborative projects.
Actually, looking back, my school did manage to maintain its eye on fundamentals in all disciplines but writing. In writing it seemed concepts and critical thinking ruled, while grammar and spelling were ignored. . . .”
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— Posted by Katie S. Oct 26, 2010 at 11:56 am in the comment section of the editorial “Is un-American ideology really infiltrating BHS?,” IB Unleashed, 10/25/10] http://bhsunleashed.com/2010/10/25/is-un-american-ideology-really-infiltrating-bhs/comment-page-2/#comments from http://bhsunleashed.com/2010/10/25/is-un-american-ideology-really-infiltrating-bhs/
“. . . – The grading on many of the tests, extended essay, and Theory of Knowledge Essay can be subjective. – In subjects like Physics, the European way of wording problems and presenting information is used, so it’s hard at times to understand what they are asking and what they expect from us.
– It’s hard to gain college credit for the courses. . . . “
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— Excerpt from “Why I think the IB sucks Part 1 – The 6 Subjects,”:By a Student. For Students. Posted Oct 5, 2009, http://th3studentsblog.wordpress.com/category/the-ib/ Also posted at the site: “Why I think the IB sucks Part 2 – Coursework,” Posted Oct 5, 2009; and “When you get that IB feeling,” Posted Sept 17, 2009
“. . . I think the IB is inefficient. It is well-rounded, but not efficient.
It may suit some. It is great for general knowledge. But those who want general knowledge will get it by themselves.
I also feel that the IB, although well rounded and widely spread around the biggest subjects, it doesn’t really fulfill some areas. It leaves some subjects completely superficial. Biggest example is TOK. TOK is very superficial. TOK tries to be philosophical. It tries to get you to think. But the whole “Areas of Knowledge” and “Ways of Knowing” are not only pointless, but conflict each other.
Some TOK teachers even feel TOK is a pointless subject, and that’s saying something. TOK will not benefit anything. Those who want to study philosphy at Uni will do it, with or without TOK. For the rest, it’s a waste of time.
CAS is another one. CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) tries bring out the creative, the active, and the servitude of people. The old system used hours. And basically students wouldn’t do CAS activities for the “greater good”, but for the freakin’ hours. . . . Agreed, some activities are indeed fun and useful, but it shouldn’t be a subject that should make or break you; i.e pass or fail your IB. . . ..”
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[California] High school students knock IB
By Jesse Duarte | Napa Valley Register | March 10, 2011 12:00 am
http://napavalleyregister.com/star/news/local/article_8b306270-4ae5-11e0-b742-001cc4c03286.html
Excerpt: More than 170 high school students are urging the St. Helena School Board to eliminate the International Baccalaureate program in favor of traditional Advanced Placement classes.
A letter signed by 177 high school students — about a third of the student body — says IB is unnecessary, impractical, and less useful to students than AP classes, which have mostly been phased out over the last few years.
[ . . . ]
The letter claims that IB doesn’t benefit the majority of high school students because “only a fraction of (the) student population is enrolled in an IB class.”
Only eight high school seniors are enrolled in the IB Diploma Program for juniors and seniors, but 110 students are enrolled in at least one IB class.
“The IB Diploma Program has essentially created an exclusive prep school within a public high school, funded with moneys that should be available for the benefit of all students,” the letter argues.
Students say the Diploma Program “isolates students from one another.”
“All juniors and seniors in the (diploma) program, and the majority of students taking more than one or two IB classes, are with the same students throughout the school day,” the letter states. “This contributes to a lack of student unity, and creates apathy as well as antipathy on campus.”
[ . . . ]
Students say the implementation of IB classes “has cut other much-needed classes, many of which were geared toward a wider array of students,” including vocational courses.
“In addition to cutting classes themselves, IB has eliminated the possibility of new classes in general, e.g., an anatomy/physiology course — SHHS is the only high school in the Napa-Santa Rosa area which does not offer anatomy,” the letter states.
[ . . . ]
Supporters of IB have said it values critical thinking and analysis more than AP, but students disagree.
“Certainly, IB encourages independent thought and analysis — but only if it results in a conclusion previously prescribed by the program,” students claim. “This serves to hinder true independent thought in students for fear of a failing grade.”
AP is far more likely than IB to be recognized by American colleges and universities, students added.
[ . . . ], , , students say that after two years, “it has become painfully obvious that the more parents and students learn of the IB program, the less they want to be involved.”
The letter concludes that the district should cut its losses rather than “continue to pour time, money and effort into a poor investment.”.
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[Florida] Gulf High School IB student, parents object to book
By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer | St. Petersburg Times | In Print: Sept 16, 2009
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/gulf-high-school-ib-student-parents-object-to-book/1036488
Excerpt: On the first day of classes, instead of handing English teacher Jan Ledman her 1,500-word paper, Marí turned in a note from her father, Rafael. It said the family agreed that Murakami’s book — described in part by Publisher’s Weekly as a detective story that moves to “explicit sexual fantasy” — was pornographic and that if the assignment had to be based on that novel, the assignment would not be forthcoming.
“If I was just sitting in their school parking lot and reading it to 14- to 16-year-old children, I’m sure the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office would want to have a word with me,” Rafael Mercado said of the passage he read.
The decision could cost his daughter dearly.
Deborah Lepley, Gulf High’s IB administrator, said the school had to tell the International Baccalaureate Organization years ago which novels the students would write essays about. If students do not write on the chosen texts, she said, they will get a zero, which could affect their chances to successfully complete an IB diploma.
Alicia Durbano, a diploma program manager for the International Baccalaureate program, said once a school selects books for the essay, those are the ones the students must use. But she stressed that the list of choices included more than 500 titles, and that it was up to the school to pick appropriately.
Other IB schools around the world have a variety of religions, cultures and backgrounds, Durbano noted. “They make selections of books that really comply with their values and ideals. It is not compulsory to choose those types of books. That is why the list is so large.”
One option for the Mercados, Ledman said, is for the parents to read the book and black out all the offensive words. That’s what another family did when it objected to the book two years ago, she said.
But the Mercados have declined that suggestion, saying they have no intention of subjecting themselves to more graphic sex descriptions. Besides, Marí observed, when the class discusses the book, the details are certain to come out, anyway.
Excerpt: Marí, a leader in the school’s Christian club who’s received recruitment letters from Yale and MIT, said she’s willing to give up on IB if it comes down to her being required to read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
“It’s not fair that I have to read something that I’m totally against,” she said. “If I have to drop out of IB, that’s something I have to do. I’m not going to read the book.”
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[California] Year two: IB pros and cons
By Joseph Mullin | Oct. 15, 2009 | The Gazette, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, CA
Issue Date: Oct 15, 2009 | Issue: 2009-10 Issue 2 | Last Update: Sept 21, 2010
http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/editionid/25605/articleid/300030/Year_two_IB_pros_and_cons.aspx
Excerpt: Oakmont band director Ritchey Hodge recalls the discussions surrounding the adoption of the IB program.
“IB representatives came over from other schools to tell us what it was about,” Hodge said. “None of those schools run a 4×4 schedule, and when we looked further into (the possibility of IB music,) they kind of laughed at us, (saying) it doesn’t work very well with the 4×4 schedule.”
The truth, Hodge said, is that IB and the 4×4 block don’t jive well with performance and other visual and performing arts classes. Because most on-campus programs have a performance or practice period during the day, most IB students don’t have room in their schedule to take the IB class and the performance class.
Despite these concerns, Roseville Joint Union High School District officials still decided to move forward with the adoption of the IB program. Both Granite Bay and Oakmont implemented the IB program at the beginning of last year, officially making both schools IB certified.
Excerpt: . . . critics have raised questions about the cost of having the program at two schools in the same district. Because the RJUHSD only receives additional money from interdistrict transfers, having the IB program at Oakmont and GBHS does not bring in any more money than the district would by having it at one school.
Excerpt: Another difference between the two programs is how they handle elective courses the IB students want to take.
“There’s been greater attention (given) to make sure that all or most (GBHS) IB students get an elective that they can choose,” Padgett said. “That seems to give them more of a normal high school (experience).”
The downside to offering an elective period during the day is that the IB-required Theory of Knowledge course was moved to a zero-period slot, requiring GBHS IB students to come in early to school a couple of days a week.
Oakmont, on the other hand, chose to fit all the IB classes into the school day.
“We work with (the IB students) the four periods of the day,” Mahoney said. “So as soon as 2:35 hits, the students can participate in whatever after-school curricular activities they want to be involved in.”
Excerpt: There are . . . concerns regarding the effect the IB program has had on other extra-curriculars. As the IB programs at GBHS and Oakmont grow, it will begin to affect more and more campus activities. Dan Nunes, an English teacher and the newspaper adviser at Oakmont, says he has seen the effects IB has had on his program.
“My journalism program went from predominantly juniors and senior AP Literature and Language kids (to) 75 to 80 percent sophomore IB students,” Nunes said. “It’s been beneficial in that I know I’m getting a younger crop of kids, but what’s frustrating and saddening to me is that I know that they’re probably not going to be able to take my class again, because they have their (IB) goals they have to meet.”
Excerpt: . . . for Hodge and other critics, having the IB program at two schools in the same district is a mistake – because of the damage that will be done to electives on both campuses.
“I think it’s ridiculous to have it at two schools,” Hodge said. “Why would you? If you have one school that’s an IB school, we’re probably going to have less electives, and it’s going to affect the whole school, but we know that’s going to happen at this one school.”
In other words, Hodge said, why do damage to two schools’ elective programs when it can be limited to one school?
The IB program has had other impacts on school and district policies, much to the dismay of some teachers in some departments.
For example, an IB student is currently taking government/ economics as an online course without having failed the class before, a practice usually prohibited by school and district policies.
Normally, online courses can only be taken for credit recovery, not to replace the on-campus version of the course. But government/economics teachers were told at a common assessment meeting three weeks ago that a GBHS IB student was taking the online class.
“The teacher that was teaching (the online course) basically said, ‘Someone’s taking it at your school already,’ which we were never told about,” said GBHS AP government and economics teacher Jarrod Westberg. “Is this something where the kids that end up going into (the IB) program can find any way out of … classes not structured with IB? It’s definitely a concern.”
“That’s something we’re wrestling with right now, because it wasn’t supposed to be an out,” Dell’Orto said. . . .
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Comments
(See comment section for “International Baccalaureate is Anti-American & Anti-Christian?” Feb. 22, 2006. About.com Pittsburgh)
http://pittsburgh.about.com/b/2006/02/22/international-baccalaureate-is-anti-american-anti-christian.htm
“The [IB] physics curriculum just cut out three and a half weeks of physics, replacing it with about four weeks of global warming type stuff.“ — (25) Steve, March 15, 2009 at 4:17 am
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[California] Why be IB? Now’s a bad time: Nonsensical move punishes all non-IB students
By Joseph Mullen [a sophomore, is a Gazette senior writer] 4/14/2008 5:06:00 PM
The Gazette, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, CA | Oct. 15, 2009 | Last Update: Sept. 21, 2010
http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/schoolid/35/articleid/221301/newspaperid/11/Why_be_IB_Now8217s_a_bad_time__Nonsensical_move_punishes_all_nonIB_students.aspx
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[Canada] AP vs. IB: Which Should You Take and Why?” by William Song | Youth Canada | Aug. 8, 2008
http://www.youthcanada.ca/article/ap-vs-ib-which-should-you-take-and-why
Excerpt: IB offers two main programs: the certificate program and the diploma program. In order to obtain an IB certificate, a candidate has to merely take at least one IB course and write an externally assessed exam at the end of the course in May. The diploma program is generally what is referred to by “IB”, and it consists of several requirements: 6 prescribed courses, a 4000 word Extended Essay, and a philosophyrequirement by the name of Theory of Knowledge. IB courses are divided into 6 main categories, and in order to satisfy the diploma requirements, a candidate must take one of each. Group 1 is the analysis of literature in the candidate’s first language. Group 2 is a slight introduction into a second language. Group 3 is a social science, spanning the gamut of courses from History to Geography to Psychology to Anthropology to Economics to Business and Management. Group 4 is an experimental science such as Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. Group 5 is mathematics and computer science, and Group 6 is a visual or performing arts course. Group 6 courses are, however, optional, and a candidate may substitute any other course for the arts course. Courses may be taken at Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL), indicating the difficulty of the course, but a candidate must only take 4HL’s and 2SL’s or 3HL’s and 3SL’s.
Excerpt: In terms of difficulty, I would say that AP is slightly more difficult, whereas the workload for IB is significantly greater. Having looked through AP Physics C and AP Calculus BC texts, I can attest to the fact that these courses cover more difficult material than the equivalents of IB Physics HL and IB Mathematics HL. However, whereas AP courses are yearlong courses, IB courses span over two years and cover a lot more material.
Assessment is slightly different in AP and IB. AP scores are solely determined by AP exams written in the month of May. IB scores are determined by both external and internal assessment, usually 80% external and 20% internal. External assessment entails exams written in May being sent out across the world to be graded by certified IB examiners. Internal assessment is assessment by the candidate’s teacher, and is heavily monitored to reduce bias. AP exams are graded on a scale of 1-5, whereas IB is graded from 1-7. It is worthy to note, however, that while up to 30% of candidates in a session may score a 5 on some AP exams, less than 10% of candidates are awarded 7’s in any IB subject. . . .
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[Arizona] Student comment about IB Diploma Program implementation
[The following appeared in the Arizona Daily Star online comments. Note: Marica Volpe served as the principal of Cholla High School in Tucson, Arizona. Volpe later left and hired at another local school district that is going through the IB DP application process. Emphasis added]
http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/comments/index.php?id=180759
10. Comment by Will H. (Steelers) May 2, 2007 @ 12:34PM
Marica Volpe is ruining Cholla High School. She is . . . forcing the teachers to teach classes that they are either not qualified to teach or that they are over qualified to teach. She is the cause of over 25 Cholla staff not returning next year. As a Cholla student I believe Marica Volpe is the cause of our school’s rapid deterioration, . . . She has attempted to strong-arm many teachers into teaching classes under the auspices of the new International Baccalaureate program, and if they refuse she takes from them the classes that they enjoy teaching, such as certain electives and A.P. classes. As a result, we lose some of our best teachers and our favorite classes are handed over to inexperienced teachers. . . .
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[Florida] The Disadvantages of IB
By Mirray Wassef | Gator Gazette. Land O’Lakes High School. Land O’Lakes, FL
Issue Date: Oct 1, 2006 | Issue: Fall Last Update: Jan, 23, 2007
http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/editionid/7513/articleid/3071/The_Disadvantages_of_IB.aspx
Excerpts: . . . in the first two years (Pre-IB), students are allowed one elective, whereas students who choose the standard high school diploma can choose up to three each year. Students in Pre-IB only have room for one elective, so if any of them want to take two different courses, they have to pick one for freshman year and one for sophomore year.
In IB students’ junior year, they are allowed an elective, but are limited to three choices: Theatre Arts, Chemistry II, and Physics III. These courses do fit the IB standards, but no English or History based electives are available. If someone is not interested in a career in science, and does not care much for acting, what on wanted to take a writing class to improve his writing skills, or if someone else would really like to study a specific course of history, the IB Program at the school is preventing him from taking courses he is really interested in studying. One thing about high school that is that students pick the courses they really want to study. If a student is in IB at here, he is not receiving is not privilege that all the other students have. For example, instead of having up to fourteen electives, IB students are only allowed two, plus one of the three they have to pick.
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“In IB we trust?” by Liam Julian | The Education Gadfly | Nov 3, 2005
http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/gadfly/issue.cfm?edition=&id=216#2542
Excerpt: As a 14-year-old, I was drawn to IB by its promises of educational exploration. When I attended freshman orientation, the teachers lavished praise on (and parents practically drooled over) IB’s blend of high expectations and achievement. It sounded fantastic: a college-like experience, where students are encouraged to question their teachers and probe for deeper knowledge, in high school. I trusted the promises and prepared to enter, finally, the world of real academic inquiry.
I soon learned, however, that academic inquiry was constrained by a curriculum that tried to be all things to all people. . . . Excerpt: The combination of politicized curriculum, obsessive focus on exams instead of learning, and rampant hypocrisy deeply upset me, . . .
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“America’s Failing Public School System” by Ashley Anderson | Sept 16, 2003 | NewsWithViews.com
http://www.newswithviews.com/public_schools/public_schools10.htm
Excerpt: “. . . The Advanced Placement courses have now been replaced with IB classes,. . . In this class, we were assigned numerous short stories to read, mostly about the myths of other countries, and about their religions. This class bragged it was a higher-level class, in which advanced students could “maximize” their learning capacity. I was busy learning about the religions and cultures of other countries, but never knowing such authors as Henry van Dyke, Washington Irving, O. Henry, or even Henry Wadsworth Longfellow until I attended private school. These authors and others like Mark Twain and Emily Dickinson are purely American, and the basis for all literary writings in America to date. Why were they never taught to me? Even in the so-called advanced classes we never read “Rip van Winkle.” Instead, we were assigned books like “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, which gave the details of killing babies and living in a world where no one was special and a person’s worth was based on his/her ability to conform to the group. . . .”
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[Canada] OPINION: How do I hate IB? Let me Count the Ways
By Matthew F., Port Moody Secondary, Port Moody, BC | SNN Student Magazine | Jan. 2004
Originally published in the Port Moody Secondary Student Newspaper “BlueShift”
http://www2.sd43.bc.ca/portmoodysecondary/blueshift/index.htm
Excerpt: . . . I am proud to be an IB student, and I recommend it to anyone with the talent and the inclination necessary for it.
That being said, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is not immune from my wrath. They conspire to make an already difficult program more difficult by keeping students and teachers alike in the dark. I will relate to you a relatively boring anecdote about how this hatred began. You see, I took Math HL in 2002-2003 – my Grade 11 year. Being one of those strange students who enjoy mathematics, I wanted to take another math course my Grade 12 year, rather than let my math skills stagnate. Through the IB website, I discovered the existence of Further Mathematics SL, a course which seemed to fit the bill for my math needs. However, when I tried to find out more about this course, I ran into a brick wall. It seems the IBO refuses to even allow prospective students to see the syllabus for a given course. I was forced to ask a friend to find it for me. I finally found the syllabus, talked to the IB coordinator about taking the course, and everything progressed from there. However, the difficulty of what should have been a simple task was ridiculous. If I were to do this for the Advanced Placement (AP) program, this would be simple.
In fact, the AP provides past exams for free on their website. On the other hand, the IBO makes you pay, or beg your teachers/IB coordinator. Want to find out your component marks for IB courses you’ve already taken? Sorry. You’ll have to see your IB coordinator for that, and add to his already ridiculous workload.
Furthermore, you also do not always see the criterion you are graded against. For example, the two classes of students who took IB Chemistry SL in 2002-2003 were graded down 56% on their lab component because they did not know what criteria they were being graded against. I received 7 on the exam and a 2 on the lab work. There’s something wrong there, and it totally undermines the two years of hard work I put into that course.
Excerpt: . . . the IBO seems to be more concerned about making money than about the best interests of their students. If they would just be more open about the program, they could eliminate many of the headaches faced by IB students around the world. Considering that they receive in excess of $150 CDN per exam, as well as exorbitant registration fees, you would think that they could provide a free .PDF detailing their syllabi. Furthermore, would it be so onerous to mail out exam scores instead of having an online-only database which didn’t even work properly in July 2003 and caused me unnecessary hours of agony? . . .