Merits of the IB Program

[irenesme]

In a couple of weeks the school board for my district will be voting on whether to allow for an MYP program to be started at my high school where there is already a DP program.
This was supposed to take place at the last board meeting, but then the tabled the issue to appear in a town hall meeting scheduled for next tuesday.

Yet, I have recently heard that there will be a contigent of people who are going to try to end the IB program at Franklin. That would mean voting down the MYP program along with trying to take down the DP program.
The big argument is that the IB program is "elitist" and that it is sapping too much resources from the district and that they don't want to funnel precious money to fund the program.

I don't know if this is already in another thread, but I wanted to gather some information about the different merits of the IB program so that I could compile it to an email to a board member or present them at the town hall meeting.

[Abu]

Firstly I do not know why the IB program takes more resources than normal AP programs or something. It doesn't need super smart PhD teachers to teach, nor needs a different learning environment.

The IB has so much more to offer at the DP level, ECs via CAS and biggest of all for all you North American students is college credit for your universities.

[irenesme]

Hmm... it looks like they are now trying to squash the program at my school and put it at a more "safer" location of town.
That is a load of bull****, because I have encountered less crime at my school than at other locations at my town.

I honestly hope that we can convince all the board members about why the IB program is so great at the town hall meeting on Tuesday.

[SharkSpider]

[quote name='Aboo' post='36606' date='Feb 13 2009, 01:12 AM']Firstly I do not know why the IB program takes more resources than normal AP programs or something. It doesn't need super smart PhD teachers to teach, nor needs a different learning environment.

The IB has so much more to offer at the DP level, ECs via CAS and biggest of all for all you North American students is college credit for your universities.[/quote]
Language teachers need to mark internal assessments several times, and sit oral commentaries with each student, twice. Teachers are also expected to do extended essays, mark internal assessments for all subjects, and to pre-mark externally assessed assignments. Math teachers have to actually do the math portfolio assignments, and art teachers are expected to put in tons of out-of-class hours marking. The workload between an IB teacher and a non IB teacher is not comparable. That being said, the program itself needs a full time coordinator on staff, which is yet another expense. It takes more time and effort, and requires its own budget and administrators. That being said, the teachers at my school say that teaching IB is like being spoiled, because they don't put up with crap from students anymore.

Anyways, IB is seriously lacking in the science/math department. Private schools go way farther in math, and IB doesn't allow three sciences to be taken. These two things make it difficult for IB students to go to some Ivy league schools in math or science or business.

[Abu]

[quote name='SharkSpider' post='36699' date='Feb 14 2009, 04:52 PM']Language teachers need to mark internal assessments several times, and sit oral commentaries with each student, twice. Teachers are also expected to do extended essays, mark internal assessments for all subjects, and to pre-mark externally assessed assignments. Math teachers have to actually do the math portfolio assignments, and art teachers are expected to put in tons of out-of-class hours marking. The workload between an IB teacher and a non IB teacher is not comparable. That being said, the program itself needs a full time coordinator on staff, which is yet another expense. It takes more time and effort, and requires its own budget and administrators. That being said, the teachers at my school say that teaching IB is like being spoiled, because they don't put up with crap from students anymore.[/quote]

I was speaking from the experience at my school, where teachers are teaching IB as well as the normal high school diploma side by side, and the IBC is the history/TOK teacher and not an extra individual. It can be done with a normal sized budget, or maybe my school was doing a no frills IB?

[moneyfaery]

Likewise, the IBC is the HL/SL Art teacher here.

[hermine0817]

[quote name='SharkSpider' post='36699' date='Feb 14 2009, 09:52 AM']Anyways, IB is seriously lacking in the science/math department. Private schools go way farther in math, and IB doesn't allow three sciences to be taken. These two things make it difficult for IB students to go to some Ivy league schools in math or science or business.[/quote]

It is possible to take three science subjects. I did for instance.
Took seven subjects of course, but it is possible to take three science subjects and discard the social sicence (group 3 I think) instead.
In Sweden (I think), they allow you to do it because you need all three science subjects to study medicine.
Of course, you have to get an approval of the IBO, but it is nevertheless possible.

To the level of science and maths department, I personally think that we are far more advanced than Abitur people (the German programme) and a lot faster as well.
On top of that, maths portfolios and many, MANY science portfolios.
Wouldn't necessarily say that we are behind.