TAIB is pleased to see that the active and concerned members of FairfaxCAPS are continuing their battle to provide fair and balanced information to fellow parents of children in Fairfax County schools.
The following is an excellent side by side comparison of AP and IB. In TAIB's opinion, everything stated in this document is true and accurate:
TAIB believes that FairfaxCAPS only referred to an IB Certificate "programme" for convenience of wording. The documents make it perfectly clear that there is no such animal as an IB Certificate Programme and that IB Certificates are nothing more than grade reports or certificates of participation which are issued regardless of whether or not a student passes the IB exam.
FairfaxCaps Looks at Facts, Not Rhetoric 08/07/09
With the 09-10 school year fast approaching, Fairfax County parents must weigh the political rhetoric of the IB Programme with the actual results from schools with AP. TAIB would like to congratulate FairfaxCaps for its fair and balanced research and help parents to make wise choices for their childrens' futures.
TAIB would like to add to FairfaxCaps' excellent presentation by providing a recent comparison of AP/IB college credits compiled by our friend The Anti-Corruption Republican in Texas.
It's been a while since I've commented on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, the latest fad to dumb down schools. So let's look at a recent article from the Santa Ynez Valley (Calif.) Journal. In a pattern repeated around the world, parents seem to see that the IB Program is not what is advertised, but administrators and school boards seem to love it:
One parent at the meeting said certain students shouldn’t be forced to participate and deemed the program a “waste of time.”
Board member Jeffrey Little disagreed, noting that big-name colleges such as the University of Texas are impressed by students with International Baccalaureate credentials. If money is a problem, he said, perhaps it’s time to prioritize the budget.
Some might find it odd that Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District board member Jeffery Little touts how the University of Texas is impressed with IB Program. Since the Santa Ynez Valley is in California, why didn't Mr. Little mention how the highly regarded University of California system views the IB Program? I suspect the answer is because parents in the Santa Ynez Valley know that the UC schools give more valuable credit to students who go through the Advanced Placement (AP) Program. Mr. Little hopes that no one will check his assertion on how the University of Texas treats the IB Program. Like California's public universities, public universities in Texas universally prefer the AP Program. Let's compare:
CREDIT EARNED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
English: AP English Comp./Lit.: RHE 306 (writing), E 316K (literature) IB HL English: E 316K (literature)
CLEAR ADVANTAGE TO THE AP PROGRAM
::
Math AP Calculus BC: M 408K, 408L IB HL Math: M 408C
Commentary: M 408K and 408L are the first two semesters of calculus in a three semester sequence that can be used by engineers. M 408C is the first semester of a two-semester sequence that can be used by engineers.
MODERATE ADVANTAGE TO THE AP PROGRAM
::
History AP US History: H 315K, 315L IB HL History of the Americas: H 317N
Commentary: The AP student earns credit for two semesters of history, both of which are required to earn any degree at the University of Texas. The IB student earns only one semester of credit in an elective. The IB student still needs to take H 315K and 315L to graduate.
CLEAR ADVANTAGE TO THE AP PROGRAM
::
Physics AP Physics C: A choice of several courses, including physics courses which may be applied to engineering and science degrees. IB HL Physics: A choice of several courses, but does not include physics courses required by engineering and science majors.
The University of Texas prefers the AP Program. Someone fed Mr. Little factually inaccurate information, and he repeated it without checking the facts. But if money is indeed a problem, it is time to prioritize the budget. Santa Ynez Valley can simultaneously save money and improve the academic rigor of the school district. Dump the IB Program and focus on the AP Program.
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The same article highlights an IB Diploma Program graduate:
While the [IB] program may be nixed, [Allan] Aho said the hard work paid off for him.
“It’s pretty rewarding. I was actually sort of reluctant at first, but the (IB) program was worth it. Some of the exams got me college credits,” said Aho, who plans to attend Chapman University in Orange.
I bet the poor kid doesn't even know he's been misled by his high school IB Coordinator. Some of the exams got Mr. Aho college credits? Let's see how Mr. Aho will fare at Chapman University compared to his peers who went through the AP Program. We don't know which IB classes Mr. Aho took, but lets assume they are the same as our hypothetical student at the University of Texas:
CREDIT EARNED AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY
English: AP English Comp./Lit.: ENG 103, 104 IB HL English: ENG 103
CLEAR ADVANTAGE TO THE AP PROGRAM
::
Math AP Calculus BC: Math 110, 111 IB HL Math: Math 110
CLEAR ADVANTAGE TO THE AP PROGRAM
::
History AP US History: Hist 101, 103 (Six credits total) IB HL History of the Americas: Three generic history credits
Commentary: Phys 101 and 102 are more rigorous courses that may be applied to technical programs like Chapman University's joint engineering program with UC-Irvine. Phys 107 is a more basic physics course with limited usefulness.
Mr. Aho will soon learn that his peers who went through the more rigorous AP Program have earned more credit hours and more valuable credit hours than he did in the IB Program.
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IB proponents like to claim that IB is recognized all over the world. My sense is that the overwhelming majority of American kids attend American universities, so this claim, even if true, is irrelevant. But of course, like much of what IB proponents say, it isn't even true!
Ian Davies, the headmaster of Brentwood School in Essex, promised that his introduction of the International Baccalaureate (IB) would see students better educated for the 21st century.
However, the handling of the IB programme at the school - alma mater of Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary - has been described as "appalling" and a "shocking mistake"....
Another female pupil said they had been "misled" about how well regarded the diploma was.
"They were really, really pushing it," she said. "They said the IB was more highly valued than A-levels, when that didn't turn out to be true for a lot of universities," she said.
A mother agreed. "When we went to the universities, the very best reaction we got was 'it's all right'," she said. "Cambridge said they preferred A-levels because they are more focused."
A female student claimed that the IB had been a "shocking mistake".
I admit that I am biased in favor of academic rigor. Therefore, I am not inclined to be a supporter of the IB Program. In fact, long time readers may recall that I withdrew Junior Anti-Corruption from Pearland ISD because the local school district was dumbing down the schools with the IB Program.
Here is an analysis of how nearly 200 American colleges treat the IB Program relative to the AP Program. Over 88% prefer the AP Program over the IB Program. Just 12% are indifferent between the two.
A Look at Public Education in Fairfax County, Virginia by Lisa E. McLoughlin, 11/08
2004
Fairfax County, in Northern Virginia, is very different in composition from Upper St. Clair, PA, or school districts on Long Island, NY. Consisting of 234 schools and centers serving about 165,000 students, Fairfax County Public Schools are governed by an elected School Board with 12 members. The Board meets for regular meetings twice a month in addition to a minimum of three scheduled monthly work sessions.
Perhaps one of the original controversies in the United States concerning IB happened here in Fairfax. In 2004, George Archibald of the Washington Times wrote three articles concerning IB. The first focused on the minimal amount of college credit IB students can earn as opposed to AP: (Article 1). The second was an article regarding parents questioning the "values" associated with IB: (Article 2). Archibald followed up with an in depth look at "Learning Globally" : (Article 3).
Fairfax, 2008
In the four years since Archibald wrote those articles, controversy had not disappeared. In 2008, Fairfax's Board decided that it was necessary to "redistrict" part of the county.
The next rumblings of IB trouble afoot in Fairfax were heard in November, 2007, as discussions were launched to figure out how to dispel "urban legends" and "balance the population" at South Lakes IB High School (http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/news/2007/nov/06/boundary-meetings-begin-next-week/). Parents of students currently zoned to attend high schools which offered AP, were not happy about being forced to send their children to South Lakes, one of eight IB high schools in the county.
In February, 2008, parents accused the Board of implementing the redistricting for purely "political reasons"(http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/news/2008/feb/26/school-board-vote-boundaries/), only to have the Board vote to approve it anyway (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022801700.html). In June, 2008, a group of parents filed suit against the school board (http://www.fairfaxcaps.org./images/lawsuit_full.pdf). The School Board approved the West County high school boundary adjustment, even though Oakton, Chantilly, Madison, and Westfield High Schools all provide Advanced Placement ("AP") courses, but South Lakes High School does not offer any AP courses, instead offering only the International Baccalaureate ("IB") program to interested advanced students. A copy of the Office of Student Services Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate List is attached to the document as Exhibit H.
According to the Fairfax County Public Schools 2008-2009 Pupil Placement Summary, attached as Exhibit I, "high school students who prefer the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) program not offered at their base school may request pupil placement." However, transfer opportunities are not unlimited and, according to Policy 2230.8, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit J, transfer will only be made "to the school with the space available that is closest to the student's residence or base school." (Exhibit J § III(A)(5).) Not all West County high schools are available for transfer. For example, Chantilly High School is closed to student transfers. (See Exhibit I.) Furthermore, although transportation is provided for School Board approved boundary phase-ins (see Exhibit J § II(E)), it is not available for pupil placements in order to take advantage of AP courses (see Exhibit J § III(A)(5)).
Of course, it is not surprising that Jay Mathews, education reporter for the Washington Post, found it necessary to inject his biased viewpoint about IB into the Fairfax redistricting dispute. Mathews began by creating a new thread in his Admissions 101 online forum called "Is IB Bad for my Kid - The Fight at South Lakes High". He wrote the following http://school.uaschools.org/uaibhs/pdf/collegecredit.pdf
An excerpt from the "Admissions 101" Blog of the Washington Post
Extra Credit Column - 2-14-08 "A large and diverse group of parents, residents and organizations who oppose the county’s plan have created a Web site, FairfaxCAPS.org, with many objections to IB as a substitute for the AP programs at their current schools. Among points listed on the Web site are: 1. “IB is always offered as a magnet program throughout the United States. We believe that if the current redistricting is adopted as recommended we will become the first group ever forced to attend an IB school in the U.S.” 2. “Statistical data indicate an exodus from South Lakes coincides with the implementation of the IB program at South Lakes.” 3. “Most IB exams taken in Fairfax County are for Standard Level (SL) courses and these DO NOT qualify for college credit at the top Virginia schools.” 4. “IB appears to be much more limited than AP in offering students the ability to obtain college level credits which is a major point of having these advance study programs to begin with. As parents, we will face huge college costs for our kids. Don’t we want to save as much as possible with the most advantageous college credit program?” 5. IB discriminates against students who take just a few one-year Standard Level SL courses and earn course certificates, instead of earning the full IB diploma requiring six courses, including some two-year Higher Level (HL) courses. According to the Web site, the International Baccalaureate Organization implementation manual says: “It must be unquestionably shown that any certificate courses they may be intending to offer are subordinate to their diploma program and will be specifically for students who are not intellectually or academically able to undertake the full diploma.”
Further on, the blog continues....
"They quickly agreed that the first sentence of point No. 1 was wrong. Most IB schools, including all eight IB schools in Fairfax County, are not magnet schools. They changed that sentence on the Web site, which now says that IB is usually offered as a magnet program".....
....."The demographic data on their Web site shows that the second point is true. Middle-class parents have been moving out of the South Lakes area as the IB program has been introduced. We all agreed that no one knows what has caused the exodus, but they heatedly rejected my suggestion that this might be another case of middle-class parents abandoning a school because they are uncomfortable with its relatively large number of low-income students (33 percent at South Lakes)".....
........"The same facts seem to explain why point N0. 4 is off-base. Students who earn IB diplomas do get college credit. Those without the diplomas lack the credit, but they have the knowledge, and concepts and analytical skills that even their Standard Level IB SL courses have given them, which means they start at a higher level in college and are more successful in their courses than students who did not take any IB or AP courses."........
......."But, as they explained during our call, they have many other problems with the Fairfax County plan. No one likes to be told their children can’t attend the neighborhood school."......
Despite Mr. Mathews feigned hesitancy to comment on the issue, he even attended one of the meetings concerning the redistricting issue to speak in favor of IB. Which leaves us with the very pertinent question posed again by one of the posters in "Admissions 101":
Re: What's Jay's Job, Again?
posted at 2/15/2008 3:13 PM EST
"What on earth is Jay doing acting as an advocate for IB? He wasn't interested in finding out the news, or covering the angles. He's reporting on his attempt to co-opt the opposition". ~Admissions 101 poster
Dollars and Sense
11/17/08
There appears to be an economic and ideological meltdown going on in Fairfax County, Virginia. The sad part is, the children who are most affected by this meltdown have no say in the decisions made on their behalf, and their parents, the taxpayers, are forced into different ideological camps and pitted against each other. A Superintendent and an elected ‘at large’ Board of 12 Educational Trustees oversee a $2.3 Billion budget (2008) and approximately 168,384 students. Now, word comes that Fairfax needs to reduce spending to offset declining tax revenue. Ah, the nasty housing market rears its ugly head yet again.
According to the Fairfax Times, some of the recommendations being made to cut roughly $45 Million from the budget include; increasing class sizes, cutting electives at the Middle School level, eliminating teaching positions and eliminating IB and AP. In my estimation, they got one out of four right. Eliminate IB. Has Fairfax ever given the taxpayers full and accurate accounting of the MILLIONS of dollars spent on IB in its 13 schools for the past 5 years? One that included ALL of the money spent on teacher training and travel expenses, substitutes, IB fees, IB textbooks, IB postage, salaries for IB Coordinators, etc? Don’t you have the right to know how much is being spent on this educational program that has caused controversy across the nation? The same program that has caused unhappiness with redistricting in your own county? Why would the district lump AP in the same breath when AP costs a tiny fraction of what it costs to run IB?
Eliminate the IB Coordinators and the $117,000 per year in IB “membership dues”. Eliminate the IB training jaunts around the country for 3 days on your children’s time and your dime. It’s a club you don’t need to belong to.
Threatening to increase class size is simply despicable. Shame on the Fairfax Board. Of all of the most basic, common sense reforms to education, the one that applies best is to reduce class size, with the ideal goal of 15 students. This size class, whether basic or advanced, has been proven to be the most effective in terms of teaching and learning. No designer label program. No super duper training. Just a more manageable group of students for the teacher, allowing for more personal interaction and classroom control, non-intimidation, and absorption of knowledge.
Some of the comments after the articles reveal locals concerned about the number of illegal immigrants in the schools and others suggesting pushing back the start time for the HS and MS . It appears that this would somehow heavily impact a reduction in transportation costs, a budget item which must be he for a system the size of Fairfax. All taxpayer suggestions should be given due consideration.
Whatever the outcome, it is incumbent upon the taxpayers of Fairfax to understand that not only is their school system being politically manipulated, but by whom. Fairfax is in the backyard of the Washington Post, which by its own Ombudsman’s admission, blatantly favored Barack Obama in its news coverage. The Washington Post employs Jay Mathews whose ties to IB are well documented. Fairfax Schools also enjoy a good ranking on Mr. Mathews’ Newsweek List of Best High Schools. As taxpayers and parents, you can go one of two ways with your school system. The first is to allow the continuation of wasteful spending because of media pressure on an ineffective, inferior program, and go with your hands out to the Feds for a bailout so you can retain your globalist programs. The second is to stand up and say, “We don’t need your designer label program, AP is just fine thank you very much, and we want smaller class sizes, not larger ones!”
Good luck Fairfax, the rest of the world is watching.