Tammy did it. The IB Coordinator called her, after ascertaining that she wasn't a reporter (hmmm) and gave her the IB Diploma results for 2009 and 2010. But first, let us recall Mr. Glenn's statement:
"The # of student receiving the full IB diploma each year is approximately 60 students, but there are a significant of students who earn the IB certificate also.
In 2009, 25 out of 36 students earned the IB Diploma (69%) In 2010, 34 out of 45 students earned the IB Diploma (75%)
Oh gosh. Looks like someone exaggerated by more than 100%!!! Now why on earth would anyone affiliated with IB do that? Gosh, I simply can't imagine why ...
Simple Questions Get No Answers
December 8, 2010 - Our Georgia Mom, Tammy, attempted to have her district answer three simple questions about the IB Diploma program(me). These were not political questions, or questions that required any lengthy research on the part of the district. Tammy's three questions could have been readily answered in 30 seconds by looking at the official IB Exam Report issued to every IBDP school annually since 2006. Tammy will be able to FOIL these documents as they constitute public information, but she thought she would try the "in-house" direct method first. What follows is the frustrating back and forth that took place over the course of an entire MONTH. Tammy's 3 questions:
1. The exact number of full DP CANDIDATES in each graduating class for 2009 and 2010. 2. The number of ACTUAL IB Diplomas earned for 2009 and 2010. 3. What was the 'mean' score earned on those diplomas.
In a message dated 11/3/2010 9:13:32 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, James_Glenn@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us writes: According to Kathy Sanchez, our IB Coordinator, "We currently have over 300students taking one or more IB classes (diploma & certificate programme) as a Junior or a Senior." I can add that in terms of MYP, we are a whole school program. The number of students in the MYP programme who have completed the Personal Project (the culminating/capstone project) has grown from 13 two years ago to 36 last year. This year we are looking at 70 students in the Personal Project class. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me. Thank you. ______________________________________________________________________________ From: TBrookover To: James_Glenn@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us Date: 11/03/2010 10:56 AM Subject: Re: IB Question My husband would like to know just the number of IB diploma enrollment (actually going for an IB diploma) for the past two years....and the actual number of IB diplomas awarded. What is the Personal Project? I am lost on this. I really appreciate your reply.
Tammy _______________________________________________________________________________ In a message dated 11/3/2010 11:24:58 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, James_Glenn@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us writes: The Personal Project is the culminating task for the Middle Years Programme (6-10). The MYP and the DP (11 & 12) are two different IB programmes. The # of student receiving the full IB diploma each year is approximately 60 students, but there are a significant of students who earn the IB certificate also. These students do not complete the additional requirements of the diploma programme such as the Extended Essay and the Creativity, Action, and Service portfolio. If you are curious about these elements, more information is available on the NHS website. Does this answer your question? If not, or if you need have other questions, please feel free to email. Thanks. ________________________________________________________________________________ To: James_Glenn@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us From: TBrookover Date: 11/03/2010 01:37PM Subject: Re: IB Question
I am getting dizzy with trying to make a decision as to which school...and which direction we should move in regards to the education for our four children!
Okay...this is what we would like to know:
1. The exact number of full DP CANDIDATES in each graduating class for 2009 and 2010. 2. The number of ACTUAL IB Diplomas earned for 2009 and 2010. 3. What was the 'mean' score earned on those diplomas.
You have no idea how much I appreciate your help. I think this is the last information we will want for a while...but it gives us something to use as a comparison to other academic avenues.
Tammy _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ In a message dated 11/3/2010 7:28:27 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, James_Glenn@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us writes: I don't not have this information so I am going to forward your email to our IB Coordinator Kathy Sanchez. She should be able to assist you. It is indeed a challenging decision, but one worth due consideration. I am sure Kathy will be helpful and that you will our program to outstanding. The faculty and curriculum are the best I have had the pleasure to work with during my tenure as a teacher. I wish you the best in your endeavor. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ In a message dated 11/10/2010 9:09:18 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Kathy_Sanchez@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us writes: Thank you for your question. I need to do a little research to answer your question, as I am new to the role of IB Coordinator this year and do not have the stats readily available. Let me look some things up and I will get back to you, but it will probably be next week before I have a chance as I am working on registrations now for IB testing.
Thank you again and sorry for the delay.
Kathy Sanchez IB Coordinator Gifted Contact Teacher Social Studies Department Co-Chair Norcross High School _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ From: TBrookover To: Kathy_Sanchez@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us Date: 12/07/2010 02:17 PM Subject: Re: IB Question
Hello, just a reminder I have been waiting to get some information from you. I know with the holidays etc...it probably was at the bottom of your list, and I understand that. I still would like to know the following information:
The information we are seeking:
1. The exact number of full DP CANDIDATES in each graduating class for 2009 and 2010. 2. The number of ACTUAL IB Diplomas earned for 2009 and 2010. 3. What was the 'mean' score earned on those diplomas.
Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing from soon.
Tammy ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ In a message dated 12/7/2010 3:44:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, Kathy_Sanchez@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us writes: Hello Mrs. Brookover,
In order to best answer your questions about the IB program, could you help me by answering a couple of questions?
What grade are your children currently in and at what schools?
Also, are you currently a resident within the Norcross cluster of schools?
Thank you,
Kathy Sanchez IB Coordinator Gifted Contact Teacher Social Studies Department Co-Chair Norcross High School 770-453-2092 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ From: TBrookover To: Kathy_Sanchez@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us Date: 12/07/2010 03:54 PM Subject: Re: IB Question Yes, all of my children are at Peachtree from K through 4th. Our wanting to know this information really has little to do with their schools and grades. What we want to know is as much about the IB program as we can learn so we can decide whether or not we want to remain in this cluster.....or homeschool. Since IB is not an option in the PYP we may well choose to remove them before they enter middle school.....which directly leads to the IB program in high school. We simply cannot base a decision on where they are now....but what the outcomes are for the IB program at the high school level.
I am not understanding the difficulty in getting this information. I will probably ask again after the end of next year as well as we begin to make our final decision as to stay and encourage IB for our four children, sell and move out of the cluster, opt for private school or home school. The information we are seeking from you will help us to determine what we think is best for our children beginning in middle school.
So again, the information I am seeking....
1. The exact number of full DP CANDIDATES in each graduating class for 2009 and 2010. 2. The number of ACTUAL IB Diplomas earned for 2009 and 2010. 3. What was the 'mean' score earned on those diplomas.
Thanks again for your help.
Tammy Brookover _______________________________________________________________________________ In a message dated 12/7/2010 4:26:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, Kathy_Sanchez@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us writes:
While, I understand the weight of the decisions that you are trying to make in terms of where to send your children. Any information that I provide at this point would not be valid by the time your kids enter Norcross.
As I have indicated in the past, we have around 60 kids of 3000 that will graduate each year with the full IB diploma. Most of the kids that attempt to earn the diploma do indeed earn the diploma. I do not have data available for the mean score earned on the diplomas, but I can assure you we are one of the top IB DP programs in region.
We will be having a couple of open houses where you can obtain more information. One is for private school parents on January 11 and the other is a 8th grade open house and I believe that date is in February, although the calendar on the Norcross website would have the most up to date information.
Additionally, I don't know if you have talked to the Middle Years Program coordinators at Pinkneyville, but they could give you further information about the transition from PYP to MYP at their school.
I realize I may not have answered your three questions directly, but that information is not readily accessible at this point. Please let me know if you should have any further questions.
Kathy Sanchez IB Coordinator Gifted Contact Teacher Social Studies Department Co-Chair Norcross High School _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tammy will be taking further steps to obtain this public information on IB in her district. She was actually surprised that she would have such a difficult time getting an answer to her three simple questions. Unfortunately, we here are TAIB were not surprised in the least. This is how IB change agents are trained to operate. At the slightest hint of questioning of IB, they go into lockdown mode, vagueries and exaggerations along with a refusal to provide EXACT data, unless forced to do so by law. These public school administrators somehow think they are above the Freedom of Information Law. By forcing Tammy to take this route, the district has immediately placed her in the "enemy" camp. Tammy was polite, she was direct, she even answered the IB Coordinator's irrelevant questions. Game on.
IB Takeover of Georgia Schools
TAIB is pleased to welcome aboard a brave Mom of four elementary children from Norcross, Georgia. Tammy became alarmed when she discovered that Presidents FDR and Jimmy Carter were being represented as "American heroes" in her childrens' textbooks. More recently, she discovered that Cesar Chavez, trained by Saul Alinsky, has also been touted as an "American Hero". Peachtree Elementary School is currently a "candidate" IB World School. A quick look at Peachtree's IB Application page reveals that Peachtree, like some other IB "candidate" schools, appears to have skipped IBO's Phase 1 - a feasibility study.
Article 8: First Phase—Feasibility Study and Identification of Resources
8.1 During this first phase the school conducts an internal feasibility study on the implementation of the IB programme(s) at the school, by making an in-depth analysis of the philosophy and curriculum of the IB programme(s) it wishes to teach and identifying the resources needed to deliver the programme(s). This is done on the basis of the IBO’s documentation. 8.2 If at the end of its internal feasibility study a school decides it wishes to become a candidate for authorization to deliver IB programmes, the school must file the duly completed relevant part of the application form(s) with its regional office.
The decision by a district to implement the IB PYP is an extremely controversial one as IBO requires SCHOOLWIDE implementation of the program. So if your child's neighborhood elementary school becomes IB and you happen to disagree with IB's "philosophy", well, tough cookies, right? Make no mistake about it, the PYP is nothing BUT philosophy and a district pays dearly to become beholden to it: Article 3: Criteria of Authorization
3.1 The IBO has full discretion to decide whether to process applications and to grant or deny authorization to any candidate school. 3.2 In order for a school’s candidature to be considered, the following requirements must be met: The school must be committed to the promotion of international understanding through education, as expressed in the mission statement of the IBO. 1. The school must accept the philosophy of the IB programme(s) it wishes to teach, as expressed in the relevant documents describing the programme(s).
The rest of Peachtree's IB propaganda can be found HERE.
Gwinnett County IB Issues
Gwinnett County is a very large school district just outside of Metro Atlanta. IB is currently authorized by IBO at Norcross High School and Pinckneyville and Summerour Middle Schools. This year, Gwinnett County cut $251 million from its budget without any objections. Unfortunately, it didn't go far enough by eliminating IB. IBO authorization for Peachtree Elementary School is on the immediate horizon. The authorization of Peachtree Elementary will effectively establish a K-12 system of IB indoctrination for children zoned for those schools. Pinckneyville and Summerour are "feeder" schools for Norcross High School.
In neighboring Dekalb County, a "civil rights" lawsuit was filed against the school district regarding IB.
TAIB will be following objections to IB in Gwinnett County as they develop. Be sure to check back on this page for updates.
YOUR NORCROSS "STOP IB" PARENT REPRESENTATIVE IS TAMMY. PLEASE CONTACT HER WITH YOUR SUPPORT!
