Almost wish I hadn't read all that from the previous threads...more than I wanted to process at the moment.
(Interestingly, I was an NMSF back in the day, I took AP classes, had fairly high ACT/SAT scores & was awarded a Presidential Scholarship to a private college. My high school did not offer IB and, as near as I can figure, the rival high school began offering the program in 1992, 7 years after I graduated.)
Back to my daughter, I know that she is not interested in getting a lot of college credit while in high school. She has never been one to get ahead of herself. She is pretty grounded in that way. But that view does at times keep her from seeing the big picture. I believe that will come with time/maturity.
I hope you don't count my info as negative. Because I think the program is often misunderstood in the US's attempt to get more rigor in the classroom without really being able to explain what the students are getting into before they get there.
What is really important is having a good foundation going into the program. If the students have had a rigorous grade 9 and 10, then the IB should be fine, if they are coming from lax, easy gr 9 and 10, then diving into the IB is nightmarish. This also depends heavily on the teachers' understanding of the way IB works, and how much training and experience they have had.
Not negative, Kerry, helpful. Part of the problem I have had is much of the misinformation that seems to surround the program.
The program she is applying for is Pre-IB. She has to take classes in English, Spanish II, American Govt/Econ, AP Biology, Algebra II Honors, Inquiry Skills (all Pre-IB). And she chooses an elective-as I stated above, for her, that would be Band.
I would not rule out the IB unless the school does not offer the art and music courses as part of group 6 options.
They do currently offer the art component & are working on adding the music, as well. DD said she would rather they didn't so she wouldn't have to choose between the two. But she did this amazing mural this year at her middle school in which she combined both.
Music Mural
