Forum Reader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AP vs IB Wrote:
> > ... Also, FR, wanted to address the choices you
> gave
> > earlier in terms of how to offer IB. One of
> the
> > options was the Academy where you said the
> student
> > would take 5 IB classes at SL. That won't work.
>
> > The academy courses are one subject, and many
> > essentially take 2-3 blocks/periods. Students
> > lose one per day due to transportation. So for
> > example if their academy course was Culinary
> arts,
> > they would have first block at their base
> school,
> > take the bus to the academy school, have a
> block
> > there, and return back to base school.
> Depending
> > on what "shift" their academy class is they
> might
> > arrive back to their base school during lunch,
> or
> > they might arrive a little late to their next
> > class at their base school.
> >
> > If they were taking 5 classes at SL, their base
> > school would effectively become the academy
> > school. And again, usually they lose a block.
>
> Have you looked at Lamar Academy in McAllen TX?
> Another poster mentioned it so I looked it up.
> They have a small IB Academy (about 25 Diploma
> grads per year, with 100% of the Diploma
> Candidates earning the IB Diploma). The students
> come from three high schools and are still
> considered to be students at their base schools.
>
> Such a model might resolve a lot of the issues
> with IB within FCPS, and even open the IB Diploma
> programme to students in AP schools.
I did look it up, and saw the IBO article about them. I saw their schedule on their link:
http://mcallenisd.lamar.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=16621&sessionid=204efb0698f19ed5c697bb3bdb992e1f
and wonder how they do anything at their base school?
Also, where did you find the stats that 100% earned the diploma? That is truly incredible, and if true I would have expected to see it in the IBO article, but I didn't.
Though it has the word academy as a part of it, it is more along the lines of how FCPS would view a magnet.