My son is a freshman in high school (in northern Virginia) and he is weighing the cost/benefits of the IB program vs a more traditional slate of AP and intensified classes.
I believe the IB program centers on classes taken in 11th and 12th grade, although participation requires certain prior course selections. I have heard strong praise and sincere reservations about the program. Praise includes:
1) the training develops great writing skills
2) the rigor of the program really prepares students for college
The main concern I have heard is that the workload is insane - huge volumes of reading and massive writing assignments. Furthermore, unlike the non-IB students, the workload is intense all the way up to graduation.
Can anyone comment on their experience with high school IB programs. Was all the work worth it? Was it a real leg up getting into college?
Thanks,
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