Do the HL classes lines up better? Because most schools did give credit for those. It seems like they arbitrarily decided that the Letter S indicated non-college level work and the letter H indicated college level, which we didn’t not find to be true at all.
^ I don’t think most of the HL classes line up great, but given the extra hours and test content they end up covering enough to give credit (of course, they cover far more than that)–in Econ, for example, far more hours dedicated to micro and macro, as well as a third paper. I agree with you SL is not necessarily a lower level of rigor.
@VickiSoCal: If the IB course prepares kids well enough to do well on AP tests, then I don’t see what the problem is, then, as colleges ultimately give credit for how well you do on the tests rather than in the courses.
The problem would be me having to pay for 2 sets of test sand my kid taking 4 tests for one class, for example, SL Econ paper 1, paper 2, SO Macro and AP Micro
Isn’t that what SL and HL are intended to mean (“standard level” and “higher level”)? I.e. SL is supposed to reflect that the course covers what is “standard” for IB high school students (though many IB SL courses do introduce college level material, though presumably less than a full college course worth), while HL is supposed into indicate greater coverage of higher (i.e. college) level material.
What I have seen for the most part, with the exception of math, is that SL covers about as much as one AP and HL covers a LOT more. SL Chemistry covers all of AP Chemistry, HL a lot more. HL Spanish covers AP Spanish Lang and AP Spanish Lit, and so on.
Perhaps your high school’s teachers “top up” the IB SL courses to include additional material to cover the AP material.
Here is a university that offers some credit for IB SL scores (as well as IB HL scores):
http://www.drew.edu/registrar/wp-content/uploads/sites/68/FINAL-IB-PDF-grid-for-website-15.pdf
For comparison, here is the same university’s chart for credit for AP scores:
https://www.drew.edu/registrar/student/ap-credits
Seems that this university wants to be IB friendly.
There are quite a few universities that give a full year of credit for the IBD, which effectively gives credit for SL. But they all differ in how they do it. While it differs by subject, @VickiSoCal is right that many SL classes align with, or surpass, AP.
If you think about this in the context of how universities outside the U.S. work, many are 3 year programs in a specific subject area. The SL parts of the IBD often match up with first year college classes (maybe distribution requirements) in our system but are done at the high school, not the college.
The purpose of the two programs is quite different. But I do agree that still, many U.S. colleges don’t understand the IB and undervalue it.
One of the many upsides to the IB diploma program is a students’ readiness for college. These students are well prepared (academically) for a full load of classes as freshmen. If nothing else, this makes the program worth it.
^^This. AP exams (and the attendant suggested course outline) are developed by committees that include people who teach intro college courses, specifically to be similar to a general introductory university class at a ‘typical’ college level. The AP Bio change a few years ago was driven by the need for the Bio AP to be re-aligned with the changes in college curriculum.
This parallels what most subject groups at US colleges do to ensure that their students are ready for grad school. A common example is med school: most med schools require a specific core of classes (eg, 2 semesters/with a lab in each of the core sciences, etc), and most of them either require or heavily favor that those classes be done in the US or Canada- b/c the med schools then know exactly what background the students are starting with. The core course content of Bio/Chem/Orgo/Physics 101 is pretty standard across the US. That doesn’t mean that the experience of orgo at Johns Hopkins is the same as at UX but it does mean that the same core elements are covered, so grad schools can plan accordingly.
In other words, it’s about managing the process to make life easier for the university/grad school, not the absolute value of the quality or depth of the material taught. There is absolutely no reason why universities can’t do a similar alignment with the IB folks, and quite a number of universities do (most often ones that are more selective and/or in more urban areas). It’s moving the way the ACT did- when I was coming through, lots of colleges didn’t even accept the ACT, in between many did, but it was seen as ‘less’, and for my kids it’s to-may-to / to-mah-to.
Imo, a 7 on the IB* is harder to get than a 5 on an AP or an A on an A level, but neither the US nor the UK systems seem to really recognize that.
*In many subjects
At SUNY Binghamton you can get up to 32 credits from IB...you get the credit for the HL Classes + extra liberal arts credit. This is one reason my daughter with the IB Diploma chose to go there...she was able to graduate a year and half early (with a couple of summer classes too)
https://www.binghamton.edu/harpur/advising/transfer-credit-evaluation/ib-credits.html
Students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program may receive up to 32 credits. To receive the full 32 credits, the following conditions must be met:
The IB Diploma must be completed with a score of 30 or more points; and
The student must complete at least three Higher Level exams with a score of 5 or higher.
Diploma holders who meet these conditions receive credit for their individual exam scores plus additional liberal arts elective credit to total 32 credits.
@bopper that’s a great way for colleges to handle IB. OP may find this passage interesting (which speaks to the view of many admissions officers but not necessarily of the registrars who set transfer credit policies):
“Binghamton University recognizes schools offering the International Baccalaureate program. The International Baccalaureate curriculum is the most challenging and comprehensive curriculum available and IB participation is recommended, taken into account and considered during the application process.”
I know that IB is a lot more rigorous than AP, so the material that’s covered in IB is definitely more than AP, especially at my school, where they claim to have one of the best IB programs in the US. However, I feel bad that IB is not as recognized at other top colleges and universities. But at the same time I feel like there’s more to AP, since colleges isn’t, or at least shouldn’t be, so ignorant that they can’t see the difference in the rigor of the two. AP classes should line up with the American college courses better, since it is made by Americans. But if IB courses covers all the material taught in AP, then shouldn’t it line up just as well? @politeperson @bopper I never knew that Binghamton recognized and favored IB. Thanks for all the reply!
No need to feel bad…ALL top colleges and universities recognize the rigour of IB.
Every state college in my state gives 32 credits for the diploma. IB students can factor this in when making their lists.
IB students can also cross test. We paid for both AP and IB exams, but there were need-based scholarships available to help defray testing costs. Our IB students consistently score higher than AP students on the AP English Language exams with no extra study.