@4kids4us my S23 is in pre-IB now as a 9th grader and my D18 finished in the program and got the diploma. My D18 loved the program and didn’t seem phased by the work load. Feel free to message me with any questions. They attend a public school and what they like most about it is the classes; smaller sizes and with students who are definitely wanting to pursue higher education (less discipline issues or disruptions). S23 is currently in Geometry and will take Algebra II/Trig next year (took Algebra I in 8th grade) and also in APWorldHistory and will take APUSHistory next year… all other classes are honors (just how they do it at our school). Happy to chat!
@4kids4us My kids go to a HS that has an IB Diploma program but also a full slate of AP classes. It is our zoned HS but kids can transfer in for the IB program from the other HS’s in the district. As others have said, what we’ve heard from parents and kids who went through with it is that it is an immense amount of work. The students are extremely well prepared for college but mainly I hear that it’s really stressful and maybe not worth it.
Neither of my kids (S21, D23) want to do the program. Mix of reasons – how much work it is, lack of flexibility in course selection (must take world language every year+ many classes are 2-year sequences), and they have different strengths and are not well served by taking the highest level of rigor across all subjects. S21 has ADHD and writing is challenging. They psychologist who did his evaluation in 9th grade specifically recommended that he would do better with AP than in IB. D23 thinks she’ll take IB classes for science (her strength) but AP for others. She actually loves writing but probably wouldn’t make the cut in math for the program – at our school the kids doing IB have to be in Intensified (their term for “honors”) pre-calculus in sophomore year and she just had to drop down out of Intensified Algebra 2 into regular Algebra 2 because the pace was too fast.
One downside of them not doing the program is that it pretty much rules out admission to UVA from our school. You really need to be in the top 10% (or higher) of the class to be competitive for UVA. The IB program is a magnet that attracts the super high-achievers from multiple high schools, and nearly every one of their junior-senior year classes gets a weighted grade so it’s pretty much impossible to be in that top tier without being full IB. Fortunately, we don’t care about that (right now S21 aspires to VIrginia Tech and S23 thinks she wants a smaller school) but I do know families who are really frustrated to learn this late in HS; I think the school should be more up-front about it. If the kids had really aspired to UVA they’d have had a better shot by transferring to a different school in the district that has an AP Network program.
We’re going through class selection right now. For 10th grade D23 will take Intensified English, Intensified Chemistry, AP Government, French 4, PE/Health, Symphonic/Marching Band and math TBD (either Math Analysis or Pre-Cal/Trig depending on her final Alg2 grade).
I haven’t been on here in a while–it is so wonderful to read all of the updates on these '23s!
D23 is having a great adjustment to HS so far, and it is time to think about course registration next month I guess.
She dances 20+ hrs a week, but so far balances it well with school.
Currently, she is in Precal, French, Chem, APStats, music, History and English, with Honors in the ones that have the option(not many).
For 10th grade, all have to take the same History and English, the next math is AB Calc (calc is mandatory 2 yr curriculum), she will continue music&French, and the next science is Physics. The debate is what to do with the elective spot. She will likely take an AP or combo of semester APs , just not too many options available to sophomores.
It’s fascinating to read about the differences in curriculum across high schools! I have never heard of HS freshmen taking chemistry or sophomores taking American history. Most HS in our area do a required bio-chem-physics sequence in 9th-11th, though my kids’ school is one of a few that requires physics-chem-bio. At my kids’ school, AP Calc is AB or* BC, not both, HS chem is a prerequisite for AP chem, and it’s not possible to take American history before 11th. My sense is that those policies are typical around here, though there is one public school with block scheduling (4 x 4), so kids there can speed things up to some extent.
We’re just beginning to talk about D23’s schedule for next year. For sure she’ll be in English 10 (all one level), honors social studies (required course), AP Spanish, and honors precalc. If she chooses to do chemistry over the summer, she can take AP chem, but if not she’ll be in honors chemistry. She has room for up to two electives. I’m not prodding her too much at this point, I want her to have space to think about things on her own. Unlike her older brother, who was good in humanities and struggled in STEM, she’s strong in both areas, so it will be interesting to see what direction she takes. (And, yes, I realize some schools require students to select courses now; we’re fortunate her small school has the flexibility to give the kids a bit more time.)
@FourAtShore It is interesting to see how different schools are. My nephews in another state have a block schedule where they do half their classes one semester and half the next semester. As my S21 has struggled with APUSH I remind him to at least be thankful he doesn’t have to race through the whole thing in one semester like his cousin!
At our school US History is always an 11th grade class. BIo and Chem you have to take regular or intensified before the AP or IB level but Physics does not require that pre-req. The school prides itself on having nearly all students take at least one AP class but they get there by making AP Government the standard class for the state-required US/VA Government. So, it’s not taught at a particularly difficult level.
@JESmom The block schedule HS near us definitely gets mixed reviews. Some families rave about it, others express concerns. For example, a mom of a very good student (who went on to UCLA) told me that she noticed that, while student made A grades in AP classes in both the fall and spring blocks, if she took an AP in the fall block, she would always significantly underperform on the exam, even if she studied and attended the school’s review sessions. Mom’s interpretation was that student was cramming in the information needed to get an A, learning at a fairly superficial level, then doing a brain dump.
Our HS doesn’t have a pre-req for AP Physics I, but since physics is a freshman class AP Physics I is only taken by accelerated math students who are taking Algebra 2 Honors as freshmen. There’s no pre-req for AP Bio, but biology is a junior class, so I suppose the school figures the top students are ready to jump into AP by then.
@FourAtShore That’s the issue my nephews have had – taking an AP class in Fall and then not taking the test until May is definitely a problem for them. Also, they can have a year-long gap in math or foreign language if it’s in Fall one school year and then Spring the next. That can’t be good for learning subjects that require consistency.
Our HS is a block schedule where you take three classes one day and three the next but have one shorter class period every day. I think that has worked well – longer classes periods and some time in between classes for homework helps balance the load. Unfortunately for D23, she got stuck with her AP World History in the every-day period so she’s definitely found it harder to keep up than friends who are taking the same class every other day. In contrast, D21 has twice had a lighter elective in the daily slot and it makes for a nice break. This year that class for him is computer graphics. IMO, they should just not schedule core classes in that period, make it for electives.
Interesting that you get Physics in freshman year. Here (and the HS I went to), it’s biology in 9th, chemistry in 10th, usually physics in 11th but somewhat variable. Some kids might skip to do earth science or a 2-period AP/IB biology or chemistry.
Yes, hearing about different schools is interesting.
Scheduling: Our HS is on a modified block schedule. Students have four blocks per day and each block is 80 minutes long. Some 1-credit classes meet every day for one semester and some (like Band, or AP classes) meet every other day for the full year. That certainly helps with this AP exams! Some classes (PE, electives) are only 1/2 credit so meet every other day for one semester. And some AP classes are actually 1.5 credits - they meet daily in the fall and then every other day in the spring to prepare for the exam. Kudos to our Guidance Dept that makes all the schedules each year!
This schedule works well for my D23 so far, except that she did have to give up Orchestra - fitting in classes like Orchestra, Band, and Chorus is tricky, which is why she’s also doing some courses online.
Science: When I was in HS, there was an advanced science track that started in 9th grade. If you were on that, you skipped Earth Science and took Bio-Chem-Physics and then an AP science or elective senior year. At D23’s school, everyone has to take Earth Science, followed by Biology. Since they do have block scheduling, a student could do both freshman year, ES in the Fall and Bio in the spring, but most students take Bio in 10th grade. This is usually followed by Physics and then Chemistry. AP Bio and AP Chem can only be taken after the regular Bio or Chem class. They don’t have AP Physics, but do have a combined Trig/Physics option which is not designated AP but after which students can choose to take one of the AP Physics exams.
Math: I posted a lot about math early in this thread. Not thrilled with how our HS does it but D is enjoying Geometry right now and will probably top out at Trig as the HS has two Trig classes that are required before Calc. So she’ll do Geometry - Alg 2 - Trig 1 - Trig 2 and be done. The transition issues we experienced with math going from(same district) MS to HS broke her confidence in her math skills and she has no interest in doing more than she needs to at this point.
However, one new option has worked in her favor this year. Starting next year, both AP English classes are going to be open to sophomores. That works well for D23 as that is her area of interest, and taking the two AP classes in 10th (Language) and 11th (Literature) will allow her to take some of the excellent English Honors options in 12th that are only offered to seniors.
Interested to hear what others have to say about how their HS are structured.
We have the block scheduling being discussed here (we’re in North Texas) and it’s been great for my kids. Only 4 classes a semester, each class is 1 hour 30 minutes long. Next semester 4 new classes. Yes they cover a years worth of material in one semester (we have two 9 week grading periods in a semester and our final exams are before winter break so it’s a clean start after they get back in January), but the class periods are long and they have a lot of support. Some AP classes (Bio & Chem) and Band/Athletics span both semesters.
I feel like it gives our kids a true taste of what college is going to be like.
And of course, a problem with school sequencing being so different place to place is that when families move, it can be a pretty real issue for their high-school-age kids.
I had never heard of IB courses. Our school has “accelerated”, AP or CAPP (gains credits through a state college) and transcripted (credits get applied to a local tech school) courses. There are no “honors” courses, just what our school calls “accelerated”. We have 22 AP class choices however many are for juniors or seniors. These could lead him to take 5 out of his 7 class hour choices as AP level his junior and senior years. Im not sure how doable that is for my child so many discussions about pros and cons will need to be had.
Our midwest public high school has about 1600 students. Students have 7 class periods each day. Its a solid school that scores as “exceeds” and “significantly exceeds” state expectations each year (routinely in the top 35 public high schools in the state). It has a very good mix of academics and extracurricular options which draw many to the area. Its not ultra competitive with academics but our seniors were awarded over 2 million in scholarship money last year and get into solid schools. We have excellent arts programs with a very supportive community as well as winning multiple high school division 1 championships for a variety of sports in the last few years.
My son is not aiming for a super selective college. He is going to want a college thats similar to his school now that offers him a solid education yet also allow him to continue with his interests in music and sports at the same time.
Our school has 7 periods and each class meets 4x per week. Freshmen and sophomores have one of those 7 periods as a proctored study hall during which they can take tests they have missed or go to a teacher for help. Or just do their homework. In Junior and Senior year this is a free period and students may study, socialize or even leave campus. Occasionally kids will take 7 classes, esp if they are in band or choir, but most do not. 6 classes is seen as a full load. There is no PE during the school day and most kids are on school teams for their PE credit. There is a required Health course and four semesters of Arts are required (choice of music, visual arts, etc). Courses, including APs, can be one semester or all year. For example AP Gov is one semester while APUSH is full year.
Everyone takes Bio, Chem, Physics and then senior year interested students can take one of these APs or take science electives instead.
World history is in 9th grade for all students, and US History is in 10th grade, either AP or regular.
I’m experiencing a bit of a different twist on a quandary I’ve seen on other “Parents of the Class of…” threads, and I welcome input.
As I’ve mentioned before here, our D23 doesn’t fixate on grades. Neither do we as her parents, and in fact we encourage this lack of grade fixation, in part because we’re an upper-middle-class family whose kid goes to an upper-middle-class school, and most of said kid’s pretty large friend group are upper-middle-class kids with the attendant stereotypical unhealthy hyperfocus on grades. So, you know, we don’t want her to get sucked into that obsession.
The issue: It’s time to pick fall classes, and one of the choices to make is whether to take AP world history or to slot into the regular world history section. (No APs til 10th grade at her school.) D23 is convinced—fed in part by her friend group’s constant discussion of their grades—that she’s nowhere near as academically talented as her friends, and so she needs to take the regular section, because she’d never be able to keep up.
The twist, though? I looked it up, and on the class ranking by GPA list she’s shown as 4th, and that in a class of 468. Now, this is after a single semester and so I presume that this is a multi-way-lots-of-kids tie for 4th, but still.
So there’s my quandary: Do I point that out to her as an apparently much-needed confidence boost, or do I continue to retain my (and her) ardent lack of focus on grades? I mean, I worry (knowing her) that pointing out a top 1% class rank will lead herself to put undue pressure on herself to maintain that sort of ranking, and I would find that an incredibly negative outcome. But on the other hand, I want her to not shy away from potentially challenging classes because she feels like she doesn’t stack up.
Y’all’s advice?
p.s. It’s already pretty clear that D23 is at heart a Big State University kind of girl, so things like how the curricular rigor box is checked on the counselor report aren’t an important consideration.
How flexible is the HS in that can she start out in AP and drop down if it seems too much?
@Dolemite, it’d be completely possible. In fact, that was one thing we pointed out to her: It’s easier to shift down after classes start than to shift up. She’s still feeling insecure about it.
(We told her to ask her teacher in ancient civ—her current social studies class—for input, but she apparently finds him unapproachable—she says he’s “fun, but scary”.)
@dfbdfb
So if it is a subject that she is interested in and if you all are truly embracing NOT being hyper focused on grades, I would go for the AP for sure! If she’s ranked 4th she’s clearly a good/smart student. I always want my kiddos to be challenged (within reason!!), even if that means they might get a B in an upper level class vs. an A in a regular. If your school weights AP, she still might come out ahead on the “GPA game” even with a lower grade.
If you don’t want to share her current rank, maybe just share that based on this year’s performance/grades, you are quite confident that she is more than capable of keeping up with her peers.
The other thing I would consider is the rest of her course load. If everything else is advanced would a regular class help balance her workload? That’s been my biggest takeaway from D20 - not EVERY class has to be advanced, play to her strengths and interests too. D20 took 10 AP classes in total ( her choice, not mine!) so showed plenty of rigor but also took a Service learning/ volunteer class as well as Health Science classes for 3 years (medical terminology etc) which were not available in H or AP but solidified her interest in being a nurse. Those “easier” classes are what really allowed her to balance taking so many other courses with heavier workloads.
Keep us posted on what she decides!!
My son wouldn’t take APush because of the teacher.
My son is not taking any AP classes soph year but is taking 2 accelerated courses. This does not include math of which he’s taking pre calc which will be enough of a struggle.
I don’t think she’s ruining any chances by not taking the AP history class. I’m with you and it’s all about balance for the kids.
My kids took/take AP classes because it is the level of learning that they are at, not for the GPA boost. If history is not a subject that she typically has a problem in then I would give AP (Modern)World a try. D23 is currently taking it this year and has not had any issues.
Our take is: Take AP in the courses you’re truly interested in, and dual credit in the courses that would be classified as core curriculum at university level. With that said, S23 will take AP courses in STEM and dual credit in others. The only AP course allowed sophomore year is WHAP (world history AP), and he has no interest in that so he signed up for regulars (why they don’t offer it in Pre-AP or Honors is beyond - just regulars or AP for this class). He won’t take any AP or DC courses until summer before junior year (he actually wanted to this summer, but again, he was shot down).
This is our take as well, and it’s worked great for my current junior.
One of my twins signed up for AP Chem for 10th because he truly loves science…the other twin is sticking with Pre AP Chem because he doesn’t love it enough to want another full year long of science (we have accelerated block only 4 classes a semester, except for certain AP’s).
They both are in AP Bio & AP Human Geo this year (loving the human geo!!) and both are taking AP World History next year.