Comments for AP/IB Blog Nation http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com For parents and students of the Granite Hills Eagles AP and IB programs. Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:29:41 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on IB Info by Bob http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-109 Bob Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:29:41 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-109 To Parents of Potential IB Kids, Unless you are directly involved with a pretty high level of Academic Community (District, SBoard, Elite Private School) you most likely will not have a clue about this program.....I did not (wife and I both have MA's)....... Folks......If you have a smart kid....You gotta do this....if you have a brain......Now if your kid is marginal....or "Really" does not have the will to pay the academic price (about 15 to 20 hours of additional study per week to be at or near the Top) then do not do this....as your kid will suffer greatly......And Trust Me....Have a Top kid....Is in Top 100 of 13,000 kid Public School District, and he is only 4th in IB Graduating Class of 130 Prox........You can take it to the bank....no matter how smart ya think your kid is....In IB, most likely just another Pretty Face.....But this is all part of the Deal.......Understand that the IB School my kid goes to is ranked by Newsweek in the Top 20 every year (there ARE some real differences).......Here are the Steps to take to determine if kid is right kid.... Step One: By 7th Grade, the kid will have exhibited strong signs of academic success....Might have actually "paid the price" to win at a Spelling Bee Competitition, or went to Math Competitition (Even if he made you promise not to tell his friends...LOL)....Or maybe your kid was President of Grammar School (those were my kids "credentials".......along with Sports...which might have been "music".....etc. Step Two: Make sure the kid takes at minimum Honors Algebra 1, and/or if possible Honors Geometry 1 by the 8th Grade.....Makes A's of Course.... Step Three: Find the Best of the Best IB HS in your area....do not settle for a lesser IB School....with a little homework, you will figure out which one actually has the Best Quality in Your Area......Even if a few politics have to be dealt with because of "Boundaries Crap"...... Step Four: Get Three Top Academic References from TEACHERS in 8th Grade......If Private School this might be somewhat ticklesh (at least I found it so, cause Private DOES WANT THE MONEY....remember that..... Step Five: Make application to the school, and have your kid "Shadow" for a day.....the kid will have to submit an Essay as part of Entrance Requirement....In my area, no kid gets in unless they make Straight A's....pretty much a given...unles they have a very Strong "political connection"....or Sibling/black for which additional points are in fact given.... Step Six: Your kid gets one of the Seats in the IB HS. For my kids school, there were 145 Seats available and 750 Apps......Now the game begins in Earnest..... Step Seven: First thing you and your kid notices is that the Cultural/Ethnic Mix may indeed be somewhat "Different"....In my kids school, the mix is 25% Asian, 15% Indian, 25% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% Black, All Other the Rest....In a Magnet School, where Traditional School is 40% Hispanic, 40% Black, and 20% White.....So the Air of "International" is there from the Get Go.... Step Eight: Back off, learn and listen....avoid being a "helicopter" parent.....If top IB School, these folks Administrators/Teachers know what they are doing....and the Program Does the Rest......Your kid in Freshman Year, will if applies make same Straight A's you are used to......But by Junior Year......There will be some Academic Challenges....take my word on this.....If none, then is not truly IB Caliber..... Step Eight: Understand that the game is not just the iB Diploma, but getting truly Educated in Whatever the focus of kids future is decided...In my kids case...it became medicine...others are different...whatever it is.....Your kid will be a Top Achiever. Your kid will be that One out of a 100 who actually knew what they were doing when you attended College....Remember that Top Kid....that you wondered how in the hell, He knew so much...cause college is easy for him....That will be your Kid.....Who by the way will enter college as Soph or Junior...not a Freshman....with between 30 and 50 college credits Day One of College.....here are my kids upon IB Graduation.... 1. Chemistry 8 Credits 2. Biology 8 Credits 3. English 6 Credits 4. Calculus 4 Credits 5. Spanish 6 Credits 6. Statistics 3 Credits 7. US Hist 6 Credits 8. World Hist 3 Credits 9. Euro Hist 3 Credits 10 Hist. Amer. 3 Credits total credits 48 College Credits And my kid is NOT the most by any stretch.....The College he wants to go to only takes 45 Credits maximum....And to get into Junior Honors Medical Program, where he won't have MCAT over his head.....requires he back up some on Chemistry.....so whatever..... Friends....Had my kid went to the expensive and presigious "Elite Private School".....this would not have occurred.....IB is the Real Damn Deal....all the others are just pretenders..... Secrets......For example IB Chem, and IB Biology...In AP of either One year is spent on the course.......It does not get done, and failure rate on AP Testing in Chem for example is in excess of 85%.......In IB .....Two years are spent covering same material (On Steroids)....so failure rate is less than 40%.....Duh....LOL To Parents of Potential IB Kids,

Unless you are directly involved with a pretty high level of Academic Community (District, SBoard, Elite Private School) you most likely will not have a clue about this program…..I did not (wife and I both have MA’s)…….

Folks……If you have a smart kid….You gotta do this….if you have a brain……Now if your kid is marginal….or “Really” does not have the will to pay the academic price (about 15 to 20 hours of additional study per week to be at or near the Top) then do not do this….as your kid will suffer greatly……And Trust Me….Have a Top kid….Is in Top 100 of 13,000 kid Public School District, and he is only 4th in IB Graduating Class of 130 Prox……..You can take it to the bank….no matter how smart ya think your kid is….In IB, most likely just another Pretty Face…..But this is all part of the Deal…….Understand that the IB School my kid goes to is ranked by Newsweek in the Top 20 every year (there ARE some real differences)…….Here are the Steps to take to determine if kid is right kid….

Step One: By 7th Grade, the kid will have exhibited strong signs of academic success….Might have actually “paid the price” to win at a Spelling Bee Competitition, or went to Math Competitition (Even if he made you promise not to tell his friends…LOL)….Or maybe your kid was President of Grammar School (those were my kids “credentials”…….along with Sports…which might have been “music”…..etc.
Step Two: Make sure the kid takes at minimum Honors Algebra 1, and/or if possible Honors Geometry 1 by the 8th Grade…..Makes A’s of Course….
Step Three: Find the Best of the Best IB HS in your area….do not settle for a lesser IB School….with a little homework, you will figure out which one actually has the Best Quality in Your Area……Even if a few politics have to be dealt with because of “Boundaries Crap”……
Step Four: Get Three Top Academic References from TEACHERS in 8th Grade……If Private School this might be somewhat ticklesh (at least I found it so, cause Private DOES WANT THE MONEY….remember that…..
Step Five: Make application to the school, and have your kid “Shadow” for a day…..the kid will have to submit an Essay as part of Entrance Requirement….In my area, no kid gets in unless they make Straight A’s….pretty much a given…unles they have a very Strong “political connection”….or Sibling/black for which additional points are in fact given….
Step Six: Your kid gets one of the Seats in the IB HS. For my kids school, there were 145 Seats available and 750 Apps……Now the game begins in Earnest…..
Step Seven: First thing you and your kid notices is that the Cultural/Ethnic Mix may indeed be somewhat “Different”….In my kids school, the mix is 25% Asian, 15% Indian, 25% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% Black, All Other the Rest….In a Magnet School, where Traditional School is 40% Hispanic, 40% Black, and 20% White…..So the Air of “International” is there from the Get Go….
Step Eight: Back off, learn and listen….avoid being a “helicopter” parent…..If top IB School, these folks Administrators/Teachers know what they are doing….and the Program Does the Rest……Your kid in Freshman Year, will if applies make same Straight A’s you are used to……But by Junior Year……There will be some Academic Challenges….take my word on this…..If none, then is not truly IB Caliber…..
Step Eight: Understand that the game is not just the iB Diploma, but getting truly Educated in Whatever the focus of kids future is decided…In my kids case…it became medicine…others are different…whatever it is…..Your kid will be a Top Achiever. Your kid will be that One out of a 100 who actually knew what they were doing when you attended College….Remember that Top Kid….that you wondered how in the hell, He knew so much…cause college is easy for him….That will be your Kid…..Who by the way will enter college as Soph or Junior…not a Freshman….with between 30 and 50 college credits Day One of College…..here are my kids upon IB Graduation….

1. Chemistry 8 Credits
2. Biology 8 Credits
3. English 6 Credits
4. Calculus 4 Credits
5. Spanish 6 Credits
6. Statistics 3 Credits
7. US Hist 6 Credits
8. World Hist 3 Credits
9. Euro Hist 3 Credits
10 Hist. Amer. 3 Credits
total credits 48 College Credits

And my kid is NOT the most by any stretch…..The College he wants to go to only takes 45 Credits maximum….And to get into Junior Honors Medical Program, where he won’t have MCAT over his head…..requires he back up some on Chemistry…..so whatever…..

Friends….Had my kid went to the expensive and presigious “Elite Private School”…..this would not have occurred…..IB is the Real Damn Deal….all the others are just pretenders…..

Secrets……For example IB Chem, and IB Biology…In AP of either One year is spent on the course…….It does not get done, and failure rate on AP Testing in Chem for example is in excess of 85%…….In IB …..Two years are spent covering same material (On Steroids)….so failure rate is less than 40%…..Duh….LOL

]]> Comment on AP Info by Tim McCarthy http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/winter/#comment-79 Tim McCarthy Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:16:34 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/winter/#comment-79 Yes, it is true of the IB history course and also the IB Film, Art, and Theater classes. Theory of Knowledge doesn't have a textbook either but there are a selection of novels and readings that are used. The rest have textbooks that are used to varying degrees, depending on the needs of the subject. IB is not as focused on covering everything contained in a textbook like AP is because the testing is different. IB will focus on fewer topics but in greater depth. Yes, it is true of the IB history course and also the IB Film, Art, and Theater classes. Theory of Knowledge doesn’t have a textbook either but there are a selection of novels and readings that are used. The rest have textbooks that are used to varying degrees, depending on the needs of the subject. IB is not as focused on covering everything contained in a textbook like AP is because the testing is different. IB will focus on fewer topics but in greater depth.

]]> Comment on AP Info by melissa http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/winter/#comment-78 melissa Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:34:56 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/winter/#comment-78 I have heard from a lot of people that AP and IB are different in History. Such as the AP you use the book a lot. On the other hand in IB you use handouts more than you use the book. If this is true is this the same with any other classes I have heard from a lot of people that AP and IB are different in History. Such as the AP you use the book a lot. On the other hand in IB you use handouts more than you use the book. If this is true is this the same with any other classes

]]> Comment on About by SDL http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/about/#comment-61 SDL Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:57:30 +0000 #comment-61 Please reply to my email - thanks! I noticed in a post dated March 19th, you referenced this web site: www.firstaid.com as possibly meeting the first aid requirement. Does this in fact meet the requirement? Thanks! Please reply to my email – thanks! I noticed in a post dated March 19th, you referenced this web site: http://www.firstaid.com as possibly meeting the first aid requirement. Does this in fact meet the requirement? Thanks!

]]> Comment on About by SDL http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/about/#comment-60 SDL Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:56:43 +0000 #comment-60 I noticed in a post dated March 19th, you referenced this web site: www.firstaid.com as possibly meeting the first aid requirement. Does this in fact meet the requirement? Thanks! I noticed in a post dated March 19th, you referenced this web site: http://www.firstaid.com as possibly meeting the first aid requirement. Does this in fact meet the requirement? Thanks!

]]> Comment on IB Testing Fees by tmac57 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-testing-fees/#comment-57 tmac57 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:32:11 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-testing-fees/#comment-57 You could focus on how much the diploma testing process is, and I'm not saying it is cheap, but students with a diploma in hand that can knock about a year's worth of college courses off their "to do" list that will save them thousands of dollars. Throw in living expences on top of tuition money saved, book money saved, and dollars that will be earned when they get out of college a year early rather than spending more of this money and you are talking a long term SAVINGS of tens of thousands of dollars! Five or six hundred dollars is a fair piece of change for IB Diploma testing right now and many of us don't have that kind of pocket money available and need to build an expenditure like that into the budget. The school doesn't get any of this money. It goes to IB to pay for external examiners for grading these tests (which are primarily essay), internal assessments, and extended essays as well as training these people and paying for administrative costs to run and oversee worldwide operations. You could focus on how much the diploma testing process is, and I’m not saying it is cheap, but students with a diploma in hand that can knock about a year’s worth of college courses off their “to do” list that will save them thousands of dollars. Throw in living expences on top of tuition money saved, book money saved, and dollars that will be earned when they get out of college a year early rather than spending more of this money and you are talking a long term SAVINGS of tens of thousands of dollars! Five or six hundred dollars is a fair piece of change for IB Diploma testing right now and many of us don’t have that kind of pocket money available and need to build an expenditure like that into the budget. The school doesn’t get any of this money. It goes to IB to pay for external examiners for grading these tests (which are primarily essay), internal assessments, and extended essays as well as training these people and paying for administrative costs to run and oversee worldwide operations.

]]> Comment on IB Testing Fees by Anonymous http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-testing-fees/#comment-55 Anonymous Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:28:29 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-testing-fees/#comment-55 Why in the world is it so darn expensive?!?!?!?! Why in the world is it so darn expensive?!?!?!?!

]]> Comment on IB Info by Tim McCarthy http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-51 Tim McCarthy Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:43:02 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-51 Nancy, Of course you are welcome to join in the IB program. We have an open door policy for anyone willing to challenge themselves and it's never too late to do so. If you would like more information on the full diploma program itself or the certificate program come by room 53 to ask me or see Ms. Berman in the guidance center. Nancy,

Of course you are welcome to join in the IB program. We have an open door policy for anyone willing to challenge themselves and it’s never too late to do so. If you would like more information on the full diploma program itself or the certificate program come by room 53 to ask me or see Ms. Berman in the guidance center.

]]> Comment on IB Info by NANCY http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-48 NANCY Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:42:16 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-48 I am in ninth grade and i am not takin honors classes, though, i am very interested in being in the IB program. Can i change my college prep classes to honors? I am in ninth grade and i am not takin honors classes, though, i am very interested in being in the IB program. Can i change my college prep classes to honors?

]]> Comment on IB Info by Tim McCarthy http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-43 Tim McCarthy Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:08:45 +0000 http://mccarthy51.wordpress.com/ib-info/#comment-43 I want to be sure of our language here. You express interest in the IB "certificate" program which is different from the "diploma" program. The former would be like the AP program where a student picks and chooses which IB course they want to take, but only in a few subject areas. The latter "diploma" program requires students to take advanced courses in 6 different academic subject areas and results in a specialized diploma. Any student interested in doing the "diploma" program need only to request a transfer for the purposes of entering the program. There are not the same transfer provisions for getting IB "certificates." I want to be sure of our language here. You express interest in the IB “certificate” program which is different from the “diploma” program. The former would be like the AP program where a student picks and chooses which IB course they want to take, but only in a few subject areas. The latter “diploma” program requires students to take advanced courses in 6 different academic subject areas and results in a specialized diploma. Any student interested in doing the “diploma” program need only to request a transfer for the purposes of entering the program. There are not the same transfer provisions for getting IB “certificates.”

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