What is IB?

By Sarah Abbott
South Charleston High School

When South Charleston High School sophomores create their schedules for the next year, they have a choice to make. Do they continue on with regular classes, or do they participate in the International Baccalaureate program?

IB is an alternative to Advanced Placement classes, and South Charleston is currently the only local school to offer the program. There are two courses of action for students wishing to enroll in IB.

Those who want to take the entire IB program (called diploma students) take IB literature, mathematics, experimental sciences, history and foreign language. They must also select one IB elective such as psychology or visual arts. They also take a class called Theory of Knowledge, which is IB-specific.

The second option is to become a certificate student. Certificate students are allowed to take certain classes, such as the core English, math, science and history courses. These students do not take the entire program, whether for academic or scheduling reasons. Certificate students are also not required to complete the same amount of community service as diploma students.

IB has many advantages, one of the biggest being that it fully prepares students for college. Students may even receive college credit for their IB courses, and some colleges admit IB students as sophomores rather than freshmen. Others give IB diploma candidates preferred admissions status or special scholarships.

However, IB has a very involved and rigorous curriculum. Many of the courses are year-round in a revised block schedule in order to create a more balanced class. Participants are required to take both internal and external exams. (The external exams are graded by examiners in countries around the world, while the internal ones are graded by the students’ teachers.)

Another benefit of the IB program is having smaller classes. Because less students take these courses, the IB students get more one-on-one time with their teachers and can have more individual attention.

One of the program’s drawbacks is the amount of homework that students have. But as Ed Booten, the IB coordinator at SC, says on the school’s website, all honor students have homework. “The better question is, ‘Will I be well-prepared for college?’” he asks. “Yes!”

IB has more advantages than disadvantages. An elite honors program, it is recognized by colleges around the country as a golden standard of applications. While it is difficult, the program aims to better prepare students to settle into college work with greater ease.