Page 1 of 18 Skyline High School International Baccalaureate Program Information Christopher Krueger IB Coordinator Updated: October, 2016 Table of contents: 1. IB Mission Statement and Learner Profile 2. Overview 3. How to get an IB diploma 4. Course Sequencing Chart 5. How many HLs and SLs should I take? 6. The courses we teach and what you may/should take a. Primary Language b. Second language (Spanish, French, Chinese) c. Individuals and Societies (aka Social Studies) d. Experimental Sciences e. Mathematics f. Arts & Electives 7. Sample schedules 8. Frequently Asked Questions 9. Contractual Obligations
Transcript
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Skyline High School International Baccalaureate Program Information
Christopher Krueger IB Coordinator
Updated: October, 2016
Table of contents:
1. IB Mission Statement and Learner Profile
2. Overview
3. How to get an IB diploma
4. Course Sequencing Chart
5. How many HLs and SLs should I take?
6. The courses we teach and what you may/should take
a. Primary Language
b. Second language (Spanish, French, Chinese)
c. Individuals and Societies (aka Social Studies)
d. Experimental Sciences
e. Mathematics
f. Arts & Electives
7. Sample schedules
8. Frequently Asked Questions
9. Contractual Obligations
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IB Mission Statement and Learner Profile
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) Mission Statement begins this guide. This statement represents the core philosophy of IB. The Learner Profile, which follows, elaborates on this central philosophy with a more in-depth explanation of the kind of student that the IB program strives to develop.
The IBO Mission Statement The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. [verbatim from ibo.org]
The IBO Learner Profile Inquirers IB students develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives. Knowledgeable IB students explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines. Thinkers IB students exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions. Communicators IB students understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others. Principled IB students act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them. Open-minded IB students understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience. Caring IB students show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. Risk-takers IB students approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs. Balanced IB students understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others. Reflective IB students give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development. [adapted from ibo.org]
The Skyline IB Program Overview
The International Baccalaureate Program is designed first and foremost to prepare students for college. Students that complete the IB diploma (see below) typically: 1. Get through college faster than their high school classmates and 2. Get better grades in college than even the average AP student, let alone the student taking regular track courses.
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There are a host of secondary advantages to IB. First, many students are interested in the college credit they can earn while still in high school. The average college (This varies a lot!) grants a little less than a year of credit for a full IB Diploma, and often much more if the student completes AP tests as well. The University of Utah, for instance, waives thirty semester hours’ credit for to a student with an IB diploma. But most Skyline IB students earn many more credits than that, on average about 50 total credits between IB and AP together. That’s a significant savings in both time and money. If this is your primary incentive for investigating the program, you should know that most students do not actually end up using all these credits. This is true for students earning credit for AP classes or concurrent enrollment as well. Why don’t students take advantage of credits they earn? Much of the reason is that these students simply enjoy college and want to stay the whole four years. But many students take awhile to figure out what their college major is going to be. A student might start off as a biology major, and then switch to English. But by the time he switches, he might have already accrued a great number of credits that won’t count towards an English major, and so need to “go back” and fill English requirements. Conversations with college counselors early and repeatedly will decrease the chance and degree of this foundering. Parents should also keep in mind that even though AP and IB students typically don’t use all their credits, they still finish college much faster than their non-AP, non-IB peers. Official studies from the US Dept. of Education report the average IB diploma student takes just under five years to finish his/her undergraduate degree, the AP student takes a little longer, and (of those that finish) the average “regular track” student takes over seven years to complete his/her bachelor’s degree, if he/she ever finishes at all. A second reason students pursue the IB diploma is to increase their chances of getting into competitive, out-of-state colleges like Stanford, Duke, Harvard and Washington U-St. Louis. True, doing the IB program dramatically increases a student’s chances of getting into one of these schools. But to be fair a student taking an equivalent number of AP courses would have a similarly strong college application. However, very few AP students take as many college-preparatory courses as the IB diploma student. By his/her senior year our typical IB diploma graduate has taken the equivalent of 12, full-year AP classes. Simply put, IB forces students to take the most rigorous course load possible. I also want to make it quite clear that, while you (usually) will get a superior education at these colleges, an “A” school diploma isn’t as helpful as you might think. A diploma from one of these schools isn’t the “automatic in” that you may perceive it to be. Talk to the admissions board at the University of Utah Medical School (a highly-ranked med school by any account). They’ll tell you that students from Stanford get almost no preference over students from, say, the University of Utah or BYU as long as you are in the top of your class at the University of Utah. My point is, if you get in, and can afford an A-school like Stanford, awesome! But don’t go $200k into debt from your undergraduate in order to attend one of these schools. One of my HS counselor friends tells her students, “Go to the best college you can afford.” In other words, given a 90% scholarship to the 40th best college in the country (e.g., UCSD) versus a 10% scholarship to Stanford, go to UCSD (unless money isn’t a problem!). Scholarships are therefore a third reason why students pursue the IB diploma. Students completing the IB diploma typically earn more significantly more college scholarships than their regular-track classmates, and at least as many as their AP counterparts. At the University of Utah, for instance, Skyline’s IB graduates have been awarded with an average $8,000/year scholarship. But compared to AP, scholarships are a little trickier. IB is not as well-known nationwide, and as such many smaller schools don’t see as much value in IB (this is changing). And many private granting institutions don’t see as much value in IB, either. But many colleges and private foundations do see superior value in IB, and as such are even more generous with IB than with
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AP. In short, it depends. Shop around for scholarship money and find the scholarships that are friendly to IB.
How to get an IB diploma
While some students choose to do a few individual IB classes, the blue ribbon of IB is the IB Diploma. It signifies that a student is well-rounded, high-achieving, open-minded, principled, knowledgeable, analytical, communicative, willing to take risks and self-aware (see the learner profile for more details). To earn an IB diploma, students must take six IB courses across 5 or 6 subject areas. A course in Groups 1-5 is required; Group 6 is optional. The required IB content areas are:
1. A primary language, 2. A second language, 3. Individuals and societies (we would call them social studies in the US), 4. Science and 5. Mathematics
The arts are group 6. You must take a sixth class to earn an IB diploma, but—unlike content areas 1-5—that sixth class doesn’t necessarily have to be from group six. Instead, a student may take a second course from Groups 2-5 as his/her sixth IB course. For instance, a student could take IB Biology as her primary Group 2 course, and then IB Chemistry as her sixth course. Such a student would NOT need an IB Art class to earn an IB diploma. However, since the Granite School District (GSD) requires 3 semesters of art credit for graduation, many IB students do choose a Group 6 course for their sixth IB class, thereby fulfilling their IB requirement as well as their GSD art requirement. I should also note that our IB art courses here at Skyline are strong, and as such appeal to most IB diploma students. In each IB class, students take a rigorous set of exams at the end of the class (in May of the final year of the course). These exams cover course content from the entire length of the course and make up the majority of the final IB grade of each subject. Students also complete in-class work (e.g., biology labs) that becomes part of final IB grade as well. Although it depends on the course, the in-class work constitutes about 25% of the total course grade. There are three additional requirements in addition to these six courses. (1) Diploma students must complete the Theory of Knowledge class. This course is taken second semester junior year and first semester senior year. Theory of Knowledge is a class that asks students to challenge their beliefs, reflects on why knowledge is important, explores the levels of certainty we have in our facts, and investigates the mechanisms through which we come know a piece of knowledge. (2) IB diploma candidates must also complete an extended essay. This is a 2000 to 4000 word research paper that takes the average student about 50 hours of research and writing to put together. Students select a topic and research question of their choosing, thoroughly investigate the topic, and develop a coherent answer to the question. (3) Diploma students must complete activities that involve creativity, action and service (CAS). The CAS component demands the IB students’ growth through experiential learning. For instance, participation in a sports team, organizing a food drive, and a non-credit dance recital, are just a tiny number of examples of what CAS is after. See the CAS guide (posted elsewhere on the Skyline IB web site) for more detail.
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Skyline HS IB Course Sequencing Chart • IB courses are in CAPS
9th grade 10th grade 11th grade 12th grade
Group 1:Language A Freshman English Sophomore H English IB ENGLISH A1 HL1 IB ENGLISH A1 HL2
Band/Choir/Orchestraµ◊ Band/Orchestra/ Choirµ◊ IB MUSIC SL + band/choir∆◊µ IB MUSIC HL◊µ
Theory of Knowledge IB THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
Extended Essay∑ IB EXTENDED ESSAY∑
A student must take six IB courses. 3 or 4 HL courses (usually two years of coursework) and 3 or 2 SL courses (one or two years of coursework) from among the six subjects. Groups 1-5 are required; group six may be elected, or an additional course from groups 2-4 may be selected for the sixth course. Generally, the program allows 2-3 non-IB classes sophomore year, 1½ non-IB classes junior year, and 2½ non-IB classes senior year. In addition to seminary, athletics, driver’s education or other “extra” classes, students must be careful to plan their Skyline HS graduation requirements not generally covered by their IB classes:
1½ Art 1 CTE ½ Health ½ FFL 1 PE ½ Financial Lit ½ Comp Tech ½ Government
Most/all of these additional graduation requirements are available at the on-line high school at www.schools.utah.gov/ehs/
*These courses are strongly recommended as preparation for the IB class, but not required;
**These courses REQUIRE two years of study even at the Standard Level †Not offered unless enough students enroll to make them carry as stand-alone class(es). ¥These courses could be taken either sophomore or junior year; ƒThese classes are held on a two-period block, two full class periods for the entire year ∆These courses could be taken either junior or senior year; µThis course counts towards the 1.5 Art Utah HS graduation credit
∂These are semester courses;
°This course also fulfills the 1.0 CTE Utah HS graduation credit; ◊Music classes (number and type) are flexible, see Mr. Larson or Mr. Krueger for details; ∑This is a ninth period class, it does not take one of the students’ classes. Mr. Krueger will meet with you regularly, pulling you out of other classes
Contact [email protected] (email is best) or 385.646.9588. Updated December 3, 2015.
Of the six IB classes students must take, 3 (or 4) classes must be taken at the higher level, and then the remaining 3 (or 2) must be done at the standard level. The HL (higher level) doesn’t really mean the course has more difficult content, just more content. For instance, HL history and HL biology tests simply cover ~30% more content than the SL tests. Sometimes (like Art History) we can get all the SL content into one year of study. Sometimes we can put some of the content (like Chemistry) into the sophomore year. Sure, it would be convenient to be able to do the entire SL content in one year for every class, but—for the IB History and Biology classes—there is simply too much content in the SL classes to cover them all in one year. To be fair, IB expects most of their SL courses to be taught over two years anyway. Luckily, students can often get a lot of content in the sophomore year and then take a corresponding SL exam junior year. Read on to learn more about exams. “What about the SL/HL exams?” is usually the next question I get from my parents/students. In short, SL exams can often be taken at the end of junior year. HL exams can ONLY be taken during the senior year. In addition, students are limited to a maximum of 2 SL exams junior year. If possible, we encourage students to take at least one exam junior year, and two is preferable. That way, students aren’t struggling to do all six exams senior year. It’s not impossible to do all six senior year, but why load that on yourself when you don’t have to? The next question from parents and students is, “Does taking 4/3 HLs affect my IB diploma?” The short answer is, “No.” Each IB class, whether HL or SL, is worth 1-7 points toward an IB diploma. To earn a diploma, student must receive 24 points from six classes. The number of HLs or SLs does NOT affect that 24-point minimum. Therefore, taking an extra (4th) HL test means is extra work that the student (probably) won’t earn college credit for. That having been said, for those students that are real go-getters, you could take seven IB courses and have the extra HL as your seventh. For instance, a student could take: English HL, Spanish HL, Psychology SL, Chemistry SL, Math HL and Physics SL and earn a diploma. Such a student could ALSO squeeze in a History HL certificate and earn an addition 4-8 semester hours of college credit. But such a student could also accomplish as much (and many do) by taking AP courses to supplement his/her IB diploma. Supplemental AP courses are more common option than taking an additional IB certificate. One final note on the 3/4 HL issue: several colleges (But not many; all public schools in Utah accept the full diploma.) do not accept the IB diploma but instead only accept individual IB classes, and those few colleges typically often accept only HL classes for individual credits. For students that know they are headed to such schools, taking 4 or even 5 HLs as certificates might be your best option if maximizing credit is your goal. Check with the college(s) you’re interested in when making the 3/4/certificate only decision.
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Courses we teach and what you might/should take
Group 1: Primary Language English HL This course is taught junior and senior years. We expect all of our students to do English at the HL, but exceptions may be made for those students for whom English is a second language. This should be discussed with Mr. Krueger and your English teacher early in the junior year. Regardless, two years of English classes are still required. Group 2: Second Language HL/SL/ab initio There are several variations here available to students. Optimally, we’d like you to be finished with language 3 by the end of your freshman (ninth grade) year, but students finishing language 2 will be just fine. Whatever your second language, sophomores should take the next course in sequence (see course sequencing chart).
If you are finished with language 4 by the end of sophomore year a) You may take the language of your choice (Spanish, French, Chinese) your junior year at the
SL (standard level), test out, and be done with your (group 2) second language requirement. OR b) You may continue in your second language, taking the language of your choice at the SL junior
year and then go on to the HL (higher level) your senior year. Keep in mind you have a maximum of 4 IB courses at the higher level, although you may earn HL certificates in more than 4.
If you are finished with language 3 by the end of sophomore year a) Most students in this situation take their language at the “4” level their junior year in preparation
for the SL (standard level) class and test their senior year BUT b) Some strong students in a particular language can go straight from Language 3 to IB
Language SL their junior year, and then be done with their IB language requirements at the end of junior year. Or such students could instead go for IB Language HL their senior year. Keep in mind, only the top 20% or so of language students can accomplish this “jump.”
If you are finished with language 2 by the end of sophomore year a) If you’re doing Chinese, take a year off and do Chinese 3 your senior year, then take the
Chinese ab initio exam at the end of senior year. OR b) If you’re in another language, and are really strong in that language (top 20%), you could do
Spanish 3 Honors your junior year and then make it up to IB Language SL by your senior year. BUT this is uncommon. We recommend that students in this situation supplement their language education with a course over the summer after sophomore year. Come talk to the coordinator and we can help you get set up in the appropriate class.
If you are finished with language 1 by the end of sophomore year a) You really don’t have a choice but to do Chinese ab initio, which will be taught your junior and
senior year. b) OR you can try to “catch up” to the rest of your cohort through continuing education at the
University of Utah over the summer. Finally, if you have been raised speaking a second language, that is if you are truly bi-lingual, you may opt for a “Self-taught” language. We have had students take self-taught Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Bulgarian and Italian (to name a few). Beware; your level of control of a language must be at a much higher level than any of the options described above. Students that pass at this level have usually had the equivalent of EIGHT or more years of formal schooling in that language.
Group 3: Individuals and Societies History HL/SL Since Skyline/The GSD require a student to take a world history credit, ALL* of our IB students do the history option for their group 2 requirement. Students take either IB History HL or SL. BOTH courses require* two years (junior and senior), although the exams for SL are substantially easier, so most of our students who feel “weaker” in history opt for the SL choice. It’s the same curriculum, just that the SL test is graded easier and doesn’t cover as many topics. AP American History is required* for the
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sophomore year. AP American also fulfills your GSD/Skyline American history requirement. *There are some exceptions to this sequence/requirement. Contact Mr. Krueger/Ms. Sossenheimer for details. Psychology SL Psychology is now our most popular “Sixth” IB class. Students take IB Psychology their junior or senior year in lieu of an art class (group 6). If you’re planning on this class, regular psychology (one semester only) is helpful but not required, and is usually taken sophomore year. Students taking SL psychology may take it without having had AP Psychology beforehand. Students taking HL Psychology must take AP Psychology as juniors to prepare for the extra demands of IB HL Psychology as a senior. Economics SL Students will take this class for their “group 6” requirement, in lieu of an art class. If you’re interested in this class, taking IB Financial Literacy during 10th or 11th grade is strongly recommended. An additional benefit of this class is that students earn their Utah HS CTE credit as well as fulfill their IB group six requirement. Group 4: Experimental Sciences Biology SL/HL This is the most common course students take to fulfill their Group 3 requirement. Students have some options here. As with history, both the biology HL and SL courses require two years’ commitment. Biology SL has less content, so students who feel weaker in the sciences often opt for this option. Whether you’re testing at the HL or SL, you have only one course of study open to you. You’ll take Chemistry Honors your sophomore year, then take IB Biology HL1 your junior year and Biology HL2 your senior year.
Chemistry SL For students doing only one science course, this is the “fastest” option to get through the science (Group 3) requirement. Students doing this option need to take Chemistry Honors as a sophomore and then Chemistry SL as either a junior or senior. We recommend finishing it as a junior. Students can also take this course as their Group 6 (elective) requirement in lieu of an art class if they want to “double up” on sciences. A caveat: This course will not be offered unless enough students take it to carry as a “stand alone” course. In the past, we’ve tried to seat this class with AP Chemistry with poor results. Since we’ve made it a stand-alone only class, students’ experiences have substantially improved. Students should plan on a back up class in case IB Chemistry doesn’t carry. Chemistry HL For students who have enjoyed IB Chemistry SL as a junior, a second year of study is available. Students will further their knowledge of chemistry.
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Physics SL Students interested in physics as their primary science course should take either chemistry H or physics H as a sophomore. Certainly, honors physics is helpful, but we have found that strong math students are able to handle the IB Physics SL course without the prerequisite. A student must have taken (preferred) or must be currently taking calculus in order to be able to succeed in this course. A caveat: This course will not be offered if we do not get enough students make it carry as a stand-alone class. In the past, we’ve tried to co-seat this class with AP Physics (see above discussion on co-seating). This has not worked well. AP Physics and IB Physics only have about 25% of the curriculum overlap, which makes it impossible to adequately prepare students for both exams. If you choose this class, make sure you have a backup science class to fall back on if we can’t offer this one. You can always take AP Physics as a senior if you can fit it into your schedule. Computer Science SL Students interested in programming may take computer science for their group 4 requirement, or in lieu of an art class for their “group 6” requirement. Introduction to programming, usually taken sophomore year, must be taken beforehand. See Group 5: Mathematics Mathematics SL This is the most common course students take to fulfill their Group 5 requirement, more than half of each cohort does this option. This course is a combination of statistics with two semesters of college-level calculus. Because it is more rigorous and higher-reaching, colleges prefer this class over Math Studies. However—especially if you are arts/social sciences oriented—colleges don’t view Mathematics HL/SL as imperative. But if you are science/math oriented, it is strongly preferred. There are four ways to get to this class. (See the math sequencing chart below for clarification.)
a) The most common path to Mathematics HL/SL is by finishing SM3H sophomore year. Students in this situation will then take the double-block calculus (IB Math HL1) class their junior year. That’s two math classes out of an eight period day. This gives most students during the junior year very little “extra” room for courses like choir or seminary. Students then go on to take Math HL2 their senior year, which is an advanced statistics class that covers much of the same material as a college 200-level statistics class.
b) A few students take pre-calculus (SM3H) over the summer after freshman year, and then accelerate the above process by one year. This creates several advantages for such students. By taking the Math double block sophomore year, such students have more room junior year for elective classes. Many students in this situation go on to take Further Math HL their senior year as their sixth course or as a seventh (certificate only, as detailed in the 3/4 HL/SL section above) course.
c) For students that have finished SM2 H (intermediate algebra) at the end of sophomore year and still want to take Mathematics HL, we recommend you take pre-calculus (SM3H) over the summer after sophomore year, and then follow the courses outlined in (a).
d) Finally, students completing SM1 as ninth graders may take our SM2H/SM3H double block their sophomore year. This takes up two periods out of the eight period schedule, but is a very solid way to catch back up to the “higher” math track. Students that were dissatisfied with their SM2H performance as ninth graders may also choose this option to serve as a “refresher” for SM2 as well as a robust exposure to SM3H.
Mathematics HL For future engineers, or simply those that love math, Mathematics HL is the pièce de résistance. Only a few students take this test every year, but several students do take the required classes.
a) The primary route to Math HL is to finish SM3H by the beginning of sophomore year, then take IB Math HL1 (calculus double block) sophomore year, HL2 junior year, and Further Math (see below) senior year.
b) Some students take Math HL1 junior year and then double up again on math their senior year, doing Math HL2 and Further Math their senior year.
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IB Math Sequential Options (Group 5) OPTIONS 9th 10th 11th 12th IB Exams AP Exams
RECOMMENDED OPTION 3
Secondary Math 1H Secondary Math 2H Secondary Math 3H (pre-
calc)
Math Studies SL (AP stats) AND POSSIBLY Intuitive
calculus
SL Math Studies Exam (senior year)
AP stats Senior year
RECOMMENDED OPTION 2 ("I don't love math" option)
Secondary Math 1H Secondary Math 2H Secondary Math 3H AND
Math Studies SL (AP stats)
No Math OR AP/IB Calculus (double block) OR Intuitive
calculus
SL Math Studies Exam (junior Year)
AP stats Junior year/AP calc Senior year (if calc taken)
Secondary Math 1H with Summer Secondary Math
2 Course
Secondary Math 3H (pre-calc)
Higher Level Math 1 Calculus (double block
class) Math Studies SL (AP stats)
SL Math Studies Exam (senior Year)
AP calc Junior year and AP stats Senior
year
Secondary Math 1H (with Summer Secondary Math
2 Course)
Secondary Math 3H (pre-calc)
Higher Level Math 1 Calculus (double block
class)
Higher Level Math 2 (Statistics)
SL Mathematics Exam (senior Year)
AP calc Junior year and AP stats Senior
year
Secondary Math 2H
Secondary Math 3H (pre-calc)
Math Studies (AP stats) No Math OR AP/IB Calculus (double block) OR intuitive
calculus
SL Math Studies Exam (junior Year)
AP stats Junior year
RECOMMENDED OPTION 1 (The single most popular track)
Secondary Math 2H Secondary Math 3H
(pre-calc)
High Level Math 1 Calculus (double block
class)
Higher Level Math 2 (Statistics)
SL Mathematics Exam (senior Year)
AP calc Junior year and AP stats Senior
year
Secondary Math 2H
Secondary Math 3H (pre-calc)
High Level Math 1 Calculus (double block
class)
Higher Level Math 2 + Further Math HL
HL Math Exam (senior Year), possible IB Further Math HL
AP calc Junior year and AP stats Senior
year
Secondary Math 2H (with Summer Secondary Math
3) (pre-calc)
Higher Level Math 1 Calculus (double block)
Higher Level Math 2 (Statistics)
Further Math HL HL Math Exam (senior
Year), possible IB Further Math HL
AP calc sophomore year and AP stats
Junior year
Secondary Math 3H (pre-calc)
Higher Level Mathmatics 1 Calculus
(double block)
Higher Level Math 2 (Statistics)
Further Math HL HL Math Exam (senior
Year), possible IB Further Math HL
AP calc sophomore year and AP stats
Junior year
RECOMMENDED OPTION 4
Secondary Math 1H SM2H/SM3H (double
block) Higher Level Math 1
Calculus (double block) Higher Level Math 2
(Statistics) SL Mathematics Exam
(senior Year)
AP calc Junior year and AP stats Senior
year
RECOMMENDED OPTION 5
Secondary Math 1H SM2H/SM3H (double
block) Higher Level Math 1
Calculus (double block) Higher Level Math 2 +
Further Math HL
HL Math Exam (senior Year), possible IB Further Math HL
AP calc Junior year and AP stats senior
year
SM2H/SM3H (double
block) Higher Level Math 1
Calculus (double block) Higher Level Math 2
(Statistics) Further Math HL
HL Math Exam (senior Year), possible IB Further Math HL
AP calc sophomore year and AP stats
Junior year
Secondary Math 1H SM2H/SM3H (double
block) Math Studies (AP stats)
SL Math Studies Exam (junior Year)
IB Math Studies junior year
AP stats Junior year
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Math Studies SL About a third of IB students complete this course for their Group 5 requirement. Students who are less adept at math typically pursue this option. But don’t despair. Colleges will still love you even if you don’t take Math HL, and you can still get some calculus on your HS transcript (see option (b) below).
a) The most common track for students taking Math Studies is to do Secondary Math 2 H as a sophomore, then pre-calculus (SM3H) as a junior, and then Math Studies class (and exam) as a senior. Students that opt for this track usually do well. Pre-calculus slightly over-prepares a student for Math Studies senior year, which helps boost the Math Studies score. Also, having pre-calculus as a junior boosts ACT/SAT math scores as well, an added bonus for college admissions. Many of the students taking Math Studies ALSO take the AP Statistics test.
b) Although most students finishing SM2H as ninth graders pursue the Mathematics track (see above) some do simply take SM3H as sophomores, then IB Math Studies as juniors. They can either be “done” with math at that point or take AP Calculus or Intuitive Calculus (“diet calc”) their senior year.
c) If you want more room in your senior schedule, take SM2H as a sophomore; then double block your math junior year, taking both SM3H AND IB math studies. This way, you’ll have your pre-calc and statistics skills fresh when you take the Math Studies exam at the end of junior year. And you’ll still have room in your schedule for more math (e.g. calculus) in your senior year schedule.
d) If you want more room in your junior schedule, take the SM2H/SM3H double block class your sophomore year. This will set you up for IB Math Studies your junior year, and then you’ll be done with math. Such a student (if interested) could take AP Calculus or Intuitive Calculus (“diet calc”) his/her senior year.
Further Math HL This is a course for the serious math student. This course must* be taken in addition to Mathematics HL in order to sit for the Mathematics HL exam. Most students doing this option take the course either senior year, either after or concurrently with the Math HL2 class. Engineers, this is the course for you! This course must be done as an extra certificate or in place of a group 6 course, it cannot stand alone as your group 5 requirement. Group 6: The Arts We have five options in the Arts: Visual Arts (drawing & painting) both at the SL and HL level, Theater SL/HL, Music SL/HL, Art History SL and Dance SL. Just to remind you, a sixth class is required, but students can substitute another class in lieu of an art class. An additional Group 2, Group 3, Group 4 or Group 5 may be selected instead. A little less than half of our diploma students do include a Group 6. The most common selection is Visual Arts, either at the SL or HL. But we usually have a few music, dance and theater students as well. Visual Arts SL/HL About a quarter of the total diploma students do Visual Arts for their “sixth class” making it the single most popular “sixth” class. Students taking this class MUST enroll in Skyline pre-IB (SPIB) painting or drawing their sophomore year. It also helps to have taken drawing and painting classes in earlier grades, but this is only recommended. Generally, students have a good idea of whether they’ll stand for the SL or HL exam by October of their junior year. Students are also welcome to take a ceramics class. Works from these classes can be included in the IB portfolio. Ceramics only serve as supplemental work. The bulk of every student’s portfolio will be painting and drawing. Music SL/HL About ten percent of the total diploma students do music for their “sixth class.” We are modifying the way we’ve scheduled IB Music. Students can either take HL Music (2, 3, or 4 music classes over junior and senior year) or SL Music (2 or 3 classes junior year and then "whatever you want" senior year). This is true whether you're doing vocal OR instrumental music. You must take at least one of the however many classes from Mr. Larson to do IB Music. The music theory class is helpful for the IB
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Music test, but many students find they can pick up the music theory in after school sessions. Contact Mr. Krueger/Mr. Larson for more details. Theater SL/HL This is a class for those interested in the dramatic arts. Students interested in this class should take drama 2 as sophomores. Although this class does include a strong performance component, most of the class is devoted to dramaturgy, the analysis of theater. Students should be prepared for copious reading and critiquing of plays. Art History SL This course will prepare a student in art history. There are no prerequisites, but a class in art is helpful. Dance SL/HL This course is available for students interested in Dance to fulfill their IB and GSD art requirement. This course requires a strong dedication to dance-as-art, including performance, choreography, and history of the art.
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Sample Schedules • IB courses are in CAPS
Mark Musician
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior English Soph English Hon IB ENGLISH HL1 IB ENGLISH HL2
Geography AP American History IB HISTORY HL1 IB HISTORY HL2
Biology H Chemistry IB CHEMISTRY SL Philharmonic Orch.
Secondary Math 1 H Secondary Math 2 H SM3 H IB MUSIC HL
Orchestra Wind Ensemble IB MATH STUDIES SL AP Psychology
Seminary Seminary Philharmonic Orch Seminary
PE/Foods 1 Health/FFL LDS seminary/TOK TOK/PE
Mark also needed early morning seminary 2nd semester junior year. He had to take computer tech and a semester-long CTE class, through the electronic high school.
Adele Athlete
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior English Soph English Hon IB ENGLISH HL1 IB ENGLISH HL2
French 2 French 3 French 4 IB FRENCH SL
Geography AP American History IB HISTORY HL1 IB HISTORY HL2
Biology H Chemistry IB CHEMISTRY SL IB PHYSICS SL
Secondary Math 2 H SM3 H IB MATH HL1 IB MATH HL2
Art Art/Computer Tech IB MATH HL1 AP Gov’t/Financial Lit
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior English Soph English Hon IB ENGLISH HL1 IB ENGLISH HL2
Art/PE Chinese 1 IB CHINESE AB INITIO IB CHINESE AB INITIO
Geography AP American History IB HISTORY HL1 IB HISTORY HL2
Biology FFL/Health IB CHEMISTRY SL AP Physics
Pre-calculus (summer) IB MATH HL1 IB MATH HL2 IB FURTHER MATH SL
Seminary IB MATH HL1 Seminary IB MATH HL2
Computer Tech/Art H Chemistry Multimedia Design 1-2 Seminary
PE Seminary Art/TOK TOK/Financial Literacy
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is this program only for “gifted” students? Although it certainly helps to be “bright,” it is not a requirement. Most students successfully completing the program come from “gifted” programs at their junior highs. But most students who drop out of the program also come from “gifted” programs as well. Obviously, the brighter you are, the less you’ll have to study to get A’s. Certainly, you need to have at least average intelligence to flourish in this program. But it is MUCH MORE important for you to work hard. A brilliant student that doesn’t do his homework will still get F’s, but a brilliant student might only do 10 hours of homework a week and still get A’s, whereas it might take the “average” IB student 15 hours to complete the same amount of work.
2. Can I fit this all into my schedule? (I want to do choir, seminary, and soccer.) This is the second most common reason students drop the program. Many students here at Skyline want to do sports, music/drama, and LDS seminary. We’ve had a few students that “do it all,” but these are rare. I advise students to cut back. If academics are your top priority, then choose a sport that takes less time. Sure, they want to see extra-curricular activities, but they’d rather see fewer activities and more academics. You say, “But I just really, really love volleyball, basketball and music. I can’t give one of those up.” Then you better be ready to work your tail off and become the king/queen of time management. You may also need to do early morning seminary and/or talk to your coach/music director to work out a practice schedule that will keep you off the suicide watch list.
3. How hard will I expect to work? Again, this varies a great deal depending on (1) the classes you take and (2) how efficient/smart you are. But on average, students report 15 hours/week as sophomores, 20 hours/week as juniors, and 15 hours/week as seniors.
4. Will I have a social life? Yes. IB students carry on vigorous social lives. They make friends both inside and outside the program. They date and “hang” with friends just like normal kids. They just have to budget their time. I tell the kids to constantly ask themselves: “Is this something I want to do?” If the answer is, “No,” stop what you’re doing and go hit the books.
5. Will this program get me into Cal Tech, Harvard, Emory, etc? I get this question a lot. You should know that these “A” schools are incredibly competitive nowadays. Carnegie Mellon has 10+ applicants for every 1 slot, and you know that those ten are not dummies. But more than one “elite college” recruiter has told me that if a Skyline student wants a chance to get into their school, he/she needs to be in the IB Program (or an all-American athlete).
6. Where do IB students go to college? The largest group of IB students from Skyline goes to the University of Utah. Almost 1/2 of the IB diploma graduates matriculate there every year. Then a small number go to other schools in state. BYU and Westminster are the next two most common destinations, but far behind the U. About 1/3 of our diploma graduates matriculate at competitive, out-of-state colleges. The class of 2011 (for instance) had students matriculate at Princeton, NYU, Harvard, U Penn, Yale, MIT, U Chicago, U Cal Berkeley and several great Tier 2 schools (top 50 but not top 20).
7. What percentage of students finish the program? About 30% of the students who begin the program as sophomore finish as seniors with the full diploma. But a great many of those who “drop out” of the whole program stay on to do 1-4 classes as certificates. The drop-out rate continues to fall as our students and faculty come to understand how to be successful in the program.
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8. How much does the program cost?
There are tremendous costs to participate in the IB program, and Skyline needs to pass on some of those costs to the students who benefit from it. That necessitates a $100 fee per year for 10th-11th-12th grade. Students can expect to pay about $750 in testing fees as well. About half of that $750 will be due in November of the junior year, and the remainder as a senior in November.
9. What is the ethnic/religious makeup of the IB cohort? We are proud to have a diverse IB program here at Skyline. About 60% of the students are white, about 30% Asian, and about 10% Hispanic/Black/Polynesian.
10.What is the connection between the IB grade(s) and the class grade(s)? For each IB class, you will receive an “in-class” grade just as you would any high school class. A, B, C, D, or F for each quarter. But at the end of each course (one or two years) IB will give you a grade of 1-7. These grades are mostly disconnected from the in-class grades. However, IB teachers usually tack a significant portion of your in-class grade to work that will be submitted to IB. There is some connection between the two.
11.What are the prerequisites for entering into the Skyline IB program? The only entrance requirements are an interview and writing a short essay. However, if you are getting poor grades in ninth grade (<2.0), I’ll try and talk you out of doing the program. Students that haven’t taken any challenging classes in ninth grade should also seriously consider how hard they want to work before signing up. It’s one thing to say, “I’m going to do 20 hours of homework a week,” and quite another to actually do it. Completing a second language at the 2 or even 3 level is highly recommended. Not only will you have an easier time fulfilling your language requirement for this program, but also colleges will look more favorably on your application. Students that have completed Alg2 (or even pre-calculus) by the end of ninth grade also have a significant advantage over their peers.
12.What is the difference between AP and IB? Several things: (1) AP is compartmentalized into individual classes; the IB diploma goes for the “whole student” approach. (2) AP stresses memorization of facts; IB goes for analysis. (3) AP covers the material broadly, but shallowly; IB goes narrow, but deep. To be fair, AP is not only about regurgitation, and IB certainly requires a fair amount of regurgitation. But teachers that have taught both all report these differences.
13.Will my student be taking any AP courses as part of the IB program?
Students typically take as few as 3, and as many as 8, AP courses as they pass through the IB program. Several of our IB classes are co-seated with AP (AP and IB in the same classroom). These include AP Biology with IB Biology HL1, AP Calculus BC with IB Math HL1 and AP European History with IB History HL1, among several others. In addition, most of our IB students also take AP US history and AP Government, among others. Taking these exams offers the student additional opportunity to “show off” to colleges and to earn more college credit. This “double-dipping” is one reason why we have several students matriculate at colleges that award them the equivalent of two years of college credit upon entrance.
14.What is the agenda of the International Baccalaureate Organization?
I don’t get this question too often, thank goodness. But there some who believe that the IB program is part of some vast international conspiracy. I’ve worked with IB for over 10 years now, and have yet to see any evidence of such a conspiracy to convert the world into a socialist, atheist utopia. IB wants to generate fantastically well-educated, self-aware, well-rounded young people. Beyond that, IB does specifically want to make the world a more peaceful, charitable place. If promoting a less-violent world and ideas like universal brotherhood is a subversive conspiracy,
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then IB is guilty of the worst kind of conspiracy (and we happily promote that conspiracy). Please visit ibo.org for more information.
15.What if I’m already done with a language level three (or more)? For students that have grown up speaking a native language other than English, IB has several options for you. We’ve had several students test at a language level much higher than the “B” level outlined above. Many students in this situation choose a language as their sixth IB class.
16.What is the daily schedule at Skyline? We start at 7:30 AM and release at 2:10 PM. We are on a standard A/B block, where we do four classes each day (periods 1A-4A then periods 1B-4B). Thus, the students take eight classes total.
17.What is this Theory of Knowledge class? TOK is a class that encourages students to explore basic questions of epistemology. That is, “How do you come to know anything and how sure are you of that knowledge?” We explore the four “ways of knowing” which are: emotion, reason, perception and language. Then we look at how we come to know things like the theory of gravity and the morality of murder through those four lenses.
18.What is the Extended Essay? The EE is the 3500-word research paper begun in the second half of the junior year and finished in the first half of the senior year. Students may choose virtually any topic. Great papers I’ve had in the past include, “PTEN Tumor Suppression Gene and Prostate Cancer,” “Theories of Childhood Suggestibility,” and “Vampire Archetypes in 1900 and 2000; A Reflection of the Changing Hero Archetype.”
19.What’s in it for me? 1. A fabulous college preparation. 2. Development of a set of academic and life skills, and the self-awareness to use the skills appropriately. 3. An awareness of the world and your place in it. 4. Lots of college credit. 5. A boost when applying to college. 6. Great friends.
20.What are the typical class sizes in IB? IB Classes tend to be smaller than the average Skyline HS class. It varies a great deal, but the IB classes tend to be in the upper 20s, while the “regular track” classes are usually in the lower 30s. This may change as the program grows.
21.What is the pass rate for the IB diploma? We are proud to have a ~90% pass rate for those sitting for the IB diploma. Nine in ten kids that finish all the course work and sit for the exams earn the diploma. That is much higher than the world or US average, especially for a public school. We have significantly higher-than-average course scores as well.
Contractual Obligations
Doing the Skyline IB program is very demanding. To insure student and program success, we have found it necessary to institute the following requirements.
1. Meeting deadlines. There are several deadlines that IB students must meet in order to be successful in this program. If these deadlines are not met, students will be fined, or their grades will be penalized, or both.
a) Payment of yearly fees: These are due October 1. A student not paying their $100 fee by this time will be fined an additional $10 late fee.
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b) Registration and payment of testing fees. Students register for IB exams in October of the junior and senior year. The money for those exams is due on November 1. Students who fail to meet this deadline will not be allowed to register for exams. Such students may register at the late deadline (Jan 1), but the testing fees are significantly higher for students who register at that deadline.
c) As noted in the CAS section, students have several CAS deadlines they must meet. Students who fail to provide (1) adequate hours, (2) adequate documentation and/or (3) a reflective essay at the due dates will be fined $10 per deadline missed.
d) There will be approximately three program-wide meetings throughout the year (Sept 15, Jan 15, and May 15 (seniors do not need to attend this final meeting). Attendance at these meetings is mandatory. Students missing these meetings will be fined.
2. Cheating
Cheating is not tolerated in the IB program. In-class cheating will be severely punished by the classroom teacher, and will result in a student being placed on probation within the IB program. A second incident will result in dismissal from the program. Students cheating on official IB assessments (including essays and exams) will receive an automatic “F” on that assignment/exam. Such an “F” will usually disqualify a student from receiving an IB diploma.
3. Maintaining grades
a) Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to stay in the program, and cannot receive a D or lower in any IB or core class.
b) A probationary period may be negotiated with students who fall under this minimum for a single quarter.
c) Students failing to meet this minimum will be dismissed from the program.
