website: http://berkeleyihs.org/

Sophmore year and beyond at BIHS

I read with interest the recent discussion here about the small schools at Berkeley High. I have a different type of question than the one previously discussed, although it does directly concern one of the programs at Berkeley High. Our daughter is completing her freshman year at the Berkeley High International School, and seems consistently under-challenged and disappointed at the lack of intellectual engagement in her core classes. I've been telling her that things will improve with time and that next year will be more difficult/challenging/engaging; on further reflection, I'm not sure whether that's really the case and I could just be expressing my hopes for next year rather than any real working knowledge. I'd really appreciate hearing from other parents and/or students in this program, and especially the experience of students further along - does it get harder? What is the Theory of Knowledge experience like? Any special teachers or aspects of the program to recommend? I ask these questions with a very great sense of appreciation for the challenges of teaching in a larger urban school, and think by and large the staff and faculty are doing a great job. So I am not here to seek disparaging comments but rather to learn more about what's ahead and help prepare my daughter accordingly. Big fan of the IB program

Sophomore year - the students take Comparative Economic Systems, Comparative Beliefs, English and History as well as other classes outside of IB. These classes are well integrated, with the teachers working together to develop curriculum and class assignments and students are very engaged. There is lots of writing, thinking, and class discussion. My daughter came home most days with something new to talk about, and developed a strong interest in understanding how belief systems and economics affect how countries develop.

Junior year BIHS includes English and History, and also includes the IBCAS program that helps students identify ways to participate in the community. IBCAS entails 150 hours of Creativity, Action and Service, with students taking on individual activities. Students also begin work on thier Extended Essay, which is a 4,000 work essay on a topic of their choice. They read lots of books in both History and English and have great class discussions and writing assignments.

Next year as Seniors they get the opportunity to take Theory of Knowledge, and to complete the rest of the IB program, including finishing their IBCAS requirements, completing their Extended Essays, and deciding whether to take the exams that result in the IB Diploma.

In visiting colleges I've been told that the IB Diploma represents completing the most rigorous of high school programs. Not all of the students in IB will choose to take the exams, and they can choose to only specific exams that result in a certificate rather than the 6 exams that can lead to the full diploma, the certicicates are roughly equivalent to the credit students get for AP exams. With the full diploma some colleges will waive Freshman year requirements. Even without the exams, colleges will know that students have taken challenging IB classes through the designation on their transcript.

Its been challenging for Berkeley High to fully implement such a demanding program for 250 students per grade; most IB programs are only provided to students that test in. It will be critical that resources and support continue to be available in this economic environment, but the program is strong, and should only improve with more time. S.

My daughter is a Junior in the IB program and will be part of the first graduating class of IB students at BHS. Theory of Knowledge will be offered for the the first time at BIHS when my daughter becomes a Senior so I can't speak to that class in particular.

When my daughter was a Freshman her classes were very easy for her and she said that much of what she studied in her core classes was a repeat of her middle school curriculum. But I think that the ease of her program in Freshman year was a plus in some ways as she came from a small middle school so being less stressed out about her classes helped with the adjustment process.

I know that my daughter was able to work with one or two of her teachers in terms of getting permission to work on things that she was interested in doing outside of the assigned work to avoid boredom. Maybe that's what your daughter can do in these closing months of her Freshman year?

Believe me the IB program will increase in scope and will challenge your daughter as she moves through the program. My daughter waited until Junior year to take AP classes and is taking all Higher Level IB classes. The work is very challenging for her and her teachers this year are absolutely fantastic in almost every class which I think makes all of the difference. With very few exceptions the Core instructors for IB have been a very good fit for my daughter.

Wishing you all the best. Another IB Fan

BIHS vs. Academic Choice

Re: Entering freshman confused about AC vs. international program
My daughter, a BIHS junior who is an honors math student and has done well in AP classes, has found the BIHS program progressively more challenging each year (not to mention enriching--she's had great teachers, speakers and field trips). Freshman year was definitely the easiest. Beginning in Junior year BIHS students start doing community service hours and start working on an extended essay in addition to their regular course work. My daughter is also pursuing the IB Diploma which requires her to complete certain courses and sit for 6 fairly rigorous exams. I think your daughter will find the program challenging especially if she pursues the IB diploma, but if she does decide to leave BIHS, I've heard that there will a bunch of students from other programs at BHS who will be happy to take her spot. Mom of BIHS Junior

Would like some info about the IB program

I would like to get some more information about BHS's IB program. Is it certain this program will begin, or is it still up in the air? We would love our kids to attend an IB program. I know there is a lottery for small schools at BHS -- what are the stats for kids getting their first choice?
Interested Parent

We could not be happier with the IB program and we had our hopes set fairly high. www.ibo.org is a good resource if you want to get to know the curriculum.
mom of an IB student at BHS