Dexter schools to offer more International Baccalaureate classes next fall
- Related coverage: Dexter High School to accept limited School of Choice students
The Dexter Community Schools Board of Education approved adding nine new International Baccalaureate courses for 2013-14, according to a report on Patch.com.
Dexter High School
File photo
The new I.B. courses are part of the I.B. program phase-in at the high school. The new classes will be offered starting in September, the Patch article said. Dexter accepted its first cohort of about 25 I.B. students this school year.
DHS Principal Kit Moran told AnnArbor.com there were 10 I.B. classes made available this fall, so the offerings will nearly double in size by the 2012-13 academic year.
Moran described I.B. courses as, in a way, similar to Advanced Placement courses.
“Several years ago, we as a district decided we needed more rigorous courses at the high school,” Moran said. “We decided to go down the path of I.B as opposed to adding a bunch more traditional AP classes. … We liked the instruction, thought it was a little more appropriate and integrated … part of our district strategic plan is to have our students have a world view and I.B. classes have a world view.”
He said there is no cap for enrolling students in the I.B. diploma program. The district's only limit for accepting students into I.B. is course availability. Otherwise the I.B. courses are scheduled the same way as other courses at DHS, Moran said.
If there are 25 to 30 students that sign up for a course, there will be one section. If 50 to 60 students sign up, there likely will be two sections, Moran said.
Dexter also recently approved opening seats at the high school during second semester to out-of-district sophomores via School of Choice, with the intent that the students will join the I.B. program as juniors next fall.
Opening the spots help the district as a whole to become eligible for an extra $180,000 in state funding.
Read the Dexter Patch report from Monday's meeting here.
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
Antonio
Wed, Dec 5, 2012 : 11:58 p.m.
Kit Moran is not an outstanding administrator. He's an ineffective--but popular--principal who does not know how to govern a school. The school scores have gone down since he's been in Dexter. The results are not positive and the school has not improved under his leadership. Also, they are not replacing AP with IB, but choosing to add new IB classes instead of AP classes. The AP classes are better attended and in more demand by more students. The IB is just starting out and will be "over" classed for the number of kids who want to get a diploma.
Doug
Wed, Dec 5, 2012 : 9:16 p.m.
What I mean by far left: the subjects include: Islamic history, world religions, etc. Obviously there many excellent advanced classes in math, sciences, languages, but are included in AP classes also.
Ron Granger
Wed, Dec 5, 2012 : 2:52 p.m.
What percentage of schools offer these "I.B." classes instead of AP classes?
Antonio
Thu, Dec 6, 2012 : midnight
I think most schools that offer IB also offer AP. It's not one or the other.
Doug
Wed, Dec 5, 2012 : 1:51 p.m.
I think Mr. Moran is an outstanding administrator. However, I totally disagree with replacing the excellent AP classes with I.B. classes. The reasons are: after reviewing many I.B. offerings at other schools I find them to have far left liberal leanings and the fine Dexter music program will be diminished because the I.B. classes will interfere with much of the music curriculum.