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When it comes to IB in Incline, the Washoe County School District and IB supporters are ignoring the facts.
• In 2010 IHS had 84 graduates — 34 earned honors diplomas, 14 earned advanced diplomas, very impressive!
• In the 2009-10 school year, 80 students took at least one AP class.
• By many measures we currently have the best high school in the Tahoe basin.
• The district is hoping for 15 IB diplomas over the first two years of IB (When compared to Aspen and Yosemite, we can expect between six and two IB diplomas per year).
• The District has told us they will combine IB/AP classes; and per the IBO rules, the IB curriculum must be the priority in the classroom. By definition AP = college level and IB = college prep. In math, social studies and the sciences, the IB and AP curriculum is very different. With IB we will be watering down the curriculum. Large successful schools that have both IB and AP (i.e. Granite Bay) do not combine IB and AP classes, except foreign language classes.
• Harry Haaser told the Bonanza the task force voted to investigate, not implement, IB, “We were going to set up some focus groups and explore whether the IB curriculum was appropriate for Incline, but instead we jumped right into implementation.”
• The district also skipped the IBO-required feasibility study.
• Mr. John Clark told the Bonanza he expressed concerns about the method and pace of IB implementation at the Incline campus. He also said the WCSD should slow implementation and concentrate on collecting buy-in from teachers and parents. Mr. Clark also said, “The majority of teachers do not like IB. They do not want it.”
• Steve Brown, high school science teacher told the Bonanza, “a large majority of our faculty is hesitant about implementing IB.”
• The District's PYP application to the IBO states the governing body has made a formal decision to adopt the PYP, yet there is no record of the school board ever voting to adopt the PYP.
• This issue has divided our community. At least 274 people (mostly locals) signed a petition saying IB is not a good fit for Incline; it was delivered to the school board in May.”
• Jay Mathews, Washington Post education reporter, author of Newsweek's Challenge Index, and Supertest who is a big IB proponent, told an Incline parent: “I would NOT recommend a school dump AP if that program is thriving.” He also said in relation to Incline's AP program it is, “just about perfect.”
• Lisa McLoughlin from TheTruthAboutIB.com, who Jay Mathews calls “the liveliest and most intelligent IB critic in the country,” wrote in a letter to our school board, “The situation in Incline Village is the ugliest, most egregious and controversial attempt to force IB into a public school system that I have witnessed to date.”
• Since February at least 13 schools announced they will drop IB. The reasons most often stated are: cost, lack of student participation in IB, less flexible than AP, no improved student performance, lack of college credit for IB.
• IB is a UN sponsored program that will be FORCED on all our students.
• There is no evidence IB will increase graduation rates when forced on all students. There is no evidence IB will increase enrollment when forced on all students. There is evidence of IB decreasing enrollment when forced in Fairfax County, VA “Statistical data indicates an exodus from South Lakes coincides with the implementation of the IB program at South Lakes.” (http://www.fairfaxcaps.org/html/ap_vs_ib.shtml).
• The district has told the fundraisers if they could get the community to fund the required teachers for the first three years, the district will then decide if they will help fund those teachers. Both the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent's contract will expire the year the district will decide.
• By now the District should have loaned ibiv funds; has the MOU been signed?
• Throughout the US, IB is rarely forced on all students. I have unable to find another district in the US where IB is FORCED on all students and funded privately.
• IB has divided communities throughout the US and brought several lawsuits.
The facts are on the side of not implementing IB in Incline, but the district and the IB supporters are not interested in the facts.
— John Eppolito is an Incline resident and father of four. He runs the website www.MyInclineVillage.com.
• In 2010 IHS had 84 graduates — 34 earned honors diplomas, 14 earned advanced diplomas, very impressive!
• In the 2009-10 school year, 80 students took at least one AP class.
• By many measures we currently have the best high school in the Tahoe basin.
• The district is hoping for 15 IB diplomas over the first two years of IB (When compared to Aspen and Yosemite, we can expect between six and two IB diplomas per year).
• The District has told us they will combine IB/AP classes; and per the IBO rules, the IB curriculum must be the priority in the classroom. By definition AP = college level and IB = college prep. In math, social studies and the sciences, the IB and AP curriculum is very different. With IB we will be watering down the curriculum. Large successful schools that have both IB and AP (i.e. Granite Bay) do not combine IB and AP classes, except foreign language classes.
• Harry Haaser told the Bonanza the task force voted to investigate, not implement, IB, “We were going to set up some focus groups and explore whether the IB curriculum was appropriate for Incline, but instead we jumped right into implementation.”
• The district also skipped the IBO-required feasibility study.
• Mr. John Clark told the Bonanza he expressed concerns about the method and pace of IB implementation at the Incline campus. He also said the WCSD should slow implementation and concentrate on collecting buy-in from teachers and parents. Mr. Clark also said, “The majority of teachers do not like IB. They do not want it.”
• Steve Brown, high school science teacher told the Bonanza, “a large majority of our faculty is hesitant about implementing IB.”
• The District's PYP application to the IBO states the governing body has made a formal decision to adopt the PYP, yet there is no record of the school board ever voting to adopt the PYP.
• This issue has divided our community. At least 274 people (mostly locals) signed a petition saying IB is not a good fit for Incline; it was delivered to the school board in May.”
• Jay Mathews, Washington Post education reporter, author of Newsweek's Challenge Index, and Supertest who is a big IB proponent, told an Incline parent: “I would NOT recommend a school dump AP if that program is thriving.” He also said in relation to Incline's AP program it is, “just about perfect.”
• Lisa McLoughlin from TheTruthAboutIB.com, who Jay Mathews calls “the liveliest and most intelligent IB critic in the country,” wrote in a letter to our school board, “The situation in Incline Village is the ugliest, most egregious and controversial attempt to force IB into a public school system that I have witnessed to date.”
• Since February at least 13 schools announced they will drop IB. The reasons most often stated are: cost, lack of student participation in IB, less flexible than AP, no improved student performance, lack of college credit for IB.
• IB is a UN sponsored program that will be FORCED on all our students.
• There is no evidence IB will increase graduation rates when forced on all students. There is no evidence IB will increase enrollment when forced on all students. There is evidence of IB decreasing enrollment when forced in Fairfax County, VA “Statistical data indicates an exodus from South Lakes coincides with the implementation of the IB program at South Lakes.” (http://www.fairfaxcaps.org/html/ap_vs_ib.shtml).
• The district has told the fundraisers if they could get the community to fund the required teachers for the first three years, the district will then decide if they will help fund those teachers. Both the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent's contract will expire the year the district will decide.
• By now the District should have loaned ibiv funds; has the MOU been signed?
• Throughout the US, IB is rarely forced on all students. I have unable to find another district in the US where IB is FORCED on all students and funded privately.
• IB has divided communities throughout the US and brought several lawsuits.
The facts are on the side of not implementing IB in Incline, but the district and the IB supporters are not interested in the facts.
— John Eppolito is an Incline resident and father of four. He runs the website www.MyInclineVillage.com.
