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11 Editor:
Several schools in Bastrop ISD have experienced marginal and even chronically “unacceptable” outcomes per state accountability ratings. Last spring, district administrators and community leaders correctly zeroed in on shortcomings with vision/mission statements and goals which have encouraged critically valuable instructional resources to be focused on improving standardized test scores (TAKS) at the expense of subject mastery. BISD’s resulting outcomes have been: a) high drop-out rates, b) poor post high school academic performance, and c) marginal/poor state accountability assessments.
Last spring/summer, steps were taken to change all this. Laboriously derived new vision/mission statements and long-range goals were proposed to (and unanimously accepted by) the school board. BISD administrators followed up with an exhaustive search for tools, procedures, and instructional methods/processes that would lead to a holistic approach to education, addressing the developmental needs of all students in all grades in all schools.
Not simply another new curriculum, but a total revamp of classrooms with the goals of instilling in our students the skills required for 21st century success in continued academic pursuits and in the general workplace. These skills include: Problem solving, critical thinking, collaborating, comprehensive readers who write with clarity and effectiveness and who have the interpersonal skills to communicate effectively.
The community came together in support of the administration’s late summer proposal for district wide adoption of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program.
The IB program provides a framework for achieving the new mission and long-term goals. Graduates of IB programs have unprecedented acceptance rates to and success in all Texas public, private and faith-based universities and by all U.S. military academies. Many of these institutions provide IB graduates with incredible incentives in scholarships and college credits (up to 60 semester hours). There is no other competing program with similar proven results and with such impeccable credentials. That includes the AVID program which is being considered, even though it is prohibitively expensive and addresses only a small percent of BISD’s students.
Still, there are very sincere citizens in the community who resist the IB program. Their numbers are not large compared to the citizens who are demanding improvement, but they are vocal and their efforts have resulted in the administration’s latest plan to proceed at a snail’s pace with IB implementation.
I personally believe that we, the citizenry, cannot accept the continuing yoke placed around our teachers necks. Above all else, including tennis courts, we must encourage the board and the administration to proceed with single-minded purpose and take immediate action to address our academic problems. We must enable our teachers to do their jobs. I pledge my vote and my support to those school board members and school administrators who demonstrate their urgent resolve to hold student academic outcomes as the most important element of the BISD enterprise.
The BISD school board and administration have shown that they respond to citizens who make their voices heard. I challenge every caring, concerned citizen of Bastrop County to make your voice known. Be responsible. Express yourselves. Send your postcards, letters, and emails to top administrators and board members. Don’t leave out anybody. All you have to do is let them know that, if they want your vote and your support, they need to demonstrate their urgent commitment to fix the academic problems in BISD. If you are not an IB supporter, don’t just tear into it and the people who do believe in it. Do your homework. Propose and fight for alternative, equally attractive and equally effective solutions.
Contact information for each relevant BISD administrator and board member is provided at BISD’s website, http://www.bastrop.isd.tenet.edu.
Surely we can all unite behind the common goal and urgency of properly preparing our children for the demands of the 21st century. We can no longer afford to jeopardize our shared future by continued apathy. The time to act is now.
Marvin Conrad
Bastrop
mconrad@simplsystems.com
This article seems to translate to me this way:
“Bastrop ISD has proven that they cannot successfully educate our children, so let’s buy our way out of this problem by adopting an expensive ‘global’ discipline.”
Better take it slow, BISD. Your track record with big, fast moves is not something you can point to with pride.
EXAMPLE: How are we doing with resolving the ingress and egress problems with the new football stadium which should have and would have been avoided with proper planning?
Bastropians – UNITE and put a stop to this plan! Marvin Conrad urges readers to do their homework – but he should do his own homework first.
We cannot, MUST not place our school district under the control of a foreign entity. YES, people – the ruling authority is in Geneva, Switzerland. Go to the ibo.org site and read the process/guidance documentation.
For example:
Article 3: Criteria of Authorization
3.1 The IBO has full discretion to decide whether to process applications and to grant or deny authorization to any candidate school.
3.2 In order for a school’s candidature to be considered, the following requirements must be met:
•The school must be committed to the promotion of international understanding through education, as expressed in the mission statement of the IBO.
•The school must accept the philosophy of the IB programme(s) it wishes to teach, as expressed in the relevant documents describing the programme(s).
•If requested by the IBO, the school must demonstrate that its candidature has any necessary approvals from local, regional and national authorities.
•The school must have successfully completed the application procedure relevant to the IB programme(s) it wishes to teach
If the mere plan to answer to an international authority is not enough to raise your ire, read more – see the “themes” and curriculum examples.
I implore all taxpayers/parents to remove all board members/administrators who support this plan – they do not deserve to be involved in our kids’ public education. Send them packing – off to private schools, where this kind of curriculum belongs.
“Send them packing – off to private schools, where this kind of curriculum belongs”?
What – like one of the many private CHRISTIAN schools using the IB Program?
I find much of what Jeanette has posted as interesting. For example, where in Article 3, is there anything that is “bad”? A school must be able to provide “necessary approvals from local, regional and national authorities” if asked? I would hate to think that this wouldn’t be necessary. I would hate to think that my grandchildren were being taught things that weren’t approved by “local, regional and national authorities”. But if you really checked, you would find that IB is recognized as an excellent program by the State of Texas, and the state legislature passed HB 111 a few years back which awards the minimum of 24 hours of college credit to any state university for students receiving an IB Diploma – including Texas, A&M and Tech. I don’t know about other states, but in Texas, IB is mainly used in PUBLIC schools – and they have to follow all the rules mandated by the State of Texas. In addition, becoming an IB school does NOT change WHAT is taught to the students (especially in pre-K through 10th), just HOW it is taught. No new books, no new software programs, no new curriculum. There are many school districts in Texas already using IB, with many more in the process of becoming IB schools. And, these are not what many think…just “elite” school districts. It is being used in many school districts that have more diverse student populations and higher percentage sof economically disadvantaged students than Bastrop, and you know what’s happening? Students are learning that REGARDLESS of their background, they can achieve great things!
Or, “The school must be committed to the promotion of international understanding through education”…what’s wrong with this? It isn’t saying that they must BECOME like other countries – just be able to have an understanding of other countries. And if you had done your homework, you would know that IB stresses that students must KNOW and APPRECIATE their own culture before ever being able to understand others.
I hear about IB being anti-American. How come there are schools ON military bases that are IB schools, and military academies award credit to IB students – if the program was anti-American. If IB was as “bad” as many claim, WHY would this be?
You suggested going to http://www.ibo.org to find information. Instead, I suggest you go to some of the military base sites that have IB schools and see if they have anything negative to say. If you look, you will find many positive articles about IB, and the positive differences it is making in the children’s lives.
My grandchildren are the most precious gifts I have, and I wouldn’t want anything for them that might be “bad”. But I have done my homework, and have looked for the truth about IB. I have called schools – and universities – including many Christian universities – and asked very pointed questions. I have also called many schools in Texas using IB programs. All I have ever heard in return are SUCCESS stories.
i thought “Small Schools” was the answer?
Perhaps an “international education” is just the thing in our great global society. While we are at it children should be taught Spanish and Chinese since most of our manufacturing has gone to these two countries. Erasing international boundaries would allow our citizens to move to China and Mexico in search of employment, since we don’t make our own appliances, clothes, tools, shoes, electronics, computers, books, or even Christmas ornaments in the USA any longer. Nationalism and pride in America has no place in the global society model. Hasn’t America come a long way? railroadingamerica.com
Is Kelley Conrad Bender for the IB, since her father is for it?
I just noticed that Linda Apostalo is for this too. I will not be voting for Linda Apostalo.
I am generally identified as an arch conservative by my daughter, Kelly. There’s not very much political about which she will talk with me, so I believe her that she is more need oriented than program oriented. We both agree on the need for BHS (and soon CCHS) to be better academically than the bottom 25% of similar Texas Highschools. How we get there is a question! I know that the state of Texas requires state universities to give 24-60 semester hours toward a Bachelors Degree for IB Graduates. I know that all of the large universities compete fiercely for IB Graduates. I know that 15 IB Graduates(2009) from Aldine ISD generated nearly $1,000,000 in post secondary scholorships and grants. I would love to see a list of other programs that can compete on just those three criteria. I am not in love with IB, nor is Kelly. I gotta say, however, that I am definitely enamored of and in love with results like that for my grandchildren.
Bob Smith – what a pity you have so little regard for our rights.
We have no voting rights in Geneva – thus no voice.
Can you list these “many Texas schools” and “Military Bases” successfully implementing IB?
Texas has more than 1450 public high schools, (not even sure of latest estimates of private high schools) and less than FIFTY DP programs in Texas public/private high schools. Does not sound like “MANY” schools.
If you are only hearing success stories, you are not contacting enough people. I’ve seen curriculum, I have participated in educator forums where teachers frantically post “help – how do I teach xxx? Where do I start? ” (”oh and I need this by the end of the week”) I’ve mentored kids who have been LED to believe they have a full grasp on a concept, when all they had was some “social understanding” of a hard science concept. I recently read a TOK – yes boys and girls that means “Theory of Knowledge” essay explaining that since you cannot “see” heat, how can you know it is real? ” My God.
Another thing – if this is so great, why do so many universities offer more credits to AP students than IB?
And last but not least – yes – IB is appropriate for PRIVATE schools. It is unfortunate that you did not comprehend that essential message. Public schools are NOT the place for IB. The State of TX endorsing IB in any way, for public schools does not change the fact that the governning body is NOT in Texas, NOR is it in the UNITED STATES.
“How come there are schools ON military bases that are IB schools, and military academies award credit to IB students – if the program was anti-American.”
How interesting that this latest IB canard is being spewed by IB supporters in NY, TX and NV to try and prove that IB isn’t anti-American.
Let’s see a link to those IB authorized schools on U.S. Military bases. I’ll even help you out. You can find the IB school finder on the left side of this page:
http://www.ibo.org/
Okay. My IB watchdogs and I have done a little research. THE ONLY IB program which is currently housed on a U.S. military base is the Meade HS IBDP at Fort Meade.
The IBDP at Meade HS is a MAGNET program administered by the Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland. Students are bused in to the army bus for the program. I have attempted to obtain simple data such as how many Diploma graduates Meade HS has produced for the past 3 years and have been given the run around by the Meade HS IB Coordinator, referring me to the Anne Arundel County IB Coordinator who has yet to respond. The school does NOT have DODEA affiliation.
If the county IB Coordinator refuses to provide me with simple, non-identifying data about the IB program being housed on the Fort Meade base, rest assured, I will have a friend who lives in Maryland file a FOIA and advise the military commander at Fort Meade of the district’s unwillingness to be forthcoming with public information.
Whatcha hiding IB Coordinators?
Perhaps the IB coordinator and other thinkers know that to interact with a rabble rousing troublemaker will lead inexhorably to more rabble rousing trouble making. I’ve sincerely tried to give you logic and reason and it has had no effect on you. So, this will be my last post on this chain. The information that I have provided is accurate and conclusive, and verifiable if you have the energy to track it down and the intelligence to read entire sentences and paragraphs for the content that is there. If you can’t or won’t do that, there is no hope of ever convincing you that you may not already know everything that is to be known.
The facts are what they are. Everything I’ve written is verifiably true. Respond however you will, but as my last offering, the following is a partial list of institutions that have evaluated IB and found it to have outstanding merit, to the extent of adopting it into their educational systems for El-Hs institutions and recruiting its graduates with special incentives and awards for the post secondary institutions below. I invite individual readers to take neither my word nor the word of naysayer negativistic commenters as gospel. Examine and verify for yourself and know the truth.
K-12 FAITH BASED IB SCHOOLS using the IB instuctional model.
Notre Dame de la Baie Académie
Al-Arqam College Preparatory School
Archbishop Carroll High School
Blessed Theodore Guerin High School
Cardinal Newman High School
Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart
Cathedral High School
Catholic Memorial High School
Central Catholic High School
Christ Church Episcopal School
Clearwater Central Catholic High School
Mount Saint Mary Academy
New Covenant Academy
Notre Dame Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory and Marist Academy
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
Sacred Heart Academy
Saint Edmund Preparatory High School
Saint Mary’s Catholic School
Santa Margarita Catholic High School
St Alcuin Montessori School
St. Andrew’s School
St. Ann Catholic School
St. Dominic Academy
St. Mary & All Angels School
St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School
St. Scholastica Academy
St. Timothy’s School
The Boys’ School of St. Paul’s Parish
Trinity College Preparatory High School
Trinity Episcopal School
Xaverian High School
TEXAS ISD’S using the IB instructional model
Round Rock ISD
Denton ISD
Carrollton ISD
McAllen ISD
Lancaster ISD
Fort Worth ISD
Wichita Falls ISD
Corpus Christi ISD
Pharr ISD
Aldine ISD
IB CAMPUS SUMMARY (individual IB schools)
178 Primary (PK – G6)
323 Middle (G7 – G10)
668 Diploma (G11 – G12)
——————————–
1039 Total (spring 2009 data)
TEXAS FAITH BASED, POST SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS that offer special incentives to applicants who are IB graduates.
Abilene Christian University
Concordia University Texas
Criswell College Dallas
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas Christian College
East Texas Baptist University
Hardin Simmons University – Abilene
Houston Baptist University
Howard Payne University
Jarvis Christian College – Hawkins
LeTourneau University – Longview
Lubbock Christian University
Southwestern Christian University – Terrell
Wayland Baptist University – Plainview
Texas Christian University – Ft. Worth
Southern Methodist University – Dallas
Baylor University – Waco
St. Edwards University – Austin
U. S. A. MILITARY INSTITUTIONS that offer special incentves to to applicants who are IB graduates
U.S. Army Academy – West Point
U. S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
The Citadel
Virginia Military Institute
Finally, in acordance with Texas State law, all state post secondary institutions are required by law to start IB graduates with a minimum of 24 semester hours of credit toward their graduation. That includes University of Texas, Texas A&M, all their affiliates and all other state supported colleges and universities. Don’t take anybody’s word for that, readers. Verify it for yourself. It’s all a matter of public record.