International Baccalaureate program gets Kent kids competing globally, helps offset college costs

Published 8:35 pm Thursday, September 16, 2010

There’s lots of talk these days about competing globally in the classroom.

But did you know there’s a program enabling local students to do just that?

And – better yet – that it could actually save them a year of study in college?

It’s called the International Baccalaureate Program, and it’s been around since the 1960s, when it was first developed as a academic system for the children of foreign diplomats.

These days, the I.B. program, as it’s called, is a prestigious worldwide academic course that can open doors to universities all over the world.

And it’s offered right here, through Kent-Meridian High School.

Julie Frederiksen, head of K-M’s World Languages Department and administrator of the school’s I.B. program, said the program is open to all high-school students in the district.

“Every kid who wants the challenge, we give them a shot,” she said.

But here’s the warning: Be prepared to work, and to be pushed.

“I’m looking for kids who want to be challenged to think in a different way,” Frederiksen said. “Kids who like to think, who like to argue their point. We really pour the coals to them.”

K-M first became an I.B. World School (a term meaning it passed stringent requirements to offer the program) in 2001. Since that time, as word caught on about its levels of expectation, the program has grown about 40 times larger, with more than 300 Kent students enrolled in it this year.

Frederiksen describes with relish what the program can do for students here.

“Oh gosh, yes,” she said, when asked if colleges consider I.B. courses, when evaluating student portfolios. “Admissions officers are increasingly looking at I.B. and AP (Advanced Placement) classes. (Higher-level courses) are absolutely necessary as universities become more stringent in their recruiting.”

The credits are accepted at hundreds of universities in the U.S. and the world, from Stanford in California to Oxford in England.

How it works

The I.B. is a two-year program, so it takes place during the junior and senior years, although sophomores might be able to get a couple of courses in as well. Over the course of the program, students must choose intensive study courses from six subject groups (including languages, math, and experimental sciences, to name a few) and meeting three core requirements – an extended essay, a philosophy course on the theory of knowledge, and a service component requiring them to do real-life activities outside the classroom.

And then there are the tests – and that’s where the global component comes in.

Kent kids aren’t just being tested with Kent kids. They’re being tested alongside high achievers all over the world, to the same standards.

“We set the standard, and expect the student to meet the standard,” Frederiksen said of what’s enforced from Day 1.

The tests, or “assessments,” are shipped to I.B. reviewers all over the world.

“You should see my Fed Ex bill,” Frederiksen quipped.

Success in I.B.

For students who persevere through the program, and are able to pass at a certain standard for each subject, they will receive an I.B. Diploma. That, Frederiksen said, can be their ticket to some of the top universities in the country and internationally. In many cases, they could be walking on as a sophomore, their freshman year covered through their I.B. work.

Senior Rajpreet Dhaliwal is one of those students hoping her I.B. credits will get here into a good school.

The K-M senior, who balances her I.B. work with school volleyball workouts, said she hasn’t figured out which colleges are her top choices yet, but has narrowed the list down.

And while she’s excited about the I.B. program, she can attest to the study workload. She spends 10 hours a week “minimum” on homework.

“There’s moments when I just want to quit, but in the end if I get the diploma, it will be worth it,” she said.

Zane Duke, 17, said he wanted to be in the program to push himself.

“It was the most challenging classes they have, and I like challenging classes,” said the student, who went to K-M at first for its computer-oriented Tech Academy, but later opted for I.B.

The toughest part of the program?

“The overwhelming amount of work,” Duke said, but noted he was working hard now, in hopes of getting into a school like M.I.T.

There are still openings in the program, with the school year barely under way. Contact Frederiksen at Julie.Frederiksen@kent.k12.wa.us, or by calling 253-373-7405.