Making the grade

International Baccalaureate diploma program turns in first-year report card

Eight seniors and 10 juniors are looking for an International Baccalaureate diploma to be tucked under their arms when they cross Flathead High School's graduation platform the next two spring seasons.

Another 60 to 110 students are participating in International Baccalaureate certificate courses that will end in spring 2006.

During 2004-05, Flathead's IB coordinator John York said, 21 students took a combination of 25 exams with "quite commendable" results.

This year, York said, Flathead High's program is scheduled to administer about 100 exams.

Those are the statistics a year after Kalispell became the first school in the state to offer the rigorous course of study built on standards that transfer from campus to campus around the globe.

International Baccalaureate-trained teachers also are raising the level of instruction for students in honors and advanced-placement classes as well as those on the IB diploma and certificate track:

Six sections of junior IB English, with 18 to 26 students each, and four sections of senior English, are offered. There also are three sections of junior history (21 to 22 students each) and two sections of senior history (about 18 each), a section of junior and senior psychology (24 or 25 students), three sections of junior or senior math (23 to 24 each), a section of junior and senior chemistry (five students), a section of junior biology (with 14) and senior biology (12 students), a section each of junior or senior Spanish (27) and French (19), a four-course sequence of theater arts, and a section of visual arts (with four IB students in a class of 14 to 16).

Numbers attributed strictly to IB are not high when compared with the 1,850 or so sophomores, juniors and seniors at Flathead High this year, or even the 985 upcoming eighth- and ninth-graders at Kalispell Junior High.

Still, those 18 International Baccalaureate Programme graduates stand to gain significant scholarship offers from universities across the nation after high school. And they will enter those universities carrying credit for college-level course work completed through their high-school years.

Case in point: York said Montana State University in Bozeman decided last year to admit full-diploma IB graduates as sophomores with 20 credits if they have scored well in the higher-level courses of biology, history and English.

Many more universities across the nation grant college credit for IB courses and complete diploma programs.

International Baccalaureate diploma and certificate graduates do more than bypass part or all of the first year of college tuition. They get a level of exposure to broad learning never before available in a typical high-school classroom.

"But," more importantly, York said, "they will be much better prepared to succeed at college."

A student's final score lies between 1 and 7. He or she is evaluated on two papers written for each class, a mix of internal assessments and written exams scored by IB instructors internationally and, in chemistry, an additional multiple choice test. There also is a "core" curriculum for all IB students, that includes an extended essay, a Theory of Knowledge course, and a Creativity, Action and Service component.

York outlined Flathead strengths and weaknesses on the first year's test scores:

-Chemistry - "A little weak," he admitted, with three students taking the tests and each one scoring a 3 on a scale of 1 to 7. Scores of 3 or better are considered passing in all IB exams.

-Spanish - All three students taking the exam scored 6 out of a possible score of 7.

-Math studies - This is something like pre-calculus. Of the 12 students testing, two scored 7, six scored 6, three scored 5 and one scored 4.

-Psychology - Of the seven who tested, one scored 7, one scored 5 and five scored 4.

In the first year (2004-05), when students had not yet begun their second-year higher-level courses, only these four standard-level tests were administered.

As students work out the study plan best suited to their goals, teachers learn how to improve the assessment process.

Students pay to enroll in the International Baccalaureate Programme, then pay an additional fee for each exam taken in order to cover costs of local and international evaluations of their work.

Typical fees for the diploma program this year are $670 a student. Although $42 a month would cover the cost of a full diploma if the family started saving in June before the junior year began, the cost can be prohibitive for some.

York is working on a scholarship fund so every qualified Flathead student has an equal chance to be in International Baccalaureate courses. He is asking students complete papers for free and reduced-price lunch, even if they do not eat school meals. It demonstrates the school's entitlement for impact aid, but it also brings a rebate of sorts after scholarship money is applied and May tests are administered.

This fall, he had $2,500 to $3,000 in requests for student assistance. He expected 85 percent of them to qualify.

The $2,100 York raised locally last year covered all the needs, and left about $1,000 for scholarships this year. With a large enrollment in its second year, and the scholarship requests received so far, he is hoping for increasing generosity from the private sector.

"The bottom line is, this is a top-notch program," York said. "We get great feedback on how the kids are doing. So we want to make this universally available."

If interested in helping, send tax-deductible donations to Flathead High School IB Scholarships, c/o John York, IB Coordinator, Flathead High School, 644 Fourth Ave. W., Kalispell, MT 59901.

For information, call York at 751-3624 or e-mail fhsib@sd5.k12.mt.us

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com.