International Baccalaureate schools in Des Moines?

**Angie** · 03-05-2013, 07:44 AM

Does anyone know anything about the International Baccalaureate schools down in Des Moines? Is this sort of a more Montessori-style approach in a public school setting? A professor family member of mine was down observing a student teacher in one of the classrooms, and was pretty impressed with how it worked:

International Baccalaureate | Des Moines Public Schools

**CLONECONES** · 03-05-2013, 07:59 AM

I know that IB test scores had to be way higher than AP classes to get college credit for taking them in high school, so I went the AP route (my high school offered both)

Not really sure what the earlier grades would use them for

**Angie** · 03-05-2013, 08:09 AM

I was curious how it worked vs. AP. My small-town school high school didn't offer any AP, so I wondered if something like this would be good for kids with higher skills to explore topics they liked on their own.

**CLONECONES** · 03-05-2013, 08:11 AM

I would definitely search IB vs AP to get the full rundown, I just know Iowa State at the time was more prone to give credit for AP classes so I went that route. I can't imagine the curriculum is too terribly different

**Angie** · 03-05-2013, 08:17 AM

I'm also curious, as you said before, how it works at the lower ages - since it starts with 3 year olds. Although you can definitely see differences in children's abilities at that age, and many times those ring true as they grow, most pediatricians say that you can't really judge intellect/ability until slightly older than that. I am wondering if it's more just like one of the Waldorf/Montessori schools at that age.

Actually - that just made me think. I'm going to guess that private schools and the like still have to adhere to some traditional structure to be approved by the state for students to "graduate" with a diploma. If you did something like home schooling, do kids have to sit an exam to "graduate" high school? Or do they have to get their GED? We've never looked at home schooling, so I don't know how that all works.

**CLONECONES** · 03-05-2013, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by Angie

I'm also curious, as you said before, how it works at the lower ages - since it starts with 3 year olds. Although you can definitely see differences in children's abilities at that age, and many times those ring true as they grow, most pediatricians say that you can't really judge intellect/ability until slightly older than that. I am wondering if it's more just like one of the Waldorf/Montessori schools at that age.

Actually - that just made me think. I'm going to guess that private schools and the like still have to adhere to some traditional structure to be approved by the state for students to "graduate" with a diploma. If you did something like home schooling, do kids have to sit an exam to "graduate" high school? Or do they have to get their GED? We've never looked at home schooling, so I don't know how that all works.

I'd assume it'd be similar to the montessori type of early education.

but check this out: IB Primary Years Programme at a glance

**Angie** · 03-05-2013, 08:32 AM

You're the best! :)

**CLONECONES** · 03-05-2013, 08:36 AM

Sounds a little too good to be true, but I like the overall premise of it!

**cowgirl836** · 03-05-2013, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by Angie

I'm also curious, as you said before, how it works at the lower ages - since it starts with 3 year olds. Although you can definitely see differences in children's abilities at that age, and many times those ring true as they grow, most pediatricians say that you can't really judge intellect/ability until slightly older than that. I am wondering if it's more just like one of the Waldorf/Montessori schools at that age.

Actually - that just made me think. I'm going to guess that private schools and the like still have to adhere to some traditional structure to be approved by the state for students to "graduate" with a diploma. If you did something like home schooling, do kids have to sit an exam to "graduate" high school? Or do they have to get their GED? We've never looked at home schooling, so I don't know how that all works.

Homeschooling depends on your program and your state. IL (my home state) didn't have many requirements for homeschoolers. The program I went through had two 'tracks'. Credited and uncredited. Credited (what I did) required you to send in your papers, quizzes, and tests to the program school to be graded (the program I was in was an actual private school in another state). At the end of high school, you get a diploma and everything transfers to a college like a "normal" high school. You do not need to get your GED. If you go the uncredited track - you still send in the tests, but there is less oversight by the school itself (your home instructor is provided with test keys, for one), so everything would not transfer if you were going on to college. In that case you would need to get your GED. .

They have a Montessori daycare/early childhood school up here (what do you really call them?) that piqued my interest a while ago. We're several years away from that, but it seemed interesting.

**Angie** · 03-05-2013, 08:53 AM

Thanks, Cowgirl! I was curious about that. We have a couple of friends who are doing "unschooling" homeschooling with their son who would traditionally be in either kindergarten or first grade - I think that's uncredited, and doesn't have any real structure, which would drive me NUTS personally. I need a ton of structure. ;) That makes more sense about the credited programs. I read recently that Iowa has some new program for homeschooling that's over the internet or something, so it's sorta homeschooling, sorta not? Again, I haven't researched, but it sounded interesting.

Ames only has a Waldorf preschool - I really like the idea of it, but it just wasn't for us. It meets for about 3 hours 3x a week, and about 2/3 of each day is outside (regardless of weather). I love that self-exploration, but I just worried about how that would prepare our daughter for kindergarten. Montessori seems like a better fit for us, but we just don't have one locally - it's still self-exploration for quite a bit of it, but I believe it has more traditional components to the learning style, too. It's definitely something to check out when you get to that point!

**cowgirl836** · 03-05-2013, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by Angie

Thanks, Cowgirl! I was curious about that. We have a couple of friends who are doing "unschooling" homeschooling with their son who would traditionally be in either kindergarten or first grade - I think that's uncredited, and doesn't have any real structure, which would drive me NUTS personally. I need a ton of structure. ;) That makes more sense about the credited programs. I read recently that Iowa has some new program for homeschooling that's over the internet or something, so it's sorta homeschooling, sorta not? Again, I haven't researched, but it sounded interesting.

Ames only has a Waldorf preschool - I really like the idea of it, but it just wasn't for us. It meets for about 3 hours 3x a week, and about 2/3 of each day is outside (regardless of weather). I love that self-exploration, but I just worried about how that would prepare our daughter for kindergarten. Montessori seems like a better fit for us, but we just don't have one locally - it's still self-exploration for quite a bit of it, but I believe it has more traditional components to the learning style, too. It's definitely something to check out when you get to that point!

Personally, I'm not a fan of unschooling. Like you said - it's very unstructured and I'm not really sure how they measure a child's progress. That internet program sounds like distance learning - like taking online classes at ISU. I think I actually heard about it starting out in the Australian outback or other remote places where having a regular school isn't that easy. We got into the programs we used because of a good friend whose husband was military. They had lived in Germany, California, Kentucky, Illinois, and Oklahoma by the time their daughters graduated. They started homeschooling so their girls had a consistent program instead of bouncing schools (or countries!) every couple years. It's a popular program with military brat families, I guess.

**Angie** · 03-05-2013, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by cowgirl836

Personally, I'm not a fan of unschooling. Like you said - it's very unstructured and I'm not really sure how they measure a child's progress. That internet program sounds like distance learning - like taking online classes at ISU. I think I actually heard about it starting out in the Australian outback or other remote places where having a regular school isn't that easy. We got into the programs we used because of a good friend whose husband was military. They had lived in Germany, California, Kentucky, Illinois, and Oklahoma by the time their daughters graduated. They started homeschooling so their girls had a consistent program instead of bouncing schools (or countries!) every couple years. It's a popular program with military brat families, I guess.

I have to admit that the unschooling doesn't seem like a great idea to me. I understand that it's the best fit for their family, and respect it - but I would just worry about socialization and focus later in life. If a child isn't fostered to be able to sometimes do what isn't pleasant, and to have it explained to them why that's necessary, it seems to me that they'd have issues holding a job later on in life? That's pure extrapolation, however.

That makes a ton of sense about the distance learning/homeschooling. I can imagine being a military brat would be difficult, you just get bounced around a ton. At least with homeschooling you'd have a consistent program, and you wouldn't have to either miss stuff or relearn stuff all of the time.

**cyrevkah** · 03-05-2013, 09:17 AM

Erik's niece goes to a Montessori school and I think she is seven now. For her it helped her learn at her level and pace and there were less acting out problems. (I think that was due to being bored). I think they also have options to learn a wider variety of things.

I have a ISU friend who is studying teaching and is also working toward her MA by taking Montessori classes in Boston. She really likes the concept of helping children learn, but kind of at their pace.

**Angie** · 03-05-2013, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by cyrevkah

Erik's niece goes to a Montessori school and I think she is seven now. For her it helped her learn at her level and pace and there were less acting out problems. (I think that was due to being bored).

I have a ISU friend who is studying teaching and is also working toward her MA by taking Montessori classes in Boston. She really likes the concept of helping children learn, but kind of at their pace.

It's a really, really interesting learning style. I would guess the biggest struggle is motivating children who aren't self-motivated.

**MNCyGuy** · 03-05-2013, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by Angie

It's a really, really interesting learning style. I would guess the biggest struggle is motivating children who aren't self-motivated.

My wife and I both went to the same traditional high school, but her sisters went to the local charter school from about 7th grade on. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but I always had similar thoughts about that option. What happened with both of her sisters is that they loved the charter school, but struggled when they got into a traditional college setting for a year. However when each of them then left to go do culinary school and a technical program, respectively, they did great and were at the top of their programs. So for them, I think it was a legitimately better option.