Audrey Folia | Editor-in-Chief
May 22, 2026
In prefacing this article, there are a few things that I would like to make clear. Firstly, the IB program at SCHS is successful in many ways. From excellent IB coordinators who truly care for their TOK classes to a wide selection of IB classes, to say that the IB program is failing at the school is a gross exaggeration that does not truly represent the reality of its existence at SCHS. But, as with most things, the program has many areas for improvement, most notably in terms of attempting to create IB/AP combo classes in addition to a general lack of preparation that many IB students felt going into exams this year.
A commonly shared sentiment among the IB class of 2026 is that the AP/IB combo classes, in general, are not successful in preparing a student for both the IB and AP test. While there are some exceptions to this case, such as AP/IB Language and Composition which does an incredible job at growing students in fundamental writing skills they can apply to the IB HL Literature and Language exam, it is often the case that there is simply not enough time in the school year to teach both programs. And, with IB students typically making up the minority of the class population in these classes, it feels to many individuals as though the IB content is what gets cut. IB senior Grace Entreken highlighted the idea that “a lot of the combo classes tend to only cover AP topics,” particularly in reference to the AP/IB Calculus classes, while also recognizing that “it may not be in the school budget to make specific classes just for IB students.”
This is not to critique the teachers in any way, however, Entreken brings up an important point in terms of calculus specifically. The Math AA SL exam consists of five topic areas, only one of which is calculus. This means that IB students must follow the AP curriculum for the entire year just to take a test that is completely different in format and content. Again, this is at no fault of the teachers as there is not enough time for them to teach both curriculums and they must prioritize what is best for most of their students, instead, it’s a call to create separate classes for AP and IB students so that both can feel prepared and succeed on their exams.
Another significant issue comes with the preparation for exams within solely IB classes. Because IB is a global program, many of the testing formats are very different from that of which U.S. students are used to. When teachers don’t provide their students with ample practice tests, the actual exams can therefore feel very jarring and confusing while actually taking them. IB senior Derek Herrmann expressed his wish “that more teachers gave [IB classes] practice tests in class before the tests,” clarifying that “some of them did while some of them didn’t.” Many practice exams are only available online if students can afford to pay for review websites, making it necessary that teachers are better about this aspect going forward.
Again, the IB program at SCHS has many successful elements and is an amazing opportunity for students to challenge themselves with rigorous coursework while also attaining a global education, however, there are a few select areas where improvement would greatly benefit the program as a whole.
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