Schools

Inside the Board of Ed's Decision to Adopt IB

Statements from Hauppauge's Board of Education members on what determined their vote on the International Baccalaureate program.

The Hauppauge school district's Board of Education adopted the International Baccalaureate program into Hauppauge's academic curriculum by a 4 to 2 vote at their Tuesday night meeting.

Here are key excerpts from the Board of Education member's decisions:

 

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"I see the benefits of the IB program. I understand the goal is to get kids through college, to give them every opportunity to meet every level of success that comes before them. I understand we want to prepare and challenge them while they are still home with us to catch them if they fall.

I have concerns and I want to express those for the record. I believe we offer them challenges. I do believe they have and will continue to excel. I am concerned with the concept of coseating in the AP and IB program. I would like to see that monitored closely. I am concerned with self-selection. I want to make sure guidance will have the ability to guide them through that choice." - Susan Hodosky

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"I am concerned about the economy and whether we can sustain a program like this. I am concerned about class size and the implications for other students and class size. I am troubled by coseating AP and IB will both suffer. I am not comfortable with it. I applaud the job teachers and administrators have done. I think they have learned many things that can be applied to the entire Hauppauge school system. I will be voting no as I am not comfortable with the program." - Ginger Todoro

 

"It comes down to a simple thing. We made this decision before. We made it six years ago when people came to us and said we have a group of students, not a lot of them, a group of students whose abilities were not average or the norm. The cost would be high... Money was tight then, and continues to be tight. We seem to be able to recoop some of the money in the longterm. Would have any of us voted differently on the Life Skills program? Would we have voted differently if we said we would have never seen the money back? it doesn't matter, its what's right for the kids." - Eileen Mass

 

"The IB foundation is to revamp the curriculum to improve it, more rigor, more strength, more college reading and prepare students for the world. The new common core for all students will infuse problem solving and project-based learning. To me, the two are really similar. I understand the educational value of IB and in this economic time and with the 2 percent additional tax cap, a foundation not for all students may be a detriment. I would like to see this high level of expectation for all students and in all classes. I will respectfully be voting no." - Robert Schnebel

 

"I think that the best thing a school district can provide is increased rigor, providing training that makes our students not only prepared to enter college but actually get out the other side. To succeed once they get there, not just package them so they appeal to a college, but give them the tools they need to succeed.

I think IB does that and does it better than AP in one partial point I want to bring up tonight. AP is a great program. It is a college-level program that can give students credits with a 3 to 4. Because of the way we are devising IB, a student can take a single IB course where we are providing a level of rigor to a student who wouldn't have been able to take a college-level course. IB gives them the ability, the kid who wouldn't have an AP, Syracuse course or any other college-level course, to point to. They can take a few standard level IB courses to have credentials on their transcript." - Geri Richter

 

 


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