The Foreign Service Journal, June 2019

68 JUNE 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT completed by students over an extended period under authenticated teacher supervision, forms part of the assessment for all IB courses and several program areas, including the TOK and the EE essays. In most subjects, students also complete in-school assessment tasks. These are either externally assessed or marked by teachers and then moderated by the IB. For AP, the exams are given at the end of the year as the culmination of a yearlong course. All AP exams (with a few exceptions) combine multiple-choice questions with a free response section in either essay or problem-solving format. For students skilled at standardized test- ing, the AP might be a better program in terms of assessment. FLO: Can you contrast the grading systems? KM: The main contrast in the scoring of AP and IB is the people doing the scoring. AP is scored by a U.S. organiza- tion, while the IB scoring team is made up of a global group of educators. Because the IB is a global program, the scores for these exams are more widely accepted in universities and col- leges all over the world. Because there are more score ranges in the IB, the highest-ranked students are truly the top in their class, while in AP there is a wider range in each level. AP tests are accepted by most U.S. col- leges and universities (some international universities will consider them, as well), while IB is accepted worldwide at most universities and colleges. FLO: How can students successfully transition from AP to IB and vice versa? KM: Because the two programs are taught in very different ways, transition- ing from one to the other can be difficult for some students. IB focuses on learning subjects deeply within the context of an interdisciplinary curriculum, while AP is more fast-paced and encourages students to learn as much as possible in a subject in a short amount of time. Although students from either pro- gram should be academically prepared to move from one program to another, con- necting with the teaching methods may be a challenge. In my opinion, if a student enjoys writing and reading, IB might be a more suitable program; while students who enjoy studying material at a fast pace and taking standardized-style tests will likely find AP more appealing. FLO: How does the AP Capstone com- pare to the IB Diploma program? KM: The AP Capstone program was introduced in 2014 in an effort to create a program that is more interdisciplinary, along the lines of the IB Diploma. AP Capstone is a diploma program based on two years of additional courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. These courses are designed to complement other AP courses that the AP Capstone student may take. Instead of teaching specific subject knowledge, AP Seminar and AP Research use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time-manage- ment and presentation skills needed for college-level work. These components are comparable to the IB program’s two-year course sequence and the additional components of TOK, CAS and EE, which are com- pulsory to receive a full IB diploma. The AP Capstone and IB Diploma are both optional programs, and students at most schools may still choose to take only AP courses or IB courses one at a time, with- out completing this component. FLO: What are the advantages of an IB certificate versus an IB diploma? Likewise, what are the advantages of simply tak- ing AP courses versus completing the AP Capstone? KM: In my opinion, completion of the IB Diploma program will offer students more opportunities for college credit and a much more comprehensive high school program overall. With the requirement of TOK, CAS and the EE, in conjunction with IB courses, students will connect their learning between all academic dis- ciplines and be well prepared for college and university teaching methods. Although both the full diploma and the certificate options are advantageous, stu- dents who complete the full diploma will have stronger high school transcripts and will be better prepared for college with critical thinking skills, advanced research and writing skills, and public speaking confidence. The certificate, however, is a great option if a student does not feel able to dedicate as much time to studies because of other obligations. When taking individual AP courses, the student has more control over which subjects she or he feels most comfort- able taking and doing well in. With the Capstone, there are more requirements (similar to the IB) to access the over- all learning of the student in a variety of subject areas. In taking AP classes alone, students can still receive credit for courses, and most colleges and uni- versities in the United States still appre- ciate any higher-level course in which IB classes are interdisciplinary and connect learning across the curriculum.