The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme at Homewood-Flossmoor High School needs to be revamped, staff told members of the District 233 Planning Committee at its Oct. 11 meeting. The goal is to change from a restrictive program to one that offers a greater number of students a chance to be challenged by the rigorous IB curriculum.
Superintendent Scott Wakeley said the board can keep the current IB program or it can discontinue it and stay with Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Or, H-F keeps the dual programs and reduces the multiple overlaps. For example, does H-F need an IB and an AP psychology class? And, can H-F make the IB program available to more students?
In 2024, H-F had seven students earn an IB diploma after following the rigorous two-year specialty curriculum, and six seniors will complete diploma requirements in 2025. Now that H-F opened the program, 22 students are on track to earn IB diplomas in 2026.
For years, the IB program was serving the top 3% to 5% of H-F students and they were on a different track from the rest of the student body. They were invited in as freshmen and followed a set curriculum with a heavy emphasis on math. The goal was to earn an IB diploma upon graduation from H-F. The diploma told colleges that the student had excelled in rigorous college prep classes.
When the program was established about 10 years ago, it was more challenging than was intended by the international governing organization, and H-F pre-requisites were more rigorous. It’s been suggested that H-F should shift from a heavy emphasis on math and gear the curriculum to more of a liberal arts curriculum.
Board member Chris Reidel asked why H-F has an IB Program with its own criteria.
“Why did we deviate?” he wondered.
Jen Hester, director of curriculum, said files she’s sifted through show the state offered funding for gifted programs and that apparently was what prompted H-F to develop the IB Program. That state money is no longer funding the program.
H-F pays an annual membership between $12,000 and $15,000 to the international organization.
H-F teachers are specially trained to teach in the IB curriculum, which is another point of contention. Those highly skilled teachers are teaching smaller classes. They also are supervising students as they work on their required research papers.
Reidel said he’d want administrators to say what their goals are for IB enrollment and outline how they can reach that goal within a set timeframe.
Over the years, H-F has made some revisions. Today’s underclassmen are taking AP courses and are admitted into the IB diploma program as juniors, if they meet the criteria.
IB is intended to be a holistic cross-curriculum program for juniors and seniors that offers students choices on topics of inquiry. AP students can select specific content courses and AP courses are open to all students, according to Libby Day, IB Program coordinator.
IB offers a one-year certificate program and a two-year program, requiring twice as many hours of instruction for the diploma. IB students are required to sit for an exam to earn college credit. AP students can choose if they want to test for college credit. H-F pays for IB testing, but the AP testing cost is paid by the student.
Board member Nate Legardy asked for administrators to present the board with specific costs for H-F’s college prep, AP and IB programs calling it “an equity issue.”
Board member Michelle Hoereth reminded administrators that IB students need support and asked what’s the associated cost.
“If we’re not able to provide support for the students already there, how are we going to grow the program?” she asked.
“I think we need to be very cautious as we continue to hear and refer to students in the IB Program as an elite group of kids,” Hoereth said. “I pose the equity question and concern of we’re paying for IB kids and not paying for AP kids.” She doesn’t want any group of students to feel they are being treated differently.
