Each year, Edina High School makes curriculum changes to benefit individual student needs, and improve student learning. In order to further challenge motivated students, EHS has begun to explore the possibility of introducing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

The IB program is similar to that of the Advanced Placement (AP) program in terms of difficulty, and the types of participating students attracted to it.  With AP coursework, students have the opportunity to receive college credit if they earn a specific minimum score on AP exams. This is not the case with the IB program.

The IB program, however, offers other advantages. The curriculum is demanding. Students attending an IB program at one school have the ability to continue their program at another IB school.  Universities recognize that students in the IB program have engaged in a demanding high school educational experience. Grades obtained in the IB program are standardized and meaningful, similar to that of the AP test scores.

A committee of teachers known as the Exploratory Committee, led by Ms. Jessica Froehlich who teaches AP World Literature, Introduction to Dance, and Literature of the Theatre, has been formed to discuss the benefits of bringing this program to EHS.

Also on the Exploratory Committee is Windigo advisor and Pre-AP English 10 teacher Ms. Ellen Guerin. “I enjoy having students for two years instead of one, the courses are in-depth, and it looks at the whole person,” she said about the positive aspects of the IB programs.

However, she mentions that there are negative aspects as well. “There are problems with scheduling, having both AP and IB courses could be a challenge to fit them both in, the danger of having a school within a school, as well as the idea that IB courses are meant to be seminar setting which is difficult to have in such big classes of 30 or even more students.”

Ultimately, Guerin believes that IB programs are “available for any students, especially those that want an IB diploma, or have an interest in public service.”

The IB website explains the four different programs offered: IB Primary Years (ages 3-12), IB Middle School Years (ages 11-16), IB Diploma Programme (ages 16-19), and IB Career-related Certificate (ages 16-19).

EHS would likely use the IB Diploma Programme which offers courses in six different study areas through essay writing, critical thinking, and service. The website also notes that students take standardized examinations with outside examiners in a manner similar to the AP exams at the end of the program. Scores range from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest).