Beating the International Baccalaureate Data Drum Again

I hate to keep beating this drum, but until I see data I’m on a mission.

I want to see the International Baccalaureate program exam performance for black and poor students enrolled in Montgomery County Public Schools. And, I specifically want to see diploma outcome data. , and at that time, noted that it has been more than six years since MCPS publicly shared any IB performance data.

Recently, Washington Post MCPS beat reporter Michael Alison Chandler penned an IB piece. Two things she wrote caught my attention:

Point one: “The demanding high school IB diploma requires students to take at least six IB courses, including a foreign language and a theory of knowledge course that promotes critical thinking. They’re also required to perform community service and write a 4,000-word research essay. The courses have lengthy final exams and can lead to college credit.”

This indeed is demanding—very demanding.

Point two: MCPS Superintendent Josh Starr said: “We recognize that IB is for everybody."

It’s for everybody? That sounds like some kind of data challenge to me. Or is this just more rhetoric from our new superintendent?

So together, the two quotes raise an interesting question: Can we prove that IB is for everybody? 

Beyond the rhetoric, of course we can prove it, but we need to see the IB diploma outcome data to determine if the the "every" part is true. And now that the IB organization is physically located in Bethesda, I’m wondering if I can lean on them to lean on MCPS to cough up the diploma data.