PowerPoint presentation given to grade 10 parents and students on November 14, 2012.

1. Kent Merdes – AP Coordinator
Carol Jordan -- IB Coordinator
David Bene & Cynthia Nordmeyer - Counselors

2. • Provide general information about the AP and IB
programs.
• Start discussions about which program might be
the best fit.
• Specific course selection questions will be
addressed later on an individual basis.
• Course selection process begins February 2012.

3. IB = International Baccalaureate
AP = Advanced Placement
Both programs:
• Valued in college and university admissions
• Offer College/university credit and/or
placement for successful results
• Give students the opportunity to be better
prepared and therefore more successful at
university.
• Provide a rigorous academic profile

4. Our IB & AP results exceed global averages

5. • Students who are ready for university-level
rigor
• Students with a high level of interest,
motivation and commitment
• Students who want to challenge themselves

6. IB and AP:
• Open to all students
 Departmental pre-requisites for some
subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Math, and
Languages
 Recommendations are required from
teachers, counselors, and coordinators

7. In the US
 Currently one in five college students arrive at
college with credits amounting to a semester or
more of college-level work from their IB and AP
classes.
 By entering college with credits, you'll may have the
time to move into upper level courses, pursue a
double-major, win scholarships, study abroad or
graduate early.

8. • Accept challenges • Critical thinking skills
• Strong academic • Awareness of holistic
preparation nature of learning
• Externally validated • Good time management
performance & study habit skills
• Internationally- • Can work independently
minded
• Mature and responsible
• Excellent research and
writing skills • Oral presentation skills

9. All IB and AP classes have at
their core the SAS Eagles
 Empowered – to be lifelong learner
 Adaptable – independent thinking
 Globally minded – ability to make connections
 Literate – strong content area knowledge &
writing skills
 Ethical - academic integrity and honesty
 Skilled Inquirers – problem solvers

10. International
Baccalaureate

11. • Students can take IB Diploma Program or One or
more individual IB Courses
• Two year courses, taken in grades 11 and 12
• External exams in May of Senior year
• Internal assessment over both years
• Independent and group projects, research papers,
oral presentations, experimental work, performances,
exhibitions, field work, commentaries

12. Why the IB Diploma
 International focus & global perspectives
 International standards, applied equally to all
students in all schools.
 Holistic education – academic, extra
curricular, attitudes and values
 Aligns with SAS MISSON, and CORE
VALUES.
 Opportunity for students with more than on
mother tongue to gain a bilingual diploma.

13. Why do G10 students choose
the Diploma?
 Team work and support given for learning
 Make close friends
 Study subjects in depth over two years
 Become more independent and self confident
 Desire to learn balance and self discipline
 Desire for challenge and to achieve academic excellence
 Become well rounded
 CAS and TOK
 Preparedness for University – research and writing skills
 Program values creativity. Having own ideas is valued

14. Diploma students see
themselves as
 Willing to accept challenge and risk
 Motivated
 Willing to work hard
 Having a strong desire to be successful
academically
 Leader and wanting to make a difference

15. In a nutshell
 IB promotes the education of the whole person -
intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth.
• development a strong sense of identity and culture
• ability to communicate with and understand people
from other countries and cultures
 Prepares students for university and encourages them
to:
 Ask challenging questions
• Learn how to learn
• Writing skills

16. Combines breadth with depth
1 course from:
• Group 1: Literature & Language
• Group 2: Second Language
• Group 3: Societies
• Group 4: Science
• Group 5: Mathematics
• Group 6: The Arts
• 3 at Higher Level (HL)
• 3 at Standard Level (SL)
• Group 6 can be replaced by a
course from Groups 1-4

18. IB Courses 13-14
Group 1 Language A: Group 2 Second
English and Chinese Language & Language:
Literature and Literature, Self
Taught literature Mandarin, Spanish & French
Group 3 Societies: Group 4 Science:
Psychology, History, Economics. Chemistry, Biology, Physics,
Environmental Systems & Environmental Systems &
Societies★ Societies★
Group 5 Mathematics: Group 6 The Arts:
Mathematics higher-level,
standard-level & studies Visual Arts, Theatre, Music

19. • Learner Profile
• Theory of
Knowledge (TOK)
• Extended Essay
(EE)
• Creativity, Action,
Service (CAS)

20. The learner profile is developed through
the curriculum and empowers students to
be . . .
• globally minded
• risk takers
• life long learners
• reflective
• open-minded
• ethical
• caring and principled
• knowledgeable
• ethical
. . . and to make a difference in the world

21. TOK gives students an opportunity to step
back, reflect and focus not on what they
know but they how it!
 How knowledge is produced
 How important is the opinion of experts?”
 To what extent can claims be trusted.
 “How important is evidence in supporting our claims”
 Interdisciplinary understanding.
 How do scientific and historical explanations compare?”

22. The Extended Essay is a . . .
• 4000 word research investigation on a subject
and topic of the student’s choice.
• Student’s learn how to:
• frame a question and explore it
• select and use academic sources effectively
• think innovatively
• write a college-level research paper

23. “Aim not only for success but to be of value to
your fellowmen” Confucius
• Philanthropy & learning by doing are fostered
through CAS
• Education beyond the classroom in areas of
• Creativity
• Action (Sport)
• Service
Under the guidance of a mentor

24. CAS is about making a difference, by learning
how to
 Give back to the community
 Take on leadership roles
 Work in a team
 Deal with conflict
 Create new initiatives
 Manage and sustain projects
 Make meaningful contributions

25. IB Certificates
 Individual 2-year courses mixed with one
year AP and / or elective courses
 Flexibility in course selection, however
harder to schedule. Students may not get
the exact courses they want.

28.  SAT
 globally recognized college admission test that lets
you show colleges what you know and how well you
can apply that knowledge.
 SAT Subject Tests
 Hour-long, content-based tests that allow you to
showcase achievement in specific subject areas where
you excel
 AP Courses
 NOT required for college admissions
 you can earn college credit and advanced
placement, stand out in the admission process

29.  Enables students to pursue college-level studies
while still in high school and credit
 Flexibility and choice
 One year courses
 Open enrollment with guidance
 More diverse opportunities to reach all students
 External exams in May

30. @SAS:
• Grade 10: AP US History & World History
• AP Calculus available to qualified students in any
grade.
• AP Chinese exam is taken by students enrolled in
the AP Chinese class
○ Other qualified students can apply to write the exam
independently. Eligibility is subject to resource constraints
• All AP courses are available to students in
Grades 11 & 12. Some prerequisites apply.

31. @SAS:
The AP Program @SAS:
• Allows students to explore a variety of coursework
• Students can choose from 16 different classes
• Students have the ability to mix and match classes,
especially in their 11th and 12th grade years
• Provides students with the opportunity to “try-out”
a subject before they get to college
• Gives students the opportunity to find subjects
they are passionate about prior to college

32. AP Classes 2013-2014
English: Social Studies:
Language & Composition, Comparative Government,
Economics, Psychology, US History,
Literature & Composition World History
Foreign Language: Math:
Chinese Language & Culture
Calculus AB & BC, Computer
Science, Statistics
Science:
Biology, Chemistry,
Physics, Environmental Science

33.  Typically demand more than regular courses.
 Classes tend to be fast-paced and cover more
material than typical high school classes.
 Demand more time, inside and outside of the
classroom, is required to complete lessons,
reading, assignments and homework.
 Discussions are intense, probing, and demanding

34.  AP courses and exams are designed by teams of college
professors and expert secondary school teachers
 this gives students a real taste for the rigor of college
coursework
 College faculty participate in the scoring of the AP
Exams, using their expectations of college students as a
guidepost in the scoring of our students
 student performance can therefore serve as an indicator
of how students will perform in college
 In general, the AP exam scores are set so that the lowest
composite score for an AP score of 5 is equivalent to the
average score for college students earning scores of A

35. How many AP Classes?
 The amount of AP courses taken needs to be based on
the individual students’ abilities and study habits
 There is no magic number in terms of how many APs
a student should take. Students should challenge
themselves appropriate to their own academic interests
and abilities.
 In America:
 28% of high school seniors have taken at least 1 AP
class in high school
 At SAS Pudong:
 61% of high school seniors at SAS took at least 1 AP
class while at SAS

37. “I’ve heard that IB is better for Europe,
but AP is better for the US.”
Actually …
“We all know the value of both programs.”
William Fitzsimmons, Director of Admissions, Harvard,
quoted in “Diploma for the Top of the Top,” New York Times,
21 June 2003
In fact, admissions officers say they view both
programs equally, since both offer rigorous
course work. (From same article)

38. IB vs. AP What do College reps say?
 Northwestern: We look at both as choices of rigor.
 Duke: Personal choice. Don’t have a preference for one
or the other.
 Georgetown: Comfortable with the rigor of both.
 Washington U: No preference. We want to see rigor
regardless of the system or combination.
 Brown: IB Diploma is attractive, but you can create the
same thing with the AP. With all things equal, we like a
whole curriculum.
 Macalester: Neither is better. IB Diploma has
advantages with EE, TOK. We look at each applicant’s
program to make sure they have stepped out of their
comfort zone.

40. • Strongly recommended for Europe,
Australia/New Zealand, some Asian
countries
• Strong results reflect favorably in US and
offer
•Placement
•Advance standing
•Awarding of Scholarships

41. May 2011 SAS IB Diploma
College / University Destinations
Global distributions: USA = 55.1%, Canada = 18.7%,
UK = 8.6%, Australia = 3.4%, Other = <1%

42.  Credit and/or advanced placement in 90%
of the Colleges and Universities in the US
 Institutions in more than 60 other countries
grant students credit placement or both for
qualifying AP Exam grades.

43. AP Global Recognition

44. Policies vary widely:
• Discussions with counselors
• Check individual school websites
For universities outside of US that recognize AP and
the credit policy for US Colleges and Universities
http://bigfuture.collegeboard.com/college-search
For universities that recognize the IB
http://www.ibo.org/recognition/university

45. • Full IB Diploma Program =
6 IB courses + TOK + CAS + EE
• AP courses and general HS courses
• Mix of AP courses, IB courses, and general
HS courses
• General HS courses

46. • IB/AP info sessions in February: students should
attend one of these lunchtime meetings to hear
from current IB/AP students.
• February: grade-level course selection meetings,
updated course catelog
• For more information about specific AP and IB
classes talk to the program coordinator, your child's
counselor and teachers.
• Potential IB Diploma candidates will meet with Ms.
Jordan starting NOW

47. IB AND AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TRIP
TO DONGTAN WETLAND