Newsweek Declares WHSE Among Nation's Best Due to Excellent IB Program
A college prep program for Wichita High School East’s most motivated students is one big reason Newsweek has ranked it among the nation’s top 1‚200 high schools for the last four years.
One of only four International Baccalaureate programs in Kansas‚ and one of 1‚900 worldwide‚ East’s IB program has trained first-rate scholars since 1990; today‚ more than 400 students in grades nine-12 take part in the challenging program that con sists of special coursework that is graded according to IB’s international standards.
“It’s a very rigorous college preparatory program that’s very focused and demanding‚” says Wendy Johnson‚ marketing and communications divi sion director for USD 259. “But there is a lot of support from the school‚ from one another and from the parents.
The strength of the program is that it prepared them to take on any challenge when they get out of school.”
Rising ninth-grade students are accepted into the IB program based on grades‚ teacher recommendations‚ tests of critical thinking and writing and standardized test scores. The first two years of the program are considered pre-IB preparation; the diploma program comprises the junior and senior years.
Students take special courses and must score at IB-set levels in order to receive the coveted IB diploma. They also must complete a 4‚000-word research essay and earn 200 hours of Creativity‚ Action and Service (CAS) experience over their four years in the program. Work and test scores are evaluated by external graders.
Students in the IB program come from 30 public middle schools around the region‚ including some private schools.
“We have folks who come into our district from private schools and parochial schools‚ or who move here specifically to apply and be part of the program‚ which tells you some thing about how successful it is‚” Johnson says.
The program’s IB diploma rate in 2006 was 97 percent; it has been 95 percent for the past five years‚ especially impressive compared to the U.S. average of 73 percent and the world wide average of 85 percent.
Many IB students earn college credit‚ scholarships and admission to elite colleges thanks to their participation in the program.
“You have to be very dedicated and willing to work like crazy to succeed in the IB program‚ but there is tremendous support for students who choose it‚” Johnson says.
