Advanced program in danger at Bellevue's Interlake High
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The straight-A student has worked hard in the advanced classes — the first half of a rigorous and comprehensive two-year program.
But now, Interlake is considering dropping the IB program in fall of 2003 and the uncertainty has already sent some IB teachers out the door and caused an uproar among parents and students who argue that Interlake is losing its best teachers and a challenging program that attracted students from other schools.
"If I'm going to take these really hard classes, I need teachers who understand IB, and many of the new teachers this year don't," said, Goldsmith-Pinkham, referring to teachers hired to replace half of those who left last year.
"It's a very strong program that is being undermined by the administration," said parent Linda Lowe-Sheedy.
She charges that school officials have purposely not marketed IB to students this year because they favor replacing the program with Advanced Placement classes. Interlake IB coordinator Marsha Pink disagreed, saying students currently are learning about both IB and AP before they register for next year. A leveled-off enrollment in the program has made it tough to fill IB classes, she said.
IB and AP both offer college-level courses and college credit is accepted at many universities and colleges for both. IB is a broader, two-year program that ties together six academic subjects, whereas students can take a single AP course in a certain subject. IB also has an international focus and requires intensive teacher training every few years.
"The bottom line is which program do parents and students feel is best to meet their needs," Pink said, adding that students are being surveyed about their interest in both programs.
The School Board is expected to decide the fate of the program late this month.
It's rare for U.S. schools to drop the IB program, said Jennifer Dikes, diploma coordinator for IB programs in North America. The program has grown from being offered in 103 U.S. schools in 1990 to 292 schools currently.
Twelve Washington high schools — nine of which are in the Puget Sound area — offer IB and at least one more, 950-student Ingraham High School in Seattle, plans to start it fall 2003.
Tonight the board will hear from a group of mostly Interlake parents who are upset about the IB situation, and more.
The issue has touched off other parent concerns about the direction of the school since Laura Keylin became principal this year. Some think a new discipline policy is too harsh and blame the school and district administration for high teacher turnover.
Some parents are also angry at what they see as Superintendent Mike Riley's attempts to bring uniformity to all the district's schools, removing unique programs such as IB. Interlake is the only school with IB in the district.
If IB is axed, they say, Riley can add Advanced Placement (AP) classes there, a program he has pushed hard in other schools, and one that is cheaper to run than IB.
Riley denies having any agenda other than a desire to provide the best programs for the most students. The IB program, he said, simply hasn't attracted as many students as AP has at other schools.
"If you find something really good for kids and you're not offering it to all kids, that's not an appropriate way to run a district," he said, referring to AP.
Riley said the only thing that is "uniform" about the district is its curriculum, which he says is developed by Bellevue staff.
"What's top down — and I will never apologize for this — is the insistence that what we teach from grade level to grade level has to connect," he said.
IB serves about 20 percent of Interlake's juniors and seniors, of which 20 to 25 students receive full IB diplomas. Nearly 65 percent of the district's juniors and an equal chunk of seniors, however, are taking at least one AP course this year.
Interlake began the IB application process seven years ago and started classes five years ago, mostly as a magnet to attract students from other schools because of its low enrollment. Riley said he has given the program a chance to grow and devoted hundreds of thousands of training dollars and other resources to it.
"I've been here six years and if I wanted to kill off the program, I would have done it a long time ago," he said.
Last year, about half of the school's IB teachers left after a popular IB coordinator was demoted and rumors flew about the future demise of the program.
This year, at least five more IB teachers are expected to leave, said IB teacher Kristin Gabrielson, who is also leaving.
"There is no longer room for teacher creativity," she said. "They want form rather than substance."
Guy Thomas, another IB teacher who says he may leave, said Interlake used to be known for teacher collaboration and decision-making.
"But if the district is trying to make Interlake like the rest of the buildings with a top-down approach and do away with IB, then it's like anyplace else and for someone who lives in Ballard, why would I stay?" he said. "And I'm not the only one asking that."
Colleen Pohlig can be reached at 206-515-5655 or cpohlig@seattletimes.com.