You have probably heard the usual arguments in favor of IB that include phrases like "IB is more inquiry based," or "IB is a broad study of the subject, AP is an in depth study." Some IB advocates make the claim that IB emphasizes student self-discovery, whereas AP is just rote memorization. The problem with any of these claims is two-fold:First none of these claims has ever been properly researched and validated.Second, the individual AP class, like IB, is so much a product of the teacher that any IB or AP class can differ in terms of the instructional methodology from one day to the next.Good teachers, in any classroom, are employing best practices which these days rarely rely solely on the old style of rote memorization. There is some information on the subject, however, which we have gathered here. The only extensive evaluative research that has been conducted and published is about the AP Program. They have consistently worked with Colleges and Universities to improve their courses and their assessments. We have included links to their research papers. We invite all interested parties to read the information provided here and to make up their own minds.
FORDHAM REPORT The only study we know of that actually attempted to do an evaluation of the two programs.
How is AP different from IB? Advanced Placement courses, like HL International Baccalaureate courses, allow students to gain college credit for courses taken in high school. By taking a test on the content of the course and passing that test with a 3 or more on a scale of 1-5, an AP student may be able to gain college credit for that course. The number of credits is dependent on the policy of the individual colleges. Most require a score of 3 or better. Some are more restrictive.
IB students take IB certificate exams which can also lead to college credit. A score of 6 or 7 on a scale of 1-7 is the usual requirement for credit. However the course must be HL (Higher Level) not SL (Standard Level). SL courses are not considered for college credit at most institutions. Don't be fooled. It should also be noted that an IB Certificate is nothing more than a receipt of the test fee and report of the grade achieved by a student. An IB Certificate is issued whether the student passes or fails the exam. Therefore, there is no such animal as an "IB Certificate Candidate", since every student receives one as long as they submit their test fee and write their name on the test. In introductions to the IB program, parents are falsely led to believe that an IB Certificate is something prestigious that must be earned. This is simply not the case. Anyone can take an AP exam, even if they have not participated in an AP class. In contrast, only students enrolled in the specific IB classes are allowed to take the IB tests. The cost of AP and IB exams are both approximately $86 per subject. AP tests taken by US students are graded by professionals here in the US. IB tests are sent to International Baccalaureate external examiners all over the world. Test results for AP are available on July 1st by phone for a fee of $8 or received in the mail approximately 6 weeks after the date the exam was taken. IBO does not indicate on its website when students can access their results via its online curriculum center, however past experience has shown this date to be somewhere in the beginning of July, subject to change or delay. AP provides the opportunity for students to have the multiple choice section of an exam to be rescored ($25 per exam). IBO offers no such opportunity. Furthermore, AP provides students with the opportunity to have their official AP transcripts sent automatically to five (5) schools they are considering attending FREE of charge. IBO charges students $12 for each school a student wants their official IB grades sent to: http://www.ibo.org/ibna/graduates/transcriptsfaqs.cfm#Transcripts2 IB does allow one (1) free submission to a U.S. university, two (2) to a Canadian university, if the student somehow has the foresight to request this option in September before the May exams. Diploma candidates who earn the IB Diploma do not receive the actual document until sometime in October when they are already Freshmen at university. Any questions about scores or disputes, are required to be adjudicated through the IBO in Geneva, Switzerland. IBO refuses to disclose the salaries of its top executives. The College Board of Princeton NJ oversees the AP Program. The CEO of The College Board earns approximately $650,000 annually. The College Board has consistently conducted substantive research on all of their AP programs. In addition score reports for more than ten years are available for review on their website. In contrast IB has conducted little evaluative research on their programs. No score reports are available for public review and none of their research has been peer reviewed or compares the two programs in a substantive way.
For more information on AP you can visit AP Central.
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