We all know how this article is going to end: the message has been very consistent from neutral educators – all curricula lead you to the same place, and therefore, there is no clear winner here. I disagree – there are winners in the battle of the curricula but no real losers. If you are interested, then please do read on – if not, skip to the next article in this first edition of Forward Thinking’s first newsletter.
The International Baccalaureate (IB)
The IB is often considered as the Rolls-Royce of curricula: the most progressive, the most rigorous, and a genuine through-school curriculum that prepares you with 21 century skills. All of this is true – the IB is great but it does have its fair share of challenges. Let’s start with Middle School – the IB MYP program. The IB has a comprehensive program that spans middle school, which includes a personal project and an e-portfolio, but makes a mess on its summative assessment at the end of Grade 10. The optionality given to schools to carry out the external MYP e-assessments along with the total score out of 56 (which includes just one of the science scores!), makes it tough to compete with the more comprehensive, externally-validated GCSEs (see next section). It is not uncommon to come across students in the IB program who do NOT do the external e-assessments, therefore not providing university admissions officers with any externally validated grades till they complete the IB DP! And let’s talk about the IB DP – 6 subjects (including a foreign language, Maths, English, Science, Humanities) and 3 mandatory areas. Great program and very comprehensive but what if I am not the math genius that the program wants me to be? What are my alternatives – Math AI SL (not recognized by many) or the IB CP (still not achieved the acceptance level amongst universities). It is for this precise reason that IB educators know that the DP program is designed for the brightest while leaving many behind.
Winner: In my experience, the IB program is clearly the most comprehensive curriculum out there, preparing students not only for the challenges that await them at university but also those that life can throw at them.
GCSEs and A’levels (English National Curriculum)
A disclaimer here before I start – I did the GCSEs (known as O’levels in my time) and the A’levels so I may have a bias. This tried and tested workhorse of a curriculum resonates not only British parents but also with those from Commonwealth countries due to its structure and its emphasis on external exams (also known as “board” exams in the Indian subcontinent). The GCSE curriculum, taught in Grades 9 and 10 (schools have started teaching this as early as Grade 8), has stood the test of time but has it moved with the times? Let’s start with the GCSEs – while a student can take 8 to 11 subjects (can take fewer), the fact is that while this may seem flexible on the outside, 6 subjects are given as mandatory, leaving students typically with 3 to 4 subjects choices to make – not much wiggle room if one of those choices is going to be History and the other a foreign language. So, we are talking a fair amount of rigidity in the early part of high school, only to provide complete flexibility in the final 2 years – the coveted A levels – choice of 3 subjects (so why do students want to take 4!) in areas that you love and want to explore further. The challenge: you can go through the GCSE/A level curriculum avoiding a foreign language, not studying Math for the final 2 years and worst of all, you could end up eliminating key subject areas that just maybe will provide the intellectual stimuli for your future pathways. After all, is it fair to ask a 16-year-old to narrow down to just 3 subjects in their final 2 years? In terms of 21st century skills, British schools have done an excellent job in trying to keep up with the IB through the Extended Project Qualification and the Duke of Edinburgh award but the fact that they are largely optional is where the problem lies – you can actually end up at university without having ever done research or service in high school.
Winner: In my experience, the mandatory rigor of the GCSEs prepares students better than any other Grade 9/10 curriculum for the academic challenges that await not only in the final 2 years of high school but even beyond. There is nothing quite like it out there.
Advanced Placement (AP)
This is not a curriculum, at least not one that can be compared to IB or the GCSE/A’level. The APs typically sit within a US High School curriculum and are optional both on the part of the school and the student. Unlike its IB and British counterparts, you do not need to pass your AP exams to graduate from high school – in fact, you don’t need to take any APs to graduate from high school so it’s not fair to compare the APs to other curricula being discussed here, although quite often parents and university admissions officers do.
The APs are run by the College Board, the same organization that administers the SAT. It is a college-level class and rigorous by any measure. It does provide the extra academic flavor that top universities are looking for and has also provided British universities a way to tap into the American high school population by providing conditional offers based on AP grades in Grade 12. However, the fact that they are optional for students does mean that students in American high schools can go through a high school education with no external assessments! To add to this problem, students who have done their APs can go on to choose not to submit their AP exam grades to US universities. So the APs do not provide the comfort that comes with their IB and British counterparts when it comes to external assessments. Is there an alternative to the IB Extended Essay or the British EPQ – yes and it exists in the form of the AP Capstone program but typically this course is highly selective within US high schools that offer it. So again, you can coast through a US high school without having demonstrated any rigor and without having picked up the ability to carry out research.
Winner: In my experience, students who are going through an American High School curriculum graduate with relative fluency in a foreign language and a plethora of activities, including community service, without having the stress that comes with external exams.
Who is the real winner?
There are winners here but a winning curriculum for one student is not necessarily a winner for another. It really comes down to the individual student, their goals, their intended ambitions, and most importantly, their drive or what I like to call their level of grit (thank you, Angela Duckworth!). I have recommended all three curricula over the years, taking into consideration a number of factors before doing so. The one thing I want to assure you is that in the city of Dubai, there are high-performing schools in each curricula segment and parents when making the decision should maybe, just maybe, not look at the curriculum but look at what environment will prioritize the well-being of their student above everything else.
– By Dr. Navin Valrani
The views expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or institution.
