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Cholla High Magnet School Students Getting Pushed to the Limit
Thanks to International Baccalaureate Program
TUCSON - March 4, 2009 - Reality has set in at Cholla High Magnet School.
After winning certification to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for the first time this school year, everyone involved is finding that the prestigious program requires many hours of studying and preparation.
But the hard work is expected to pay off for the students who pass the courses and the final examination. IB program graduates will have a golden ticket to the college of their choice, said Joyce Meyer, the Cholla German teacher who serves as the IB diploma coordinator. In some cases, students could start college with credits already achieved.
Cholla is the only Tucson school authorized to offer the two-year IB program. Its main tenet is training students to think globally and critically about what they know, forming conclusions about whether their judgment is well grounded. They assess other cultural perspectives, becoming aware of subjective and ideological biases.
"A student taking IB courses learns to develop an inquiring mind, think actively and critically, and learns to communicate in the language of mathematics," said Janet Liston, the IB math instructor. "IB students also come to realize that they must consider the broad picture because they are not just residents of Tucson, Arizona, but of the world. These students will be ready for the world."
Meeting those goals has turned into a time intensive, grueling process for the first class of juniors - 42 students - in the program. No seniors are in the IB program this year.
"It's very different from last year," said student Matthew Altamirano. "It's more challenging and it takes more dedication than last year. There are times when I don't get to bed until 2 and I get up at 5:30."
Meyer said Altamirano isn't alone. "They're panicked," she acknowledged. "They're up all night doing a paper for world literature."
Yuvitza Villalobos compared "Love in the Time of Cholera" with "Medea," the play by Euripides. "We don't have a life," she said. "Our life is school. I've kind of dropped the party life."
Meyer said students get college-level assignments a month before they're due. For many students, that means learning to manage their time in order to fit in all their assignments. Students have 15 to 20 hours of homework a week, working out to at least three hours per night.
Teachers have instituted measures to help students adjust to the stepped-up pace and meet the requirements. Tutoring is offered twice a week for three hours in the library. Some students are in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) class, which hones their skills, especially time management. Each student also has a personal mentor.
No late work is accepted and no remedial work is offered. Meyer said some students who were earning "As" before they started the IB program were suddenly coping with failing marks. So this year, students who want to be in the IB program are being routed to the proper preparatory classes to help them get off to a good start when they begin the IB program.
Meyer is convinced IB students will succeed in their classes and pass the final exams. She hopes to increase the program by 50 students a year until it's capped at 400.
Student Luis Cuellar said at first he didn't want to be in the IB program because he knew it would take a lot of time. "But a teacher convinced me," he said. "I'm glad I followed the advice. Boy, am I ever."
It's that level of commitment Meyer is counting on. "We're all staying one step ahead of the waves," she said "We all want this to succeed."
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