Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406020061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Salem High School senior, who has been chosen for Virginia Tech's honors program, hopes to get enough college credits and advanced placement so he can begin as a second-semester sophomore.
He believes he has a good chance at getting the credits, because Tech has awarded as many as 44 hours of advanced placement in the past for academically talented high school seniors.
Tim Moser, another Salem High senior, also hopes to receive college credit in several courses when he enters the University of Virginia this fall.
Still another Salem senior, class valedictorian Kevin Dalal, expects to receive substantial advanced placement when he enrolls at Duke University. Like Hatfield and Moser, he plans a career in medicine.
The three are among seven of the brightest and best seniors in Salem's graduating class who are candidates for diplomas in the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. The others are Brent Sower, Matt Long, Betsy Neathawk and Matt Clark.
Salem is one of 505 high schools in 72 countries that participate in the rigorous program, which aims to produce students who meet world-class academic standards. Nearly 200 schools in the United States and Canada participate in the program. Europe ranks second with 152 schools, and the rest are distributed throughout the world.
Some of the most selective colleges and universities in the country, like Harvard, Stanford and Bryn Mawr, give up to a full year's credit to high school graduates who complete the program.
Worldwide, about 20,000 students are enrolled in the program, which was started by the International School, a private school in Geneva, in the 1960s. It prepared students of many nationalities for advanced-placement tests administered by their different countries.
The International School and a group of similar schools developed a battery of tests which would be acceptable in all nations.
Rather than fragmenting their program into large numbers of very small classes to prepare students for the exams of their country, the schools decided to create a new curriculum and university entrance examination that could be taken in any country. It was designed to set an international standard of excellence for college-bound students.
The academic standards are comprehensive and rigorous, said Betsy McClearn, coordinator of the International Baccalaureate program at Salem High. She said students have to take college-level courses in world literature, foreign language, math, science, history and an elective. Students take the courses over a two-year period.
Students also must write a 4,000-word essay on an approved topic and complete 200 hours of community service.
They also are required to pass a course called Theory of Knowledge that explores the relationship among all knowledge and ensures that students engage in critical thinking .
The tests emphasize written work that is evaluated by outstanding college professors worldwide, McClearn said. There are also oral examinations with visiting examiners from colleges and universities. Students have to defend their term papers in each subject.
Final examinations last about 25 hours over a two-week period in April and May of the senior year. Most of the time is spent on essay questions that are graded by college and university teachers.
The Salem High seniors have completed their exams and are awaiting word on their grades in early July. In the meantime, they will receive Advanced Studies diplomas when they graduate this month. Because they have met the requirements for Advanced Studies, they won't have to wait until they receive the results of the International Baccalaureate exams.
Some students said the program has been tougher than they expected, but they are happy they participated.
"It has helped prepare us for college, even if we don't get as much credit as we hope," Hatfield said.
Dalal, who attended North Cross School before enrolling in the program at Salem, said he found it to be challenging. "It was tougher than I expected," he said.
During the final two weeks of school, the International Baccalaureate diploma candidates are doing mentorships in their prospective careers, because they have completed their course work and exams. Hatfield and Moser are working with doctors at Lewis-Gale Clinic.
Salem was selected for membership in the International Baccalaureate program in 1990, but this is only the second year of testing. Last year, one program graduate earned 37 hours of credit at Stanford University, and another has maintained a 4.0 average with a full scholarship at Duke University.
Only a handful of school systems in the state, mostly in Northern Virginia, participate in the program.
Schools must undergo a rigorous application process. A team of educators visits each applicant school to assess its ability to comply with the requirements.
William Fleming High School in Roanoke has applied for the program and hopes to be selected for membership by next year. In Roanoke County, a committee is studying the program and several related issues.
by CNB