High School credentials

As I write this article the school is in the midst of two large projects, both of which involve credentials. For our seven-year cycle of reaccreditation by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, which is currently in progress, we are reviewing our academic program that culminates in a Woodstock Diploma and the opportunity for students to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses. At the same time I have developed a draft of a new strategic plan for the next five years that is also currently under review and of course contains elements pertaining to the academic program and the credentials students take away with them.

One issue that has been raised in both of these contexts is the external examinations for which we prepare our students. AP courses are advanced courses taught and examined at the university level. Some universities officially recognize the level of content of these courses by giving credit, or placement in upper division courses, to students who have achieved a better than average grade. 31 different AP courses are offered by the College Board. Woodstock offers 19, approved courses with two more being added next year. All American universities accept AP courses as a strong measure of the attainment of High School students. UK universities make admission decisions about candidates on the basis of their AP results. It must be recognized, however, that most continental European universities do not know the AP program in sufficient depth to recognize it in their admissions process. To educate a few particular universities in France and Germany that are potential higher education institutions for our students is a challenge that we at Woodstock must address in the very near future.

Many other programs serve as culminating measures for high schools through an external examination system. Woodstock has used the UK Cambridge "A" level examinations in the past, a system that uses a set of independent examinations similar to the AP program. Another system gaining in popularity worldwide is the Swiss-based International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program is a complete package which schools can adopt without having to think what extras they should be including to give their students a rounded education. At recent meetings of the staff and other constituent bodies, the question has been asked "Why doesn't Woodstock offer the IB?" So where does Principal Laurenson stand on this issue?

At the outset, I wholeheartedly support the school's decision (made before I took up the position of Principal) to offer an AP program. One of our goals over the next five years is to strengthen and realign the academic program leading up to graduation so that the earlier curriculum prepares students for AP courses. The AP program is both rigorous and demanding and one of the advantages is that students choose their courses from those offered and may take as few or as many as they desire. The courses stand alone and are not connected to an external diploma. As a school that is accredited by an American agency, that sends 70% of its graduates to American colleges, and that is among just a few in India offering an AP program, I believe this is the correct culminating external examination system for Woodstock at this time. Alongside this curriculum we have our own set of courses and activities (Religious Education, Physical Education, Outdoor Education and Service) that are additional requirements for graduation and a Woodstock diploma.

But the question still remains "why not IB? Could it not operate alongside the AP program, or stand as the sole academic program at Woodstock, as it does in many schools across the world?"

First, a little about the IB program. It differs from the AP program in that it does itself lead to a diploma. There is an IB curriculum that covers all elementary and high school grades. In the last two years of secondary school students must take 6 courses for two years each and it is very structured in terms of what a student must take. The curriculum requires a breadth of courses that gives students experience in languages, social studies, the experimental sciences and mathematics, and the arts. In addition to coursework, the program has three core requirements that all students must take: an in-depth study related to the content of a course they are taking, the Theory of Knowledge course designed by IB, and a service component. The IB is a well thought-out, well-designed program but it is not for everyone. Schools that offer an IB program do not expect all of their students to receive an IB diploma because of the demands of the program. For Woodstock to offer a both IB and AP would be impossible. The school is not large enough to staff these two quite different programs.

I believe the AP program, coupled with the Woodstock Diploma, is right for Woodstock at this time. Graduates leave Woodstock with a diploma recognized in India, North America and many other English-speaking countries and certified by a highly reputable accrediting agency. They sit for rigorous external examinations which can gain them college credit. There are additional school-wide requirements in religious education, outdoor education, physical education and service. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, our program is uniquely Woodstock. While I heartily endorse the IB program's goal of giving students experiences that it believes lead to success at university and beyond, it must be stated that at Woodstock we have a curriculum we can be very proud of that includes elements that no totally external product can ever hope to include. Our mission is to graduate responsible global citizens and leaders, and as the Principal, I believe that Woodstock has the curriculum that is doing just that.

David Laurenson, Ph.D. Principal