Fierce competition for college acceptances has led counselors to encourage students to try to take as many advanced classes as possible. Some try to get several of their IB tests out of the way during their junior year to help alleviate the stress they will encounter during their senior year. However, IB does not allow this.

The IB program caps the tests you can take in junior year at two SL tests total — with no exceptions. Here’s the problem: some kids take Algebra II/Trig their freshman year. That selection leads them on a path that has them taking IB SL II Math (or IB HL II Math, which causes even bigger problems) their junior year. Then, some students decide to take the second year of a science their junior year: IB Physics, IB Chemistry, IB Biology, the list goes on.

Such an unfortunate student is already up to two tests, which means that they cannot, under any circumstances, take another one-year IB course their junior year. If they are already enrolled in another IB course, they cannot get credit for that course. This restriction eliminates multitudes of electives from the student, including the ever-popular IB Social Anthropology and much anticipated IB Psychology. This is not a school rule mind you, but an IB rule.

These students are taking risks by pushing themselves to new levels, going outside of their comfort zones in terms of the workload. They are inquiring, trying to learn new things and explore new options and subjects that they may not have tried before. Lastly, the students are trying to make themselves more knowledgeable by opening themselves up to new curricula. How IB can squash this natural curiosity is beyond me.

Ready for another mind-boggler? Juniors are not allowed to take IB Higher Level exams. If a student completes all of the prerequisites required for a course, then there should be no question as to whether or not they can take the test.

“It’s true that juniors cannot take IB HL tests. It is a steadfast rule, and I’ve called Cardoff [the IB world headquarters] to see if there is any possible way for me to register juniors to take the test. They responded with an absolute ‘no.’” said IB Coordinator Shirley Campbell.

Five juniors this year, myself included, were enrolled in HL II courses, and we’re talking HL Math, HL Physics and HL Computer Science among others.

We had all completed the first year of HL in our sophomore years, and fulfilled every other prerequisite IB requires for the course. We were informed eight weeks into the school year that the IB registration site would not accept our spring test registration because we were juniors.

We are being forced by IB to take lower level classes or switch, even though IB encourages people to rise to their highest potential. IB, in response to a question about when exams could be taken, said, “Higher level exams can only be taken at the end of the second year.”

This vague statement is interpreted as saying that the HL tests can only be taken at the end of senior year. However, at the end of the 2011-2012 school year, the four other students and myself would have completed two years of our respective courses. We would be taking our tests at the end of the “second year,” and would have fulfilled 270 hours of class time, though IB only requires a minimum of 240 hours for HL courses.

The system needs to change. IB needs to be more “open-minded” (just like their learner’s profile says), and encourage the “risk takers” and “inquirers” to strive to achieve the highest level of education they can no matter their age. The Fairfax County school system should not support an educational program that goes against the county’s mission statement.

IB specifically violates the county’s belief that “each child is important and entitled to the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential,” and goes against the proclaimed vision statement that the county “provides opportunities for all its students…to grow educationally” and “provides a breadth and depth of opportunities to allow all students to stretch their capabilities.” Fairfax County schools cannot accept this injustice and must force IB to right its wrongs, or stop wasting their money and pull the plug on the International Baccalaureate program.

Written by Jenny Jessen, Special to The A-Blast