Proviso Township High School District 209’s board of education is set to vote on whether to continue to offer International Baccalaureate programming at the high schools during this week’s board meeting.
Interim Supt. Alexander Aschoff said enrollment at East and West is very low, with students considering other options, including dual enrollment and AP credit. Enrollment figures were not available by publication.
But ending the rigorous program is an important decision that will impact students’ futures, he said.
“I didn’t believe that making the decision to just cut off now would be appropriate for our students and families but something that warrants further discussion,” Aschoff said during the July 16 board meeting.
He said more discussion is needed before a decision is made.
Proviso Township High School District 209 became an all-International Baccalaureate World School district in 2022.
The IB program, as it is known in the United States, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968 and offers four program models to schools across the world. In the U.S., the most common programs are at the high-school level.
All three Proviso high schools carry IB’s diploma program, a two-year international education program for teens 16 to 19 that aims to help prepare them for college by cultivating “creative problem-solvers” and “lifelong independent thinkers,” according to the IB website. Students pick a course from the five core subjects: studies in language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and society; sciences; and mathematics. The also take a course from the arts.
Proviso West also offers the IB career-related program.
Participating students receive college credit for individual courses or for completing a full IB diploma.
Officials estimate the program will cost the district $12,660 for the 2024-25 year for each of the three schools, or a total of $37,980.
Board member Arbdella Patterson raised concerns over continuing the program at East and West due to low enrollment.
“This program at Proviso East was never what this board was told it was going to be,” Patterson said during the July board meeting. “And that is unfortunate.”
Patterson said having a teacher for only two or three students enrolled in a course at a given time does not make sense.
“We are already affecting their lives,” Patterson said. “We are selling them a lie.”
Board member Amanda Grant said there should be a stronger focus on building the program up rather than “shutting it down.”
“It’s not the same at East and West but let’s focus on making all three equitable rather than stopping the IB program, which is a valuable program for our students,” Grant said, adding more support for counselors and teachers might help increase student enrollment.
Aschoff said the district would need to make a decision before they are able to approve a course catalog and academic programs in October for the 2025-26 school year.
The Proviso D209 Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Proviso Math and Science Academy.
