In light of the dissolution of the IB program, the English department is pursuing the development of a new course. The course, which will be weighted and intended to fill the spot left by IB Language and Literature, is currently being created and will be available to 11th-grade students starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
Currently, the school offers three options for 11th-grade English: Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Composition, International Baccalaureate (IB) Language and Literature and College-Preparatory (CP) English 11. These have been the options since Advanced English 11 was removed after the 2022-2023 school year.
The process of adding is new course is lengthy. First, it requires an initiating factor. This factor could be a variety of reasons, including internal forces like student requests or external forces like state mandates. English Department Coordinator for grades 6-12, Mary Lou Manhart, explained the forces that were at play in the recent decision.
“Students wanted to have an option that was different from AP, but it would be weighted, so they would have an option. In 11th grade, we had CP, and IB, which was weighted, and AP, which was weighted. So we had two weighted options, but with the dissolution of the IB program, then one of those weighted options is taken out. Part of [the requests] came from families who wanted to have an option that would be weighted but not AP, but part of it also came from the teachers who wanted to make sure that it would actually be different than AP,” Manhart said.
Junior Erin Ruth, a current AP Lang student, is one of the many students who expressed this desire.
“With AP Lang, it’s a college-level class. We do a lot of assignments, including writing essays really frequently. So if I was aware that [another course] would’ve been a little bit less work, but still weighted, I probably would’ve taken it. A lot of people want something in between the regular CP English versus the AP,” Ruth said.
Since the need for an in-between step was evident, the revision process was able to begin. Teachers got together as part of a proposal step. From there, the course description was written. This involved looking at the Pennsylvania standards and choosing what to include in the course. From the standards, units began to be built out, and the course took shape.
In the fall, the course will be taken to the school board for official approval. If it is approved, the next year will be spent writing the course until it can be included in the course selection process.
The course aims to be something completely different from what students have previously seen, including the old Advanced English 11 course.
“The issue with [Advanced 11] was that it was originally designed to be like AP. So they took the AP course and designed the course to be AP with a few tweaks. It was redundant. When it was created, that made sense at the time, but it’s a different time now. People didn’t want that, and nor would we want to offer something that’s kind of like something that already exists. We want something fresh,” Manhart said. “You’re not choosing between AP and the light version of it. We’re choosing between AP or a different weighted course, kind of like IB was. It was something fresh and different. We’re hoping to keep the best of that spirit of what IB offered, a global focus, a variety of types of texts. AP Lang is a very specific thing. It’s very nonfiction-heavy, and that’s not what this is going to be.”
Despite hopes to keep some aspects from IB, some students are still mixed about its replacement. Senior Ava Krebs, who took IB Language and Literature, explained her thoughts.
“I do think there needs to be another step between CP and AP. I don’t think that’s adequate because there are people that aren’t necessarily AP ready, but still need more of a challenge than CP. But I do think adding advanced in lieu of IB does kind of play into the idea that IB was easier than AP, which I find difficulty with because I think it’s a challenge in its own way and a really valuable challenge. But I think it would be good just to have another option and that it’s a necessary action,” Krebs said.
Ultimately, the decision was made with students’ best interests in mind. Ruth hopes that every student will be able to find the right fit for them.
“I feel like it would benefit a lot of people that are looking for something more challenging, but not quite a college-level class. And I feel like just a lot of people would opt to take it,” Ruth said.
Krebs believes that in order to make the course a success, well-planned measures need to be taken.
“I think advertising and awareness needs to be better than perhaps it had been for the IB. A lot of people just didn’t know what it was about, so there was some mystery involved,” Krebs said. “I think administration and course creators need to be very deliberate about talking or presenting specifically what the course would cover- making sure people know if it’s different or if new texts are included or if they’re not, if it’s going to be formed in more of an IB way or if it’s not.”
Manhart is hopeful that students will find the new course engaging and they will become excited about a fresh option.
“I think students benefit when they have a choice and they make an informed choice,” Manhart said. “If students will choose according to their goals, they’re going to benefit because all of our courses are good. I think having another choice could only benefit students.”
