Middle Years Programme

  • The IB Middle Years Programme

    "The Middle Years Programme: encouraging students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers."

     

    What is the IB Middle Years Programme?

    The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and to the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement, qualities that are essential for life in the 21st century. 
    The MYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums. It builds upon the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme and the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC). 

     

    Learner Profile

    International awareness, holistic learning, and communication are all parts of the IB learner profile. The Learner Profile is at the center of the international education, and is common among the PYP, MYP and DP programmes. The nature of the holistic IB experience is concerned with the whole person. The learner profile is the IB mission in action. Students at CIMS strive to embody all aspects of the learner profile which include: principled, balanced, thinkers, inquirers, knowledgeable, open-minded, reflective, communicators, caring, and risk-takers. 

     

    Teaching and Learning in the IB

    Teaching and learning in the IB celebrates the many ways in which people construct meaning. This constructive approach focuses on a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. This approach leads to a classroom where different views are valued. Within an inquiry approach to teaching and learning, students own curiosity is used to drive instruction. "Principled action, as both a strategy and an outcome, represent the IB's commitment to teaching and learning through practical, real-world experience (MYP Principles into Practice)."  Action (learning by doing) is a key component to the CIMS beliefs. Service is a subset action. IB learners strive to be active and caring members of the community, who demonstrate personal commitment to action. Action in the MYP is an essential component of the learning process. Students at CIMS are given opportunities to participate in and reflect on meaningful action as a result of the written and taught curriculum, and also through school wide activities. 

  • The MYP Curriculum 

    The IB Middle Years Programme consists of eight subject groups: language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts (visual and performing), physical and health education, and design. 

    The International Baccalaureate (IB) promotes an education based on a change or transformation of personal understandings and the construction of meaning through interdisciplinary conceptual experiences. This allows for less focus on the transmission of knowledge and rote memorization of facts. In the MYP curriculum, students interact with a defined set of key and related concepts.  Concepts are a big idea that is enduring that goes beyond subject matter and place in time.  Concepts require students to develop a deeper understanding that they will more likely retain for future use and help them to be more successful outside of school. Related concepts are more content specific explorations that help deepen the understanding of the key concept. 

    Teaching and learning at CIMS involves investigating concepts through one of six Global Contexts. Contextual learning often leads to a deeper understanding and more permanent knowledge. The six

     

    Global Contexts in the MYP are:

    • Identities and Relationships
    • Orientation in Space and Time
    • Personal and Cultural Expression
    • Scientific and Technical Innovation
    • Globalization and Sustainability
    • Fairness and Development

     

    During an MYP unit of study, the students are lead through inquiry-based instruction that will facilitate their understanding of the statement of inquiry. This statement explains clearly what the student should understand and why understanding it is meaningful. 


    All eight subject areas at CIMS have developed units of inquiry containing these elements. For more information and a picture of how students progress through the curriculum, please follow the links below. 

    Read more on the Middle Years Programme curriculum

  • Assessment

    The aim of MYP assessment is to support and encourage student learning. In order to maintain the rigour for which the IB is renowned, the MYP assessment model is criterion-related. Teachers structure varied and valid assessment tasks so that students can demonstrate achievement according to objectives defined by the IB. Tasks are assessed against established criteria, not against the work of other students. MYP teachers use published criteria to make judgments about student performance on a specific assessment. A link to all CIMS IB content specific criteria is located at the bottom of this page. Throughout the year teachers will give summative and formative assessments to students. All grades can be accessed on Infinite Campus. Parents of CIMS students are encouraged to check IC on a regular basis. 

     

    Summative Assessment

    Summative assessment is part of every MYP unit of study. These assessments are used to provide evidence for evaluating student achievement using the MYP assessment criteria. This assessment is usually the culminating task for each unit. Summative assessments may look like projects, speeches, videos, open-ended tasks, performances, process journals, tests and examinations, hands-on experimentation, analysis, reflection, project-based and collaborative tasks, and portfolio assessments. These assessments will be graded using task specific rubrics developed from the subject specific criteria. Parents are encouraged to ask their students to share these assessments and rubrics with them. 

     

    Formative Assessment

    The purpose of formative assessment is to guide further instruction from the teachers. These tasks are used to monitor student's understanding and abilities throughout the programme. Formative assessments may include informal assessment, anecdotal records, homework or in-class assignments, or exit tickets. 

     

    Read more on the Middle Years Programme assessment process

  • Quality assurance and professional development

    Any school, or group of schools, wishing to offer one or more International Baccalaureate programmes as an IB World School must first be authorized.  The requirements are the same for all schools, and the procedure is designed to ensure that schools are well prepared to implement the programme(s) successfully. All IB World Schools are required to participate in an ongoing process of review and development, using the same programme standards and practices.

    As part of its ongoing commitment to the development of a highly skilled global learning community, the IB provides a wide range of high-quality professional development opportunities to help new, experienced and expert school leaders and educators understand, support, and successfully deliver IB programmes reflecting IB standards and practice.

    As part of the quality assurance procedure, CIMS MYP programme received a verification visit in April 2015.