Studies show MYP students distinguish themselves from students in non-IB schools.
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, first implemented at Notre Dame in 2009, is undergoing significant enhancements that will roll out on the Pontiac campus in the fall of 2014. Following a three-year review conducted by the International Baccalaureate organization that included educational experts and IB educators from over 100 pilot schools in 46 countries, the MYP has undergone a rigorous process of improvement that builds on the program’s strengths and global success.
The IB-MYP is offered to students in grades six through ten.
According to IB, "more than ever, the MYP will provide an innovative, appropriately assessed education that reflects the IB’s mission to prepare students who can help to make a better world."
NDPMA MYP coordinator Brenda Kambakhsh says the school will begin formal implementation in Sept. 2014. She says the enhancements will be overall better for students, easier for the teachers and more flexible for the school. "Our teachers already had a one day in-school training in February on the next chapter of the MYP," Kambakhsh added. "They are working with the new MYP framework in their curriculum and unit planning."
The newly revised MYP will:
• move to a more explicitly concept-driven curriculum that encourages teaching and learning for understanding
• feature global contexts to provide authentic settings through which students engage with issues and ideas of personal, local and global significance
• build approaches to learning skills for communication, research, self-management, collaboration and critical thinking
• require a community project as a demonstration of learning for students completing the program before year 5
• offer optional eAssessments that can lead to the IB MYP certificate and IB MYP course results
• align more closely with the IB Primary Years Programme and IB Diploma Programme.
More changes coming in 2016
Along with the introduction of mandatory moderation of the personal project, the year 2016 will begin a change in the optional external assessment for the MYP. The new optional MYP "eAssessment" provides external evaluation for students in MYP year 5 (15–16 years old) that leads to the internationally recognized IB MYP certificate.
Beginning in 2016, a full complement of eAssessments will provide IB-validated grades for MYP subjects and will be the sole pathway to IB MYP course results and the IB MYP certificate. IB says the MYP eAssessment represents a balanced, appropriately challenging model that comprises examinations and coursework.
Two-hour onscreen examinations in four subject groups (language and literature, sciences, mathematics, individuals and societies) and interdisciplinary learning are externally marked by IB examiners, as is a portfolio of student work for courses in language acquisition. Students also submit an ePortfolio of coursework for a performance-oriented subject group (physical and health education, arts, and design), which is moderated to international standards.
According to IB, these innovative assessments will focus on conceptual understanding and the ability to apply knowledge in complex, unfamiliar situations as well as "offer a robust and reliable assessment of student achievement in the MYP."
The MYP proves itself
Numerous research studies provide evidence that students who participated in the MYP tend to distinguish themselves from their non-IB peers. Recent findings suggest that:
• Students who attended an MYP school were more likely to enroll in advanced-level science and mathematics courses in high school than their peers who attended a non-MYP school.
• Enrollment in the MYP appears to have a positive impact on international-mindedness.
• MYP students identify the rigor and challenge of MYP courses as one of its top benefits.
• MYP students are more likely to engage in student service learning projects in school and to participate in volunteer activities outside of school.
• The MYP positively affects school culture and classroom environments.
• The MYP is engaging and motivating for both students and teachers.
• There is evidence of improved performance in mathematics and science among MYP students.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.