The mission of the Academy of International Studies magnet school, a dynamic partnership of
educators, students, and parents, is to provide a forum for global and
international studies so that students develop a caring, inquiring, and
open-minded perspective and become empowered as agents of change
creating a better and more peaceful world.
International was authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School
Middle Years Programme (IB-MYP) with seven commendations in 2012. International believes that by combining its rich, award-winning global and
international curriculum with the rigor of international standards, it
can provide all our students with a world-class education.
International is now an IB World School offering a Middle Years Programe in
grades 6-10 and the IB
Diploma Programme (IB-DP) for grades 11 and 12. International continues to send
faculty and staff to IB-recognized training so that it remains current
with all IB requirements. MLC also continues the ongoing work of
updating, strengthening and revising the curriculum and assessments, as
required by the International Baccalaureate Organization to ensure that
our students receive an education that is world class and cutting edge.
The IB-MYP What is the IB Middle Years Programme?
(from http://www.ibo.org/myp)
The IB Middle Years Programme, for students aged 11 to 16, provides a
framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and
understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real
world, and become critical and reflective thinkers.
The Curriculum
The programme consists of eight subject groups integrated through
five areas of interaction that provide a framework for learning within
and across the subjects. Students are required to study their mother
tongue, a second language, humanities, sciences, mathematics, arts,
physical education and technology. In the final year of the programme,
students also engage in a personal project, which allows them to
demonstrate the understandings and skills they have developed throughout
the programme. The emphasis is on the fluidity of the curricular
framework and the interrelatedness of the subjects. Aspects of the areas
of interaction are addressed naturally through the distinct
disciplines. In particular, the framework is flexible enough to allow a
school to include other subjects not determined by the IB but which may
be required by state or national authorities.
The overall philosophy of the programme is expressed through three
fundamental concepts that support and strengthen all areas of the
curriculum. These concepts are based on:
- intercultural awareness
- holistic learning
- communication.
Assessment
Assessment is criterion-related, so students around the world are
measured against pre-specified criteria for each subject group. Teachers
may modify these criteria to be age-appropriate in the earlier years of
the programme. Teachers set assessment tasks that are assessed
internally in the school. External checks are carried out on this
internal assessment to ensure worldwide consistency of standards.
Teachers organize continuous assessment over the course of the
programme according to specified assessment criteria that correspond to
the objectives of each subject group. Regular school assessment and
reporting play a major role:
- in the students' and parents' understanding of the objectives and assessment criteria
- in the students' preparation for final assessment
- in the development of the curriculum according to the principles of the programme.
Teachers are responsible for structuring varied and valid
assessment tasks (including tests and examinations) that will allow
students to demonstrate achievement according to the objectives for each
subject group. These include:
- open-ended, problem-solving activities
- investigations
- organized debates
- hands-on experimentation
- analysis and reflection.
In keeping with the ethos of approaches to learning, schools
also make use of quantitative and qualitative assessment strategies and
tools that provide opportunities for peer- and self-assessment. The
recording and reporting of individual levels of achievement are
organized in ways that provide students with detailed feedback on their
progress as it relates to the assessment criteria for each subject
group.
The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded
people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of
the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.