International Baccalaureate Introduction

  • The International Baccalaureate Organization Mission Statement:

    The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end, the organization works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. 

  • West Millbrook's Mission Statement:

    West Millbrook Magnet Middle School will provide an internationally relevant and engaging education that graduates students who contribute positively to the local and global communities through collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.

  • Wake County Public Schools Mission Statement:

    Wake County Public School System will provide a relevant and engaging education and will graduate students who are collaborative, creative, effective communicators and critical thinkers.

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    What is the Middle Years Programme?

    The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is one programme under the umbrella of IB Programmes. The Primary Years Programme serves grades k-5, the Middle Years Programme is for grades 6-10, and the Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme are for grades 11-12.  While all four programmes work to achieve the IB mission statement, each programme has individual structures to meet the unique needs of the students it supports.


    The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders.

     

    Programme Fundamentals

        Holistic learning – addresses  students’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being

        Language and Identity - requires the study of at least two languages (English and additional language of choice) to support students in understanding their own cultures and those of others

        Service as Action - empowers students to take action when they apply what they are learning in the classroom and beyond. Participation in service within the community allows for making a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

     

    Instruction and Curriculum

        Teaching and learning in context - Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and the world that they have experienced. Using global contexts, MYP students explore human identity, global challenges and what it means to be internationally minded.

        Conceptual understanding - Concepts are big ideas that have relevance within specific disciplines and across subject areas. MYP students use concepts as a vehicle to inquire into issues and ideas of personal, local and global significance and examine knowledge holistically.

        Approaches to learning (ATL) - A unifying thread throughout all MYP subject groups, approaches to learning provide the foundation for independent learning and encourage the application of their knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Developing and applying these skills help students learn how to learn.

        MYP Projects - Each student develops a community project that explores their rights and responsibility to implement service as action in the community.