Hunt Middle School is now among three middle schools in the state of Washington that have been authorized to teach an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). “All Hunt students will participate in the MYP, even those in special education programs,” said Hunt IB Coordinator Annette Hockman.
Principal Mary Chapman said, “One major benefit of the Middle Years Programme is that students have wonderful opportunities to look outside themselves. Students are required to complete community service projects, connecting their learning in the classroom with the real world right around Hunt. We are looking forward to expanding these opportunities during this coming year, matching this work with their classroom lessons.”
The Middle Years Programme is a program of international education designed to help students ages 11 to 16 develop the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and skills necessary to participate actively and responsibly in a changing world. Learning how to learn and how to evaluate information critically is as important as learning facts, according to the International Baccalaureate Web site at www.ibo.org.
Hunt began the process to become a MYP school in August 2005. “The advantages for students include allowing them to see a little past themselves,” Hockman pointed out.” The MYP gives them a chance to see how the subject areas circle around and work together and how they connect to the world outside of school.”
To prepare for being authorized as an IB MYP school, Hunt had to design and implement IB course descriptions and unit plans for each subject area and demonstrate knowledge of the areas of interaction and the IB learner profile. Staff members from each subject area attended trainings and IB workshops. They, in turn, returned to Hunt and trained the rest of their colleagues in their subject area.
Staff members also created interdisciplinary units, with some including French and art. Sixth graders studied global warming, while seventh graders did a unit on homelessness. Eighth graders did a unit on the past, present and future and how the past reflects in the present and how choices they make now will affect their futures.
Hockman said the curriculum is no different from that at other middle schools in the district. The difference is how that curriculum for one subject area is looked at in relationship to the others and the world as a whole. She explained, “As a drama instructor, I still administer the Washington classroom-based performance assessments (CBPAs), but now I also look at a reflective piece that asks students to speak about what they learned from the process, what they learned about themselves and how this relates to the outside world.”
“Rachel Waissman is Hunt’s community service administrator, and we are hoping to create a lot more community service opportunities for our students within school as well as suggesting possible experiences outside the school day,” Hockman said. “Some of the ideas we have discussed include collecting and sending books abroad to those areas with schools that cannot afford books; working with the local military to create gift boxes for our service men and women overseas; and creating a group of students who will make posters for clubs or organizations at Hunt. The list is endless for community service opportunities.”
Contact Hunt Middle School at 253.571. 2400 for more information on the IB Middle Years Programme.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
IB MYP curriculum
The MYP curriculum contains eight subject groups together with a core made up of five areas of interaction. The subjects include two languages, humanities, technology, mathematics, arts, science and physical education. The areas of interaction are:
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Approaches to learning: Teachers provide students with the tools to enable them to take responsibility for their own learning and develop an awareness of how they learn best, of thought processes and learning strategies.
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Community and service: Students are required to take an active part in the communities in which they live, thereby encouraging responsible citizenship.
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Human ingenuity: Students explore multiple ways the processes and products of human creativity, learning to appreciate and develop the human capacity to influence, transform, enjoy and improve the quality of life.
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Environments: This area aims to develop students’ awareness of their interdependencies with the environment so they understand and accept their responsibilities.
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Health and social education: This area deals with physical, social and emotional health and intelligence—keys aspects of development leading to complete and healthy lives.
How students are assessed
To assess students, teachers organize continuous assessment over the course of the programme, taking account of specified criteria that correspond to the objectives for each subject. The MYP offers a criterion-related model of assessment. This means that students’ results are determined by performance against set standards, not by each student’s position in the overall rank order.
Teachers are responsible for structuring varied and valid assessment tasks that allow students to demonstrate achievement according to required objectives within each subject group. These may include open-ended, problem-solving techniques and investigations, organized debates, hands-on experimentation, analysis and reflection. There is also an emphasis on self-assessment and peer-assessment within the programme.
Becoming an IB-authorized school
Only schools authorized by the IB as IB World Schools can offer the Middle Years Program. There are three phases to becoming and IB World School:
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Feasibility study and identification of resources: The school makes an in-depth analysis of the philosophy and curriculum, and identifies the resources needed to deliver it.
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Trial implementation period: The school puts in place all the processes and resources needed to deliver the MYP, including the training of teachers, and the school must implement the full programme for at least one year.
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School visit: At the end of the trial period, a delegation appointed by the IB visits the school and evaluates the school’s capacity to deliver the programme. If the outcome is positive, the school becomes authorized to offer the programme. The school’s delivery of the programme is evaluated four years after authorization and then every five years.
Teacher training
Teachers receive training before and after a school becomes authorized to teach the programme. Before a school is authorized, teachers can either attend an IB teaching-training workshop or participate in a school-based training organized by the IB. After authorization, teachers are encouraged to engage in an ongoing process of professional development by:
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Attending IB workshops and conferences
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Participating in online discussion and special events on the IB’s Web site for teachers
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Reviewing relevant support materials published by the IB online or in print
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Responding to appeals from the IB for teachers to participate in other curriculum-related activities, such as curriculum reviews and collecting samples of student work
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Applying to become a moderator to moderate internally assessed student work
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Applying to become an IB workshop leader