Middle Years Programme

Middle Years Programme

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme is a course of study designed to meet the educational requirements of students aged between 11 and 16 years. Curriculum developers of the Middle Years Programme have shared a common goal to prepare young people for the changing demands of life in the twenty-first century. All students at ISN in MYP 1 to MYP 5 are enrolled into this programme.

MYP students are at an age when they are trying to make the transition from early puberty to mid-adolescence: this is a crucial period of personal, social, physical and intellectual development, a time of uncertainty and of questioning.

The MYP has been devised to guide students in their search for a sense of belonging in the world around them. It also aims to help students develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need to participate actively and responsibly, in a changing and increasingly interrelated world. This means teaching them to become independent learners who can recognize relationships between school subjects and the world outside. It encourages them to learn to combine relevant knowledge, experience and critical thinking to solve authentic problems.

The IB MYP is guided by the fundamental concepts:

Communication: Develop one’s capacity to effectively and creatively communicate in the school’s language of instruction (English A) as well as acquire an additional language.

Intercultural Awareness: Empathy for others is nurtured through learning experiences that encourage the consideration of issues from a variety of perspectives, as well as treasuring one’s own cultural background. The qualities of international-mindedness are also nurtured through the qualities of the IB Learner Profile.

Holistic Learning: The programme aims to develop each individual’s intellectual, emotional, social, creative/intuitive, aesthetic and spiritual potential. It also refers to making authentic connections between the disciplines to come to new and creative understanding.

The IB MYP emphasises the process of learning how to learn while upholding the academic integrity of each discipline. It recognises that students lead lives which need to be effectively balanced with regards emotional, physical and academic pursuits.

MYP Curriculum Framework

The eight subject groups provide a broad traditional foundation of knowledge, while the pedagogical devices used to transmit this knowledge aim to increase students’ awareness of the relationships between subjects. Students are encouraged to question and evaluate information critically, to seek and explore the links between subjects, and to develop an awareness of their own place in the world.

Subject Groups

    • Language and Literature
    • Individuals and Society (Integrated Humanities)
    • Sciences (Integrated Sciences)
    • Mathematics
    • Design (Digital and Product)
    • Physical and Health Education
    • Arts (Music and Visual Arts)
  • Languages Acquisition (French)

Global Context 

Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and their experience of the world that they have experienced. 

Using global contexts, MYP students develop an understanding of their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet through developmentally appropriate explorations of:

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

Approaches to Learning (ATL)

These are key skills which are a feature of the whole IB continuum and which are essential for students to be successful learners.

  • Thinking Skills,
  • Communication Skills,
  • Social Skills,
  • Self-management Skills and
  • Research Skills.

Middle school art project ISN

 Assessment & Feedback

Assessment of learning is carried out using a variety of strategies. Throughout the course of a unit of work, students can expect to complete:

    • Traditional pen & paper tests
    • Give presentations (in group or individually)
    • Submit essays (written in class or at home)
    • Complete research projects
    • Complete fieldwork and give presentations
    • Participate in musical performances
    • Participate in debates
    • Create visual displays
    • Participate in artistic exhibitions
    • Record podcasts
  • Create short films

For end-of-unit assessments students can expect to be provided with detailed feedback. Parents will expect written feedback in the form of an interim report in Term 1 and end-of-semester report each semester. We also provide two parent/teacher interview opportunities each year for parents and students to meet with teachers.

Service as Action

All MYP students are expected to meet the school’s Service as Action requirements. It is also an IB expectation that students meet these expectations in order to be eligible for the IB MYP Certificate in MYP 5.

Community and Service at ISN

 Personal Project

The Personal Project is an independent research project undertaken by all MYP 5 students at ISN. Students’ personal interests drive the choice of project and they are expected to record their learning in a process journal, as well as write a detailed report on the learning journey. The process of completing the personal project is led by the student, with supervision by a teacher. The student is required to demonstrate the appropriate commitment, as well as the ability and initiative to work independently.

The marking of the personal project is completed at school by the student’s supervisor, before it is internally standardised by a larger group of supervisors.

Students who have completed the Personal Project learn much about themselves as learners and this understanding helps build a sound foundation for study in the Diploma Programme.

Middle year students at ISN

External Assessment 

In MYP 5 we provide students with the opportunity to register for optional external assessment (eAssessment). It offers students the chance to earn a formal, internationally recognised certificate if they meet the success criteria. Once a school registers for eAssessment in the MYP, students participate in the following types of assessment:

    • ePortfolios of coursework for Design,Arts and Language Acquisition including a compulsory ePortfolio for the personal project. Students take part in the Physical and Health Education eportfolio however it is only to meet the school requirement.
  • On-screen examinations for Sciences, Mathematics, Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies and Interdisciplinary Unit. Each examination has a duration of two hours.

MYP Certificate Requirements

The MYP Certificate is awarded to MYP 5 students who have opted for eAssessments and have met the following minimum requirements:

    • Achieved at least a grade of ‘3 or above’ (maximum of ‘7’) in every IB MYP Subject
    • Achieved at least a grade of ‘3 or above’ (maximum of ‘7’) in the IB MYP Personal Project
    • Achieved a minimum aggregate total of 28 marks 
  • Met the school’s Service requirements

The IB through the external moderation processes validates a student’s final IB MYP grades. These grades become available in February the year after students have completed the MYP.