Middle Years Course Overviews 2011-2012
These course outlines will change during the year as units in various subjects are created and added to the online version.

Language A English Level 1, Grade 6 Level 2, Grade 7 Level 3, Grade 8 Level 4, Grade 9 Level 5, Grade 10	Language A Spanish Nivel 1, grados 6-10 Nivel 2, grados 7-10
Language B Spanish Level 1, Grades 6-10 Level 2, Grades 7-10 Level 3, Grades 8-10
Humanities Ancient Civilizations, Grade 6 Medieval to Modern, Grade 7 US History, Grade 8 World History 1, Grade 9 World History 2, Grade 10	Science Earth Science, Grade 6 Life Science, Grade 7 Physical Science, Grade 8 Biology, Grade 9 Chemistry, Grade 10
Math Mathematics, Grade 6 Pre-Algebra, Grade 7 Algebra 1, Grade 8 Geometry, Grade 9 Algebra 2, Grade 10	The Arts Speech, Grade 6 Music/Choir, Grade 7 Music/Band, Grade 7 Visual Arts, Grade 8 Visual Arts, Grades 9-10 Music/Guitar, Grades 9-10 Music/Band, Grades 9-10
Physical Education Level 1, Grade 6 Level 2, Grade 7 Level 3, Grade 8 Level 4, Grade 9 Level 5, Grade 10	Technology Level 1, Grade 6 Level 2, Grade 7 Level 3, Grade 8 Level 4, Grade 9 Level 5, Grade 10

Diploma Program (DP) Course Descriptions

English A1 HL English HL1 English HL2	Spanish B HL Spanish HL1 Spanish HL2
History History HL1 History Route 2 HL2	Science Biology HL1 Biology HL2
Math Pre-Calculus Math Studies SL	6th Subject Visual Arts SL/HL

IB is a guided, student-centered, inquiry-based approach to learning that creates critically-thinking, problem-solving young people who are firmly grounded in a rigorous liberal arts education and are ready to be active, creative global citizens.

The highly acclaimed International Baccalaureate program, serving 738,000 students at 2704 schools in 138 countries, is recognized worldwide as the standard of excellence in pre-collegiate education.  We are, therefore, pursuing authorization as an IB World School for the Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma Programs.  For more information about IB, click on the button at the left.  See information below regarding authorization.

Central to all three IB programs, for both students and staff, is the Learner Profile.

The IB Middle Years Program  is designed for students ages 11 to 16 and addresses the needs of students as they approach new and critical development stages in their lives.  The fundamental concepts of IB MYP are holistic learning, communication, and intercultural awareness.  Eight academic subjects (Language A (English), Language B (Spanish), Science, Humanities, Mathematics, Technology, Physical Education and Visual/Performing Arts) are undertaken for study concurrently, which allows consideration of the academic disciplines at the same time in order to emphasize the interrelatedness of all knowledge and to facilitate comparisons and contrasts regarding the nature of  all subject knowledge.

The MYP employs an interdisciplinary approach, which interweaves the study of eight academic subjects around five Areas of Interaction: Approaches to Learning, Human Ingenuity, Community and Service, Environment, and Health & Social Education.  These areas serve as the focus for developing connections within and across the subject area disciplines to enable students to perceive knowledge as interrelated, interdependent, relevant and coherent.

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 program 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

For a more detailed description of the MYP program, please go to the Secondary School Charter, pages 30-36.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program was originally designed for the children of diplomats and military personnel to provide a widely recognized university-level qualification for college admissions.  Since its inception, the DP has grown to encompass 1996 schools in 134 countries worldwide.  The Diploma Program is a challenging two-year curriculum, primarily aimed at students aged 16 to 19, which leads to the IB Diploma or Certificates, which are widely recognized as the world standard of preparation by the United States' and the world’s leading universities.  Students who earn these qualifications are frequently rewarded significant academic credit or advanced standing upon admission.

The curriculum contains six subject groups together with a core composed of three key elements. 

Academically, students study at least six subjects selected from the subject groups. Normally three subjects are studied at higher level (courses representing at least 240 teaching hours), and the remaining three subjects are studied at standard level (courses representing at least 150 teaching hours).  The three parts of the core—Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and Creativity, Action, Service—are compulsory for completion of the IB Diploma and are central to the philosophy of the Diploma Program.