Curriculum evening presentations
Diploma Programme Presentation
Middle Years Programme Curriculum
The curriculum is illustrated by an octagon with eight academic areas or subject groups surrounding the five areas of interaction. The personal project appears at the centre.
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.
Taken as a whole, the curriculum provides a balanced education that will equip young people for effective participation in the modern world.
Middle Years Programme 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 (either moderation or monitoring of assessment by IB examiners) are carried out on this internal assessment to ensure worldwide consistency of standards. For schools that require official IB certification for their students, moderation is carried out every year.
Continuous assessment
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.