The MYP

The International Baccalaureate® Middle Years Programme (MYP) is designed for students in Years 6 to 10.

It is a programme of international education designed to help students develop the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and skills necessary to participate actively and responsibly in a changing world.

This period of development, encompassing early puberty and mid-adolescence, is a particularly critical phase of personal and intellectual development and requires a programme that helps students participate actively and responsibly in a changing and increasingly interrelated world. Learning how to learn and how to evaluate information critically is as important as learning facts.

The MYP at Scotch

The MYP cultivates a holistic approach to education in a modern world, equipping the student with the theoretical and practical skills to overcome the many hurdles of today's interdependent relationships.

The MYP at Scotch:

• has strong links to the WA Curriculum Framework curriculum and philosophy

• establishes integration across curriculum areas

• offers a balanced curriculum based on five areas of interaction

• aims to develop an understanding of the concept of internationalism

• establishes an internationally recognised standard as the basis for curriculum design and presentation

• serves as an excellent introduction to post compulsory study

• encourages the disposition and capacity to be lifelong learners

• encompasses problem-solving skills, practical skills and intellectual rigour

• instils the capacity and self-confidence to act individually and collaboratively

• creates an awareness of global issues and the willingness to act responsibly

• promotes respect for others and an appreciation of similarities and differences

The MYP Curriculum

This diagram below represents the programme model of the MYP. The five areas of interaction connect the development of the individual (at the centre) with the educational experience in all subject groups (at the outer points of the octagon).

The MYP curriculum offers students the opportunity to engage a nucleus of eight core disciplines Students study subjects from each of the eight subject groups through the five Areas of Interaction: approaches to learning, community and service, human ingenuity, environment, and health and social education.

These interactive areas are common to all disciplines with each subject developing general and specific aspects of the areas. In this way, the subject groups are also linked by the areas of interaction, demonstrating the interdisciplinary potential of the MYP. The five areas of interaction have no clear boundaries, but merge to form a context for learning that contributes to the student's experience of the curriculum.

Subject Areas

The eight subject groups of the MYP provide a broad, traditional foundation of knowledge, while the pedagogical devices used to transfer this knowledge aim to increase the students' awareness of the relationships between the subjects.

The eight subject groups are:

• Language A: Language of instruction (English)

• Language B: French/Indonesian

• Humanities History and Geography

• Sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics

• Mathematics

• Arts: Visual Arts and Performing Arts

• Physical Education

• Technology

Assessment and the MYP

Assessment in the MYP is criterion referenced, which means that teachers measure student attainment against specified criteria rather than against individuals in the class. At the end of the five years of the MYP, each student receives a final score and grade. This grade compares them to an international standard rather than the standard set by the particular class the student is placed in at Scotch College.

There are no external examinations in the MYP. The International Baccalaureate Organisation validates the standards of the school's assessment through a process of external moderation.

Focus on Achievement

Successful completion of the MYP programme, including the Personal Project, allows students to qualify for international certification, under the auspices of the International Baccalaureate Organisation. All students will receive an IBO Record of Achievement. In addition, if a student has satisfied certain requirements, they will receive an IBMYP certificate.

Further Information

Further information on the MYP can be found on the IBO Website, or by downloading the MYP Brochure(PDF). Alternatively you can contact Ben Beaton (MYP Coordinator) to clarify any queries you may have.

Scotch College acknowledges the International Baccalaureate Organisation for providing detailed information and publications to assist with the development of this web page.