Montgomery Village MS

International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme 

Information for Parents

MYP Progress Report 

MYP Personal Project -- What Parents Need to Know 

About the IB Middle Years Programme

The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and become critical and reflective thinkers. The IB MYP teaches tools for lifelong learning and fosters responsible attitudes that help students discover how to use what they learn to take principled action. At Montgomery Village Middle School, the IB MYP includes:

  •       rigorous learning objectives

  •       a student-centered approach to teaching

  •       international perspectives

  •       concern for the whole child sustained teaching and learning in more than one language

  •       a focus on learning how to learn

  •       the development of flexible thinking that prepares students to evaluate information critically and apply knowledge in complex, unfamiliar situations.

Instruction for all of our students emphasizes international mindedness and critical thinking as the overall goal of the MYP is to develop students who will be lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and responsible global citizens. The global contexts, the learner profile, the balance of eight subjects, and the personal project are at the core of the Middle Years Programme.     

  MYP at Montgomery Village Middle School

The MYP  provides a coherent and comprehensive curriculum that merges a framework of academic challenges and life skills with the Montgomery County Public Schools curriculum.  The program is intended to promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing the importance of a broad and balanced education.  Teachers focus on the inclusion of skills and processes built around a framework of concepts; the aim is to teach not only content knowledge but to also help students develop a genuine understanding of the underlying principles in each discipline and apply these in a new context in preparation for further learning. The curriculum is taught through the following eight subjects: 

 Teaching and learning in the MYP is underpinned by the following core components:

 Approaches to learning (ATL), helping students learn how to learn by developing skills for research, critical and creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and self‐management 

 Key and related concepts, helping students explore big ideas that matter

 Global contexts, helping students understand the relevance and importance of their study for understanding their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet

 Personal Project, helping students in grade 10 construct in‐depth knowledge on a topic of their choice (10th grade)

 Service as Action through Community Service, helping students develop as caring members of our community   

 These core components are integrated in all eight subjects of the program.