Ms. Judy Gulledge, Academy for Discovery at Lakewood IB MYP Coordinator 

jgulledge@nps.k12.va.us | 757-628-2477 ex. 8

Click Here:  IB MYP Coordinator Job Description  

Check out our new Blog which covers the IB MYP further:  ADLMYP.edublogs.org

WELCOME

Please use this page as a full overview of Academy for Discovery at Lakewood’s (ADL) International Baccalaureate Middle Years (IB MYP) Program.  ADL was fully authorized as an IB World School - Middle Years Programme, in May 2017.

ADL worked for the last three years to build an MYP program that addresses and implements the requirements of IB.  All of our middle school teachers have received extensive professional development in IB, including spending countless hours on developing unit plans and assessments.  In addition,  an IB consultant worked with our faculty and staff, reviewing our IB polices and action plan.   Our IB consultant gave us clearance to apply for the full authorization.  After the application was reviewed, an IB verification team visted the school and reviewed evidence meeting IB’s program and practices.  Classroom observations, interviews and documentation were used as evidence and the team made the final recommendation for the full authorization.  

You can find out more on the IB MYP by visiting this web site: 

http://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/

Key findings from research on the IB MYP: http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/publications/ib-research/mypkeyfindingssheetweb-3.pdf

10 Reasons Why IB MYP: http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/digital-tookit/posters/myp-10-reasons-poster-en.pdf

IB CURRICULUM

The MYP is a challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world.  ADL’s MYP is a three-year programme which helps to prepare students for success in any high school educational setting. 

The MYP curriculum framework comprises eight subject groups, providing a broad and balanced education for early adolescents.  The MYP requires at least 50 hours of teaching time for each subject group, in each year of the programme.  ADL offers courses in these eight subject groups:

Arts (Visual and Performing), Design (Technology), Individuals and Societies (Social Studies), Language Acquisition (Foreign Languages), Language and Literature (English),  Mathematics, Physical and Health Education, and Sciences.

Developing students in the MYP

The MYP aims to develop students who are:

• Active learners
• Internationally minded
• Able to empathize with others
• Have the intellect and skills to pursue lives of purpose and meaning.

The MYP is designed to help students develop the characteristics of the IB learner profile. It offers students opportunities to:

• develop their potential
• explore their own learning preferences
• take appropriate risks
• reflect on, and develop, a strong sense of personal identity.

At a time when students are establishing their identity and building their self-esteem, the MYP can motivate students and help them to achieve success in school and in life beyond the classroom.

MYP Subject Briefs (Select Links Below)

ARTS

DESIGN

INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

MATHEMATICS

PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

SCIENCES

APPROACHES TO LEARNING

Through Approaches to Learning (ATL) in IB programs, students develop skills that have relevance across the curriculum that help them “learn how to learn”.  ATL skills can be learned and taught, improved with practice and developed incrementally.  They provide a solid foundation for learning independently and with others.  They provide a common language that students and teachers can use to reflect on, and articulate on, the process of learning.  ADL’s focus on Approach to Learning skills helps to develop students who are able to:

• Exchange thoughts and information with others effectively
• Read critically and write well for different purposes
• Work effectively with others
• Manage time and tasks effectively
• Persevere, self-motivate, focus, and overcome distractions
• Bounce back after adversity, mistakes and failures
• Reflect and self-assess
• Find, interpret, judge and create information
• Interact with media to use and create ideas and information
• Think critically
• Analyze and evaluate issues and ideas
• Consider ideas from multiple perspectives

The focus of ATL in the MYP is on helping students to develop the self-knowledge and skills they need to enjoy a lifetime of learning.  ATL skills empower students to succeed in meeting the challenging objectives of MYP subject groups and prepare them for further success in rigorous academic programs.

POLICIES

In order to be a fully authorized IB school, ADL developed four policies in the following areas:

Academic Integrity, Assessment, Language and Inclusion.  These policies were reviewed by stakeholder committees and help adjust or enhance the IB program for students.  The policies are available via by selecting the links below:

ADL IB MYP Academic Integrity  Policy

ADL IB MYP Assessment Policy

ADL IB MYP Language Policy

ADL IB Inclusion Policy

ASSESSMENT

An Assessment Policy is one of the requirements for authorization.  ADL’s plans for assessment, both formative and summative, focus on documenting student progress and providing feedback to learners and parents which clearly describes how progress can be improved even before a grade is final.  Four criterion-related rubrics for each MYP subject group will be used.  Synergy categories will be different. Grading is a sum of each of the 4 criterion areas.  The highest consistent scores a student achieves over time in each of the four summative categories will be combined for a final score which is translated into a letter grade.  Formative assessments will be scored and reported too, to inform students and parents, but as practice are not part of a final grade.

SERVICE LEARNING

The Grade 8 Community Project is a major activity for students to complete during their 8th grade year at Academy for Discovery at Lakewood.  The community project focuses on action and service and gives students an opportunity to develop an awareness of needs in various communities and address those needs through service learning.  The community project engages students in a sustained, in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community.  Participating students should plan to spend a minimum of 15 hours completing this service learning.  The community project can be completed in groups of three students or less.  Students in 8th grade (2018-2019) will be the first class to be required to complete the Community Project.

IB LEARNER PROFILE

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.  As IB learners students strive to be:  Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced and Reflective.

You can find additional information about the IB Learner Profile here: http://ibo.org/globalassets/digital-tookit/flyers-and-artworks/learner-profile-en.pdf