The IB Middle Years Programme, 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.
Life in the 21st century places many changing demands on students making the transition through adolescence. They are at a crucial period of personal, social, physical and intellectual development, of uncertainty and of questioning. The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Middle Years Programme is designed to help them find a sense of belonging in the ever-changing and increasingly interrelated world around them and to foster a positive attitude to learning.
Laurier Macdonald High School has been an official authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for almost 20 years (since 2002). Our school undergoes program evaluations every 5 years by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
What does an IB education mean for you or your adolescent? Learn more by downloading the digital brochure.
The MYP Curriculum aims to develop the student’s personal understanding and their sense of self and responsibility in their community. The program consists of 8 subject groups. The students are required to study their mother tongue (Language and literature), a second language (language and acquisition), individuals and societies (History and Geography), sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education and design (media). In the final year of the program, students also engaged in a personal project, which allows them to demonstrate the understandings and skills they have developed throughout the program.
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.
Learn more about the IB-Middle Years Programme by downloading the IB-MYP digital brochure:
Laurier Macdonald International Baccalaureate (IB) students in the Enriched Stream get a 2% increase on their R score when applying to SRAM CEGEPs and Marianopolis College.
There is a mandatory Service as Action component in all International Baccalaureate (IB) Schools. At Laurier Macdonald, we are:
- community activists, involved in programs such as the Nesbitt Literacy Project and providing hosts and hostesses for the annual EMSB Career Fair;
- environmental activists, involved in the Enuf program with Concordia University, and we work towards reducing our ecological footprint;
- international activists involved in communities such as Costa Rica in the reconstruction and development of schools.
Any school wishing to offer the Middle Years Programme and attain IB World School status must first go through the authorization process. The requirements for authorization are the same for all schools, even though the process is administered slightly differently in each IB region. The process is designed to ensure schools are well prepared to implement the programme successfully.
This is a challenging programme that demands the best from both motivated students and teachers. Schools can access an extensive package of IB professional development for teachers and administrators and commit to ongoing professional development. Teams from the organization visit IB World Schools from time to time in order to support an ongoing process of review and development, using standards and practices that apply to all IB World Schools.
*Text, video and images courtesy ibo.org
