International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

Candidate Schools

Leonard 6^th Grade Center – 6^th

Leonard Middle School – 7^th, 8^th

Western Hills High School - 9^th, 10^th

Leonard 6^th, Leonard Middle and Western Hills High School have been named candidate schools for the Middle Years Programme International Baccalaureate certification. The three schools are undergoing a rigorous application process to be designated as an IB World School. The Diploma Programme for grades 11 and 12 at Western Hills High School is also underway. The IB Mission Statement states: The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the IB works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

The MYP aims to develop in students:

the disposition and capacity to be lifelong learners

the capacity to adapt to a rapidly changing reality

problem-solving and practical skills and intellectual rigour

the capacity and self-confidence to act individually and collaboratively

an awareness of global issues and the willingness to act responsibly

the ability to engage in effective communication across frontiers

respect for others and an appreciation of similarities and differences

Fundamental Concepts
Adolescents are confronted with a vast and often bewildering array of choices. The MYP is designed to provide students with the values and opportunites that will enable them to develop sound judgment. Learning how to learn and how to evaluate information critically is as important as the content of the disciplines themselves.

From its beginning, the MYP has been guided by three fundamental concepts that underpin its development, both internationally and in individual schools:

holistic learning

intercultural awareness

communication.

These concepts form the basis for the MYP's curriculum framework, which is shared by different types of schools in all parts of the world. The fundamental concepts of the MYP should be the guiding principles in designing the curriculum and school activies.

Holistic Learning
Holistic learning emphasizes the links between the disciplines, providing a global view of situations and issues. Students should become more aware of the relevance of their learning, and come to see knowledge as an interrelated whole. Students should see the cohesion and the complementarity of various fields of study, but this must not be done to the detriment of learning within each of the disciplines, which retain their own objectives and methodology.

Intercultural Awareness
Intercultural awareness is concerned with developing students' attitudes, knowledge and skills as they learn about their own and others' social and national cultures. By encouraging students to consider multiple perspectives, intercultural awareness not only fosters tolerance and respect, but may also lead to empathy.

Communication
Communication is fundamental to learning, as it supports inquiry and understanding, and allows student reflection and expression. The MYP places particular emphasis on language acquisition and allows students to explore multiple forms of expression.

International Baccalaureate Organization, 2002.

The Learner Profile

IB programmes promote the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth through all domains of knowledge. By focusing on the dynamic combination of knowledge, skills, independent critical and creative thought and international-mindedness, the IBO espouses the principle of educating the whole person for a life of active, responsible citizenship. Underlying the three programmes is the concept of education of the whole. 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. The IB students strive to be thinkers, caring, risk-takers, communicators, principled, open-minded, knowledgeable, balanced and reflective.

For more information:

www.ibo.org

www.TexasIBSchools.org

For more information about the programme, contact:

Karen Van Eaton, IB Coordinator

Leonard 6^th Grade Center    817.570.4060

Leonard Middle School         817.815.6200

Stephanie Stuart, IB Coordinator

Western Hills High School   817.815.6000