Academics
International Baccalaureate

Middle Years Programme

Preparing students to be successful in school and to be active, lifelong learners
At Mercy, all students in grades 9 and 10 participate in the Middle Years Programme (MYP), which teaches tools for lifelong learning and helps students discover how to use what they learn to take principled action. The MYP’s focus on independent learning makes it the ideal preparation for the IB Diploma Programme (DP). 

In an MYP classroom, you’ll notice that the students are at the center of learning. They are drawing connections between all subject areas, learning is explicitly linked to the world around them, participation in a foreign language is required, and a variety of formal and informal assessments are used to inform teaching and learning.  

MYP learning experiences infuse global points of view wherever possible in order to promote an understanding of other cultures, an awareness of the human condition, and an understanding that there is a commonality in the human experience.  

The 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. 
MYP students are 34% more likely than non-MYP students to take at least one IB Diploma Programme or Advanced Placement (AP) exam in high school.

Middle Years Programme (MYP)

List of 5 items.

  • Key and related concepts are big ideas,

    which form the basis of teaching and learning in the MYP. They ensure breadth and depth in the curriculum and promote learning within and across traditional disciplines.

  • Global contexts

    provide shared starting points for inquiry into what it means to be internationally minded, framing a curriculum that promotes multilingualism, intercultural understanding, and global engagement.  

  • Approaches to teaching and learning,

    a unifying thread throughout all MYP subject groups, are skills that help students manage their own learning. They provide a foundation for success in further education and the world beyond the classroom. 

  • Service as action,

    an essential component of the MYP, sets clear learning outcomes that grow from students’ participation in local and global communities. MYP projects are informed by respected models of service learning and provide stepping stones toward the Diploma Programme’s core requirements for Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS). 

  • The personal project,

    completed in 10th grade, is a culminating experience in which students apply their approaches to learning skills to complete an extended, self-directed piece of work. This required component provides opportunities for creative and truly personal demonstrations of learning.

FAQs

List of 3 items.

  • Are IB Programmes considered “gifted” programs?

    The MYP is designed for all learners. All ninth and 10th graders at Mercy are MYP students. Students who complete the MYP are well-prepared to undertake the IB Diploma Programme.

  • Do IB teachers receive special training?

    All MYP teachers receive professional development in the IB’s approaches to teaching and approaches to learning from certified IB workshop leaders. This is a requirement for IB World Schools implementing the MYP. All teachers who teach in MYP classrooms are required to participate in collaborative planning and reflection to make their teaching practices consistent and to foster a holistic approach to education. A growing body of evidence suggests a positive relationship between teacher collaboration and student achievement.

  • Have studies been done on the impact of the MYP?

    The IB places great value on external validation of its programs, curriculums, and professional development. A recent study found that Middle Years Programme students in a U.S. public school district were more likely to achieve a proficient or advanced performance level on state mathematics and science assessments than their counterparts in five comparison schools. Additional studies on program impact, quality assurance, program development, and assessment research are available.

Mercy High School

1300 East Northern Parkway
Baltimore, Maryland, 21239

Phone: (410) 433-8880
Fax: (410) 323-8816
Mercy High School Baltimore is a sponsored ministry of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and is a member of Mercy Education.

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