6 Patrice Lumumba Road, Airport Residential Area, Accra, Ghana
MYP
The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is designed for students between the ages of 11 to 16. At AIS, MYP 1 starts at grade 6 and ends at grade 10 (MYP 1 – MYP 5). The program prepares students well to be able to undertake the IB Diploma. It aims at ensuring that students are not just knowledgeable, but that they are also inquirers, principled, balanced, caring, risk-takers (courageous), reflective, communicators, thinkers, and open-minded.
The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. MYP at AIS fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding, and global engagement – essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders. Students study 8 subject groups which include: English Language and Literature Mathematics Individuals and Societies Language Acquisition (French or Spanish) Design Expressive Arts (Drama, Music & Visual Arts) Physical and Health Education (PHE) and the Sciences (Biology, Chemistry & Physics).
In MYP 1 to 3, students are allowed to take courses in all eight subject groups to give them an opportunity to engage with all of the subjects in order to identify their areas of strength and interest. In years 4 and 5, students can choose 8 courses from the eight subject groups within certain limits, to allow for individual student learning needs and meet their career path needs. Each year, students in the MYP also engage in at least one collaboratively planned interdisciplinary unit that involves at least two subject groups.
The Personal Project
All schools that end at MYP 5 must undertake the Personal Project (PP). The PP is student-led and teacher-supported. PP proposals are written and submitted towards the end of MYP 4. Students are assigned a supervisor who will guide them through the year-long project. Students choose a goal and decide how to achieve it.
They plan, execute and write a report which includes a reflection on how they further developed and utilized the Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills in the process. They also reflect on how completing the Personal Project has advanced their knowledge in certain areas.
MYP Assessments
There are three ways in which MYP students are assessed; a Pre-Assessment, a formative assessment, and a summative assessment. (1) Pre-Assessment: The pre-assessment takes place at the beginning of a unit where teachers find out what the students already know about the unit and content. This helps the teachers pitch their teaching and learning activities.
(2) Formative Assessments: The formative assessment is also referred to as Assessment FOR learning. Teachers use formative assessments to gauge how learning is taking place.
Formative assessments also give students feedback on their progress.
Teachers use Formative assessments to plan further activities in the unit and give students feedback on areas they need to work on.
(2.1) MYP eAssessment: AIS is registered for the MYP eAssessment, an online external assessment. Students in MYP5 who successfully complete the personal project and online interdisciplinary examination, receive an internationally-recognised IB MYP Certificate. You can read more about the eAssessment here
(3) Summative Assessments: The Summative Assessment is also referred to as the Assessment of learning. This is where the student needs to now show their understanding of what has been taught. The summative assessment comes at the end of the unit.
Service as Action
The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is designed for students between the ages of 11 to 16. At AIS, MYP 1 starts at grade 6 and ends at grade 10 (MYP 1 – MYP 5). The program prepares students well to be able to undertake the IB Diploma. It aims at ensuring that students are not just knowledgeable, but that they are also inquirers, principled, balanced, caring, risk-takers (courageous), reflective, communicators, thinkers, and open-minded.
