IB Middle Years Program

Dwight offers the Middle Years Program (MYP) of the International Baccalaureate for students in grades 6–10.

The Middle Years Program provides a framework of academic rigor that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world. Learning encourages students to become creative, critical, and reflective thinkers through the use of the IB Learner Profile attributes.

The MYP is designed to:

Teach a broad base of disciplines
Teach not only the subject content but also how to apply the content in different contexts
Promote learning in multiple subjects concurrently and identifying linkages through concepts
Encourage the use of a variety of teaching methodologies
Emphasize development of the whole student, including the affective, cognitive, creative and physical
Empower students to participate in service

The MYP curriculum requires mastery of eight subjects: Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, Physical and Health Education, Design, and Arts. The engine driving the MYP through every class moves on the belief that there are different approaches to learning. All students can be taught to be independent problem-solvers with strong study skills.

MYP teachers use internationally published IB assessment criteria as a benchmark for their grading. They provide a variety of assessment tasks, such as open-ended activities, investigations, organized debates, hands-on experimentations, and reflections, allowing students to demonstrate their achievement according to the determined criteria. In addition, the MYP provides experiential learning through service, whereby students take planned action and reflect on their personal growth.

The MYP culminates with the submission of a Personal Project in grade 10, an independent, eight-month long assignment that showcases the skills that our students have developed throughout the five years of their MYP studies. The project is a rich opportunity for students to create an extended piece of work that challenges their own creativity and thinking about personal issues and to share their experiences throughout the process with the school community at an exhibition. Graded against a rigorous set of IB criteria, the Personal Project is not only an integral part of the MYP, but also a continuation requirement for students moving toward the IB Diploma Program.