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Programme Overview » Programme Overview

Programme Overview

 

School Status

Maxwell Academy is an International Baccalaureate World School.  The school has a fully authorized Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP).  International Baccalaureate World school are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Maxwell Academy believes is important for our students.  The school's leadership, teachers, and students complete a multi-year training and implementation path to achieve recognition as one of an elite group of school programs worldwide that teach high-level academics to all students.

 

What is an IB education?

The IB continuum of international education for 3 to 19 year olds is unique because of its academic and personal rigour. We challenge students to excel in their studies and in their personal growth. We aim to inspire a quest for learning throughout life that is marked by enthusiasm and empathy.

 

The IB aspires to help schools develop well-rounded students with character who respond to challenges with optimism and an open mind, are confident in their own identities, make ethical decisions, join with others in celebrating our common humanity and are prepared to apply what they learn in real-world, complex and unpredictable situations. 

 

The IB offers high-quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision. Informed by the values described in the learner profile, an IB education:

  • focuses on learners - the IB’s student-centered programmes promote healthy relationships, ethical responsibility and personal challenge
  • develops effective approaches to teaching and learning – IB programmes help students to develop the attitudes and skills they need for both academic and personal success
  • works within global contexts - IB programmes increase understanding of languages and cultures, and explore globally significant ideas and issues
  • explores significant content - IB programmes offer a curriculum that is broad and balanced, conceptual and connected.
 

IB learners strive to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective. These attributes represent a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond intellectual development and academic success.

 

What is the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)?

The PYP is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme. 

 

An IB PYP school is committed to structured inquiry as the vehicle for learning. Six transdisciplinary themes provide the framework for exploration and construction of knowledge: Who We Are; Where We Are in Place and Time; How We Express Ourselves; How the World Works; How We Organize Ourselves; and Sharing the Planet. Teachers and students are guided by these transdisciplinary themes as they design units of inquiry for exploration and study. Students are encouraged to reflect on their learning, to make informed choices, and to take action that will help their peers, school staff, and the wider community using the Action Cycle. The action component emphasizes the need to connect the student with his or her own potential and responsibility for using what was learned.

 

What is the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)?  

The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders. It builds upon the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).  Currently, these two programmes are not offered in our district.

What are the advantages of an IB education?

 
  • IB World Schools (the only schools authorized to offer IB programmes) are subject to a strict accreditation process monitored by the IB, ensuring that schools provide a high-quality education. 
  • IB teaching methods and curriculum are research based and draw from the best educational practices from systems around the world. 
  • IB teachers are required to participate in many professional development opportunities to continually promote their awareness of current educational practices and new thinking. 
  • IB students develop a sense of the world around them and their responsibility to it. 
  • IB programmes are recognized internationally and ease the educational transitions of mobile students so that their education is not adversely affected if their families relocate. 

 

For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org or sign up for a tour today!