Changes to IB: 2023-24 and Beyond

 

Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, Century Middle School will no longer be offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) to students. 

Why would we make these changes? 

The MYP curriculum structure was put in place 24 years ago when Century first opened; and while the programme has served the school well over those years, the high financial cost of offering the MYP, combined with the immense challenges of complying with both the IB requirements and addressing state and district mandates, outweigh the overall benefits of the MYP.  After much thought, and input from teachers and district personnel, we believe the best way to support the academic growth of our students is to further utilize our district resources and curriculum rather than continue to invest valuable time and money in the continuation of the MYP. 

What would the impact be on your students? 

Students have, as part of the MYP,  been required to take eight different subjects each year. While students would still be required to take their four core classes (math, language arts, science, and social studies), they would now have more freedom in pursuing classes which pique their interest. This means students could take fewer subjects but for longer periods of time. The requirement to take a world language would also move to being an option for students.

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, the biggest changes would come in the form of a shift in the way grades are assigned. The MYP grading scales of 1-8, with a final mark of 1-7, would give way to the grading scales that the rest of the district uses.

By giving students and teachers more consistency with their peers across the entire school district, we are confident that students would continue to grow and learn and experience continued academic excellence.  We look forward to keeping Century moving forward by doing what is best for our students.