Becoming an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program: Perspectives of Teachers, Students, and Administrators

Abstract

As an urban middle school begins to implement the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, this study explores the process of experiencing a curricular change from the perspective of the teachers and students themselves. Through the use of a mixed methods approach, key administrators, teachers, and students were interviewed in the first year of implementation. During the second year, teachers were surveyed as a means of tracking the change over time that teachers may have been experiencing. Themes emerged in the areas of instructional practice, professional experiences, and student experiences. Most interestingly and not expected was a theme related to whether IB was a "good fit" for the students in this particular school. Participants' ability to highlight the successes and challenges inherent in a change process is discussed in light of future planning.

Challenges impacting student learning in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

“…Some participants noted that the MYP was too challenging for lower ability students, which aligns with the findings of Storz and Hoffman (2018). While all schools believed that MYP assessments promoted higher achievement, staff from Schools 2 and 3 felt that lower ability students found the MYP too difficult.…”

“…In various studies from diverse school and national contexts, participants shared that the MYP helped students make cross-curricular connections between learning areas and real-life issues, as found in Australia (Perry et al, 2018), Spain (Valle et al, 2017), Sweden (Williams, 2013), Turkey (Ateşkan et al, 2016), the UK (Sizmur & Cunningham, 2012), and the United Arab Emirates (Stevenson et al, 2017). In the US, students felt that the MYP provided them with a better global understanding as they felt “everything is interconnected” (Storz & Hoffman, 2018: 235).…”

“…Another challenge relates to the MYP’s perceived suitability for lower performing students. In Storz and Hoffman’s (2018) study, teachers expressed concern that the MYP’s curriculum and pedagogy may be too challenging for low-performing students due to their lack of academic foundation or preparedness. However, Storz and Hoffman (2018) suggested that these teachers might have associated IB programmes with higher order thinking and rigor, which they in turn thought more suitable for advanced students.…”

Challenges of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme: Insights for school leaders and policy makers

“…Teachers in Storz and Hoffman's (2018) study felt that the support from their principal and IB Coordinator were crucial in successfully adopting the MYP, since their administrative team consistently encouraged, provided resources and gave guidance to their staff members. Despite many other district-related changes and initiatives occurring at the same time when this school was implementing the MYP, the principal's commitment to the changes occurring with taking on the MYP motivated and gave his staff confidence with taking on the MYP (Storz & Hoffman, 2018). However, it is also important to have a consistent and stable leadership team so that program implementation and changes occurring in the school is effective and successful (Williams, 2013).…”

An Exploratory Analysis of International Baccalaureate Diploma Program: 11th- and 12th-Grade High School Students’ Expectations

“…In addition, 60% of Latinos between the ages of 16 and 25 years state that they want to obtain a bachelor’s degree or more, which is equivalent to all youths, regardless of race or ethnicity (Lopez, 2009). Issues of potential inequities in the representation of lower socioeconomic status and minority students were also raised in a study by Storz and Hoffman (2018), who reported that some teachers believed IB would not benefit minority students. Smith’s (2008) work revealed that African American and Latino students who were admitted to highly selective colleges, such as the University of California system, tended to be of high socioeconomic status, which reveals that finances and underrepresentation of Latinos in higher education continue to be problematic.…”