Parking+Lot


 * Parking Lot questions and answers:**

In order to receive IB authorization to offer the Middle Years Programme, middle schools are expected to form partnerships with junior high schools and/or secondary schools in order to provide the full five years of the programme. Where local educational structures do not allow the four- or five-year MYP to be offered on a single site, schools may be authorized to teach the programme over a shorter period provided the following conditions are met: • the programme is at least three (3) years in length if it is offered in isolation from the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and/or Diploma Programme (DP) • where the school wishes to offer the MYP as a continuation of the PYP, or immediately prior to the DP, the programme is taught over at least two (2) consecutive years.
 * Ours is a middle school with only three grade levels and so does not span the full five years of the programme. Can we still offer the Middle Years Programme?**

**Do all students in a school have to follow the Middle Years** The IB believes that all students can find tremendous growth and value in the Middle Years Programme. The programme has been designed to be fully inclusive so that all students are able to participate in it. Having said that, the IB recognizes varying local needs and therefore permits schools the flexibility to determine which students it will enroll in the programme.
 * Programme?**

**Do Middle Years Programme students have to take IB examinations?** No. There are no IB examinations in the Middle Years Programme. Classroom teachers design their own examinations, using a common set of IB-designed assessment criteria to mark the examinations. The process of external moderation is available to schools to standardize teachers’ marks in order to ensure that the assessment criteria are applied equally to the work of MYP students. Schools that choose to participate in external moderation submit samples of student work that are reviewed by a team of specially trained MYP teachers from around the world

**Do Middle Years Programme students receive any acknowledgement for their work?** Students who complete the five-year Middle Years Programme may receive an IB certificate of achievement. While the certificate is not considered a diploma or a school-leaving certificate, it is evidence of a student’s good preparation for further studies, such as the IB Diploma or other rigorous programmes. It represents significant achievement and takes into account academic as well as non-academic aspects, such as community service and the creation of a personal project.

**How does a school become a Middle Years Programme school and how long does it take?** Schools wishing to offer the Middle Years Programme (MYP) to its students must be officially authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB). Authorization is granted to schools that successfully complete the application process, wherein schools present detailed plans and evidence that they are prepared to offer the MYP and have spent at least one full year implementing the programme on a trial basis.

**Is there any special training that our teachers need to participate in or special assistance to prepare them to teach the Middle Years Programme?** Yes. The unique nature of the Middle Years Programme means that teachers are expected to participate in professional development workshops offered by the IB. You can request workshop information and registration materials from IB North America.

**How much does the Middle Years Programme cost?** Middle Years Programme schools pay an annual subscription fee to the IB each September. Additional fees are dependent on the level of involvement of the individual school. For example, schools that have its students’ work moderated by the IB must pay a one-time moderation fee for each student. Another important cost consideration in sustaining a healthy Middle Years Programme is the need to providing ongoing professional development for IB teachers.

Schools starting a Middle Years Programme must budget for a variety of expenses including: the acquisition of resources needed at the school to support the MYP, staff training for IB professional development, time for faculty to write IB course curricula, the number of students to be enrolled in the programme, promotional activities publicizing to families and colleagues disseminating information about the programme and the school’s intent to offer the programme, and the application fee itself.

Are there schools offering the Middle Years Programme that we can visit? Yes, there are numerous schools throughout the North American and Caribbean region that are authorized to offer the Middle Years Programme (259 approved MYP's worldwide). With sufficient advance notice, they are generally happy to host representatives from interested schools. Interested schools are encouraged to contact IB North America for guidance in selecting a school to visit.


 * Qualifications for Honor Ambassadors**: Need to revisit what, how who of HAs before next report cards are distributed. Please add comments as to what selection criteria should be.


 * Who are the Teams?** Unknown at this time.


 * What teams are there?** Unknown at this time. All sixth grade teams will be magnet teachers and must have been through IB training, but who they are and how many are as of yet unknown.


 * Organizational Chart:** Top down, Dr. Sally Hague, Director School Choice Office; Ann Edgecombe, head of Magnet Grant Program (assisted by Gary Bryan and Kathryn Abruzzier); Head of School, in our case, Kathy Kassees; Curriculum Integration Specialist (CIS), Tempus Glass; Magnet Lead Teachers (MLT) Mary Green, and Amanda Rathman; Magnet Faculty (as yet undetermined).


 * What is our theme:** Two fold answer, according to the Grant our theme is International Baccalaureate, Middle Years Programme. For purposes of marketing and recruitment, our theme is "Beginning the Dream".


 * Have we acquired photo releases?** Staff does not require releases, as far as students are concerned, Bill Moredock has explained that the media releases that students sign at the beginning of the year cover them. No further action has been taken to date.


 * If I go online will, it give me a more detailed explanation of the 8 subjects?** Yes, [|www.ibo.org] has numerous articles as well as brief summaries of all aspects of their organization. In addition, we are in the process of ordering the guides for each of the subjects plus supplemental materials where available. Those guides should be available by February or March.


 * What am I expected to teach? Curriculum/Outline?** The curriculum has not yet been written, as Bill said he borrowed one school's model, but until we have received training and have been accepted as an "interested" school (Pending) we can not gain access to the curriculum guides provided by IBO. The design team and CIS, as well as faculty, will work this summer to write the 6th grade curriculum, As of today, however, there is no "real" answer to your question other than to say you will still teach the same standards and the same content. IB does not change what is required by the state of Florida or Duval County pacing guide. It is the model of delivery that will change.

We are going to have a full school program, the implementation roll-out has been designed (by the Grant Office) to begin with 6th grade, add seventh the following year and 8th the third and final year of the grant award. That is because the job of writing curriculum is so large that its better to focus on one grade at a time. Also, as a student, to get credit for completion of the program you have to pass through all the grade levels thereby making it senseless to begin with 8th grade and work backwards. Further, the budget of the grant requires that nearly half the money awarded in the first calendar year be spent on training. That figure is then reduced drastically. Therefore, we need to get as many faculty members trained year one as possible, saving the training money year two and three for new hires and teachers attending Level 2 and Level 3 trainings.
 * Why are we training 7th and 8thh grade teachers if we are only** going to have a 6//th grade program?//