Parents, did you know that in 2015 the average IB Diploma Programme student at St. Edmund Prep was awarded $100,000 more in scholarships than average non-Diploma Programme students? Or that, so far this year, our senior IB Diploma candidates have been accepted into top tier Ivy League colleges, with one student being accepted to Harvard, and another receiving almost a million dollars in scholarship money?
We at St. Edmund Prep have been working very hard to identify educational techniques and philosophies help us to educate our students in the best way possible, and we have found that the methods employed by the International Baccalaureate Organization work. The proof is in the results of our Diploma students. Because of the successes of the Diploma Programme, we have chosen to become an IB Middle Years Programme candidate school. The Middle Years Programme (MYP), is a program for all 9th and 10th grade students. It is a fully inclusive program that is geared for all learning levels. By doing this, we are hoping that we can instill a love of learning earlier in their high school careers.
The MYP approach is a thematic and student centered method of teaching and learning. Students will still be following the New York State curriculum and will still be taking regents exams. This is mostly a shift in how teachers present the topic of study. Why the shift? We live in a global society where information is almost always at our fingertips. Facts are easy to come by. Because of that, we have found that it is more important to focus on critical thinking, writing, analytical, and organizational skills. By embracing this philosophy, we are finally answering the age old student question of, “What’s the point of this?” The point is to expose student to different ideas and different ways of thinking, so that when they graduate, they are actually better prepared, not just for college, but for life.
We will be applying for MYP authorization this summer and will be doing a trial implementation in the 2017-2018 school year. If you have any questions about the Middle Years Programme at St. Edmund Prep, please feel free to contact our IB Coordinator, Kate Jones