Middle Years Programme (MYP)
Connecting Learning with the Real World
Candidate status: LUYA Academy is a candidate school for the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), pursuing authorization as an IB World School. Read our official candidate statement.
What is the MYP?
The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is a curriculum framework for students aged 11 to 16. It encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, and to develop the skills they need to learn independently and work well with others.
The MYP is designed as a programme of up to five years, and some schools offer it over fewer years. Like all IB programmes, it is a framework rather than a set of textbooks: schools design their own units to meet IB requirements and local expectations.
IB MYP age range (general)
Ages 11–16
LUYA’s MYP candidacy
Grades 6–9
LUYA’s MYP candidacy
LUYA Academy has been accepted by the IB as a candidate school for the MYP, covering Grades 6–9. During candidacy, a school works to align its curriculum, teaching, assessment and policies with MYP requirements, with guidance from the IB.
Candidacy is not authorization. LUYA Academy is not yet an authorized IB World School, and the MYP can only be formally offered once the IB grants authorization. Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.
The eight subject groups
A broad and balanced MYP curriculum includes eight subject groups. In each year of the programme, students study all eight, with some flexibility allowed in the final two years of a five-year programme.
Language and literature
Reading, analyzing and creating a wide range of literary and non-literary texts.
Language acquisition
Learning an additional language to communicate in a growing range of situations.
Individuals and societies
Exploring history, geography, economics and how people, places and societies interact.
Sciences
Investigating the natural world through biology, chemistry, physics and scientific inquiry.
Mathematics
Reasoning with number, algebra, geometry and statistics to solve problems.
Arts
Developing creative skills in visual and performing arts and communicating ideas.
Physical and health education
Building physical skills, healthy choices and teamwork through movement and sport.
Design
Using a design cycle to solve real problems through digital and product design.
Concepts, global contexts and interdisciplinary learning
Conceptual learning
Units are built around key concepts—big ideas such as change, relationships, systems and perspectives—that help students transfer learning between subjects and situations.
Global contexts
Each unit is set in a global context that shows students why their learning matters: Identities and relationships; Orientation in space and time; Personal and cultural expression; Scientific and technical innovation; Globalization and sustainability; Fairness and development.
Interdisciplinary connections
Each year, MYP students take part in at least one interdisciplinary unit that brings together two or more subject groups to explore a question from several angles.
Approaches to learning (ATL)
Approaches to learning (ATL) are skills that help students learn how to learn. They are taught and practiced in every subject, so students can apply them in new and unfamiliar situations.
Thinking skills
Analyzing, evaluating, solving problems and thinking creatively.
Research skills
Finding, checking and using information responsibly.
Communication skills
Reading, writing, speaking and listening for different purposes and audiences.
Social skills
Collaborating, resolving differences and supporting others.
Self-management skills
Organizing time, setting goals, managing emotions and persevering.
Service as action
In the MYP, students are encouraged to use what they learn to make a positive difference to others and to the environment. Service as action should grow out of students’ interests and classroom learning, and always includes reflection on what they did and why it mattered.
Age-appropriate examples (illustrative only):
- Organizing a book exchange so classmates can share reading materials.
- Designing posters to reduce classroom waste after studying materials in science.
- Reading with younger students or helping them practice mathematics.
- Researching a local environmental issue and presenting ideas to the school community.
Assessment for learning
MYP assessment is criterion-related. Each subject group has published assessment criteria, and student work is judged against clear descriptions of achievement rather than ranked against other students. Students see the criteria in advance, so they understand what high-quality work looks like.
Formative assessment
Ongoing checks, drafts and feedback during a unit help students improve before the final task.
Summative assessment
Tasks at the end of a unit let students show what they understand and can do against the criteria.
Self- and peer assessment
Students learn to evaluate their own work and give helpful feedback to others.
As a candidate school, LUYA is working toward the MYP’s assessment requirements. For details of how student progress is currently assessed and reported in each grade, please contact the school.
MYP projects
MYP projects give students an extended opportunity to plan and complete a significant piece of work, and to reflect on their learning along the way. Which project students complete depends on the final year of the MYP a school offers:
Community project
Completed by students whose MYP ends in Year 3 or Year 4. Students usually work in small groups to identify a need in a community and take action through service.
Personal project
Completed by all students whose MYP ends in Year 5. Each student independently explores a personal interest and creates a product or outcome.
LUYA’s MYP candidacy covers Grades 6–9. The project that applies to LUYA students will depend on the programme years the school is authorized to offer, and will be confirmed by the school.
What MYP learning can look like
The example below illustrates an interdisciplinary MYP unit. It is not a description of a specific LUYA class or student work.
Illustrative learning example · Grade 8
Water in our city
In an interdisciplinary unit linking Sciences and Individuals and societies, students explore the global context Globalization and sustainability. In science, they test water samples and investigate how filtration works. In individuals and societies, they research how cities manage their water supply and how access to clean water differs around the world. Students combine their findings in a presentation for families, with practical suggestions for saving water at school and at home, and reflect on the ATL skills they used.
Preparing for further learning
The MYP is designed to develop skills that support any next step: independent study, research, clear communication, collaboration and self-management. These skills are useful across many upper secondary pathways.
The MYP is a separate programme from the IB Diploma Programme (DP). Completing the MYP does not in itself lead to an IB diploma, and LUYA’s IB candidacy covers the PYP and MYP only. Families with questions about pathways after Grade 9 are welcome to contact the school.
Official IB candidate statement
The IB asks candidate schools to include the following statement when describing an IB programme. It is reproduced in full below.
Middle Years Programme
LUYA Academy is a Candidate School* for the Middle Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that LUYA Academy believes is important for our students.
*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme, or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org