Authorised IB Middle Years Programme School

International School Carinthia is an authorized school* for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, and Diploma Programme and is now a fully-authorized, ‘Continuum’ IB World School.

IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.**

*Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.

**Mission Statement from the IB
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

What is the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)?*

The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement—essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders. The MYP is flexible enough to accommodate most national or local curriculum requirements. It builds upon the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme (DP).

The IB Middle Years Programme:

  • addresses holistically students’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being

  • provides students opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need in order to manage complexity and take responsible action for the future

  • ensures breadth and depth of understanding through study in eight subject groups

  • requires the study of at least two languages (language of instruction and additional language of choice) to support students in understanding their own cultures and those of others

  • empowers students to participate in service within the community

  • helps to prepare students for further education, the workplace and a lifetime of learning.

How is the IB MYP curriculum designed?*

The IB MYP consists of eight subject groups:

1. Language Acquisition
2. Language and Literature
3. Individuals and Societies
4. Sciences
5. Mathematics
6. Arts
7. Physical and Health Education
8. Design

Student study is supported by a minimum of 50 hours of instruction per subject group in each academic year. In years 4 and 5, students have the option to take courses from six of the eight subject groups, which provides greater flexibility.

The MYP aims to help students develop their personal understanding and their emerging sense of self and responsibility in their community. MYP teachers organize the curriculum with appropriate attention to:

  • Teaching and learning in context. Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and the world that they have experienced. Using global contexts, MYP students explore human identity, global challenges and what it means to be internationally minded.

  • Conceptual understanding. Concepts are big ideas that have relevance within specific disciplines and across subject areas. MYP students use concepts as a vehicle to inquire into issues and ideas of personal, local and global significance and examine knowledge holistically.

  • Approaches to learning (ATL). A unifying thread throughout all MYP subject groups, approaches to learning provide the foundation for independent learning and encourage the application of their knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Developing and applying these skills help students learn how to learn.

  • Service as action (community service). Action (learning by doing and experiencing) and service have always been shared values of the IB community. Students take action when they apply what they are learning in the classroom and beyond. IB learners strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a commitment to service—making a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment. Service as action is an integral part of the programme, especially in the MYP community project.

  • Language and identity – MYP students are required to learn at least two languages. Learning to communicate in a variety of ways is fundamental to their development of intercultural understanding and crucial to their identity affirmation.

What are MYP Projects?*

MYP projects provide students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in the MYP. In MYP 3, students must complete the community project. In MYP 5, all students must complete the personal project.

  • The MYP 3 community project encourages students to explore their right and responsibility to implement service as action in the community. Students may complete the community project individually or in small groups.
  • In MYP 5, each student develops a personal project independently, producing a truly personal and creative piece of work that stands as a summative review of their ability to conduct independent work.
  • Excerpted directly from the IB Middle Years Programme Brochure.

How is the ISC MYP designed?

The MYP team will be designing the ISC MYP curriculum based on two major sources:

  • IB Middle Years Programme
  • The Austrian national curriculum

Learning objectives, pedagogy and assessment will be dictated by IB MYP Principles into Practice and MYP Subject Guides. The Austrian national curriculum will be referenced in all subject areas in all five years of the program.

MYP Documents

ISC_Handbook_2023-24