Southwest Middle School is proud to offer the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) in partnership with Largo-Tibet Elementary School and Windsor Forest High School. The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) offers a series of three programs: the Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP), and the Diploma Program (DP).  

What is the IB Middle Years Programme?

The IB Middle Years Programme, for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and become critical nd reflective thinkers.

The curriculum

The programme consists of eight subject groups integrated through five areas of interaction that provide a framework for learning within and across the subjects. Students are required to study their mother tongue, a second language, humanities, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical education and technology. In the final year of the programme, students also engage in a personal project, which allows them to demonstrate the understandings and skills they have developed throughout the programme.

Why IB is unique:

IB offers a continuum of education, consisting of three individual programmes. We span the years from kindergarten to a pre-university diploma. While we are traditionally known for the Diploma Programme, IB World Schools increasingly offer all three programmes.

• IB is proud of the reputation for high quality education sustained for over 35 years. The curriculum represents the best from many different countries rather than the exported national system of any one. The challenging Diploma Programme assessment is recognized by the world's leading universities. They maintain our high standards by actively training and supporting teachers, and by authorizing and evaluating IB World Schools.

• IB encourages international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, they believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. All IB students learn a second language and the skills to live and work with others internationally—essential for life in the 21st century.

• IB encourages a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, to reflect critically, to develop research skills, and to learn how to learn. IB encourages community service because we believe that there is more to learning than academic studies alone.