Why do many International schools prefer IGCSE to MYP considering the seamless transition from IBMYP to IB Diploma?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Topic and title1

Problem statement1

Importance of the problem/ Rationale2

Methodology2

Search Strategy3

Literature Search4

Learning outcomes5

Literature review5

Theoretical framework8

Ethical concerns8

Relevance to professional context and leadership10

References11

Topic and title

Why do many International schools prefer IGCSE to MYP considering the seamless transition from IBMYP to IB Diploma?

Problem statement

The purpose of schooling in the United States has been debated since colonial times. The discussion of an academic curriculum versus vocational education has lasted into the 21st century (Darling 2009, 8). Under current school accountability systems, standards-based instruction and high-stakes testing guide instructional decisions. School districts offer a variety of instructional options. Families and students have the option of selecting academic or vocational tracks in high school. The International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD) provides an option for college-bound students (Campbell 2003, 40).

The IBO adopted the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) in 1994 to provide prerequisites for the IBDP. The IBMYP offers a curriculum for students' grades six - ten. The IBMYP concentrates on the interrelatedness of language, math, science, geography, history and the arts. The IBMYP affords students with the prerequisite skills to enter the IBDP. Scrutinizing student achievement scores of IBMYP participants and non-IBMYP participants provided empirical data about the impact of IBMYP participation on student achievement (Gazda 2002, 84).

IB is increasingly popular in the international school community. However, there are many schools particularly with a British orientation adopting IB diploma programme and retaining IGCSE rather than moving to IBMYP. This may be considered surprising considering the apparent seamless transition from IBMYP to IB Diploma. Why do many schools prefer IGCSE Formative versus summative assessments

Importance of the problem/ Rationale

Perhaps schools who follow the IGCSE programme should reconsider their decisions which might not be based solely on pedagogy. On the other hand, has the MYP proved an effective choice for those schools who have taken this route? The evidence and the evaluation may be helpful to schools making decisions about their middle years curriculum (practicalities of setting up MYP, training, resources, constructing programmes, problems with external examinations), for parents and students deciding on which choice to go for.

Methodology

Secondary research was conducted through a number of sources, including libraries & the Internet. A number of libraries were visited for gathering valuable data from textbooks & journals. The Internet was also a major tool in obtaining relevant information, leading to search for a no. of articles in journals & newspapers from database. To prove the hypothesis, a research was conducted with the help of a three-step process which involved construction of an item pool, validation of the items, & pilot testing of the items. Also the data have been gathered through various sources out of which some are on line while some are on paper.

The main conclusive data are the result of a thorough analysis of the material found online. The research involved analyzing the news postings on the web over a phase of years. The approach employed was reading the ...