IB Program

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to helping students develop the intellectual, personal, emotional, and social skills they need to live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

Established in 1968, IB seeks to create a better world through education and to promote intercultural understanding and respect, “not as an alternative to a sense of cultural and national identity, but as an essential part of life in the 21st century.”[1] The IB curriculum is a rigorous program of study focused on critical thinking and problem-solving, intercultural awareness, collaboration, and communication skills in at least two languages. Today, more than 889,000 students in 140 countries participate in IB.

    Life in the 21st century places many changing demands on students making the transition through adolescence. They are at a crucial period of personal, social, physical and intellectual development, of uncertainty and of questioning. The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Middle Years Programme is designed to help them find a sense of belonging in the ever-changing and increasingly interrelated world around them and to foster a positive attitude to learning.[2]

    IB Programs at Universal Academy

    Universal Academy is proud to be one of an elite group of Michigan schools authorized to offer the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) in grades 6-10. Our teachers incorporate MYP strategies into their lesson planning and classroom instruction, encouraging and inspiring students to be inquirers, risk-takers, communicators, and thinkers.

    UA continues to work toward full implementation of IB programs in grades K through 12. As we prepare the feasibility study for the IB Diploma Program in grades 11 and 12, we are also exploring implementation of the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) for students in grades K through 5.

    Resources

    IB UA Mission Comparison
    UA MYP Pamphlet
    UA MYP Course Outlines
    UA MYP Planners
    UA Assessment Policy
    IB MYP Assessment Criteria
    UA State and MYP Equivalencies

    [1] http://ibo.org/mission/

    [2] http://www.ibo.org/myp/