Submitted by Annie Wright Schools

Annie Wright Schools received full authorization to deliver the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP), making Annie Wright the only school in Washington and one of fewer than 20 schools in the United States to offer the full continuum of IB programming from Preschool to Grade 12. The MYP, which provides a framework for curriculum and assessment, focuses on understanding the concepts behind facts and developing lifelong approaches to learning. Both inquiry-based and trans-disciplinary, it emphasizes strong communication skills, challenges students to think analytically and creatively, and provides opportunities to solve problems and make decisions in real world contexts.

Annie Wright School Student design
Annie Wright students working on a design project as part of the MYP program. Photo courtesy: Annie Wright Schools

“Watching students engage the MYP is so exciting, not just for the concepts and skills they are learning, but for how it challenges them to take action and enhances their capacities for empathy and reflection,” said Bill Hulseman, Director of Middle School.

Along with traditional subjects, language acquisition (a choice of Spanish or Chinese at Annie Wright) and design are important components of the MYP, and collaborative, action oriented projects are common to every subject. Last year, for example, a group of six Grade 8 students, inspired by one of their members whose grandfather was in long-term hospital care, developed an idea for an app for to share medical patients’ progress and needs to families and friends. Their concept won the Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge competition for the state of Washington earlier this year.

Annie Wright Schools gained authorization to deliver the Diploma Programme in its Upper School in 2009 and the Primary Years Programme in its Lower School in 2015. The Middle Years Programme bridges the gap, providing consistently rigorous, inquiry-based and internationally-minded education throughout the school.

“Over the last decade our faculty has worked hard to implement the IB programs across the school,” said Christian Sullivan, Head of Schools. “We are thrilled to receive final authorization for this gold standard of education, but more importantly, we are proud to offer programs that inspire students to solve problems and make the world a better place.”

Originally developed for children of diplomats, IB programs, currently offered to more than one million students in nearly 150 countries, provide a framework to assess performance according to world standards and promote a more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.