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Middle Years Programme (MYP)

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme gives students the opportunity to grow as curious, capable, and compassionate learners. Students are challenged to think critically, make connections across subjects, and explore issues that matter in their community and the world.

Through inquiry, reflection, student agency, and action, MYP students build the skills and confidence they need for high school, lifelong learning, and meaningful participation in the world around them.

What is MYP?

The IB Middle Years Programme serves students in grades 6–8 at VICS, continuing the focus on the attributes of the IB Learner Profile while encouraging students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world.

Students study across eight subject groups that equip students to inquire into important issues and ideas with local, national, and global significance:

  • Language acquisition

  • Language and literature

  • Individuals and societies

  • Sciences

  • Mathematics

  • Arts

  • Physical and health education

  • Design

Teaching and learning in the MYP are organized around key and related concepts, which serve as big ideas for inquiry. Global contexts provide shared starting points for inquiry into what it means to be internationally minded, while approaches to teaching and learning support the skills students need to manage their own learning.

Action and service are also key components of the MYP, giving students opportunities to connect their learning with community service projects. Through this framework, students grow as active learners, creative and critical thinkers, and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning.

MYP at Valley Inquiry Charter School

The MYP at Valley Inquiry Charter School supports an alternative, unique, and powerful educational experience for students in our community. Highlights of our MYP include:

  • Inquiry-based learning that helps students understand and take action on current and relevant world issues

  • International-mindedness that builds appreciation for and understanding of other cultures

  • Student agency that gives students voice, choice, and ownership in their learning

  • A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusivity as foundations of an active and thriving IB World School

  • Enrichment learning in Spanish, music, STEAM, and physical education

MYP Candidacy Status

VICS opened our middle school in Fall 2025, and we are now in the candidacy phase with the IB World Organization for the Middle Years Programme, as of October 2025. During candidacy, schools work through the IB authorization process by implementing program practices, completing professional development, and aligning policies with IB standards.