Aligning the International Baccalaureate with US Common Core State Standards in the MYP (Document)

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STRIKING ALIGNMENT

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Striking alignment: the MYP and CCSS The adoption and implementation of the Common Core Standards in 46 of 50 states marks a major shift in US schools. The National Governor’s Association, the impetus behind the reform effort, deems the adoption “a significant milestone in American education” (National Governor’s Association, 2012, p.5). While all public schools must adjust to transforming practice from state-based to the Common Core content standards, schools implementing the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes must also determine how to align goals, frameworks, and curriculum to provide a coherent program, helping students meet both IB aims and objectives and Common Core standards. This paper will explore the guidance from the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) on alignment followed by a discussion of the philosophical intersections of the Common Core and Middle Years Programme (MYP), and an examination of one school’s efforts to transform its practice to meet both the Common Core and the MYP requirements. Guidance from the International Baccalaureate Organization The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) has offered praise for the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as well as a commitment to support IB schools in their transition. A 2012 IBO position paper noted “the IB welcomes the CCSS as a state-led initiative that holds great potential to enhance student success beyond high school” (IBO, 2012, p.3). At the IB Conference of the Americas 2012, Riddle and Hersey (2012) enumerated ways the IBO would offer support to schools, including guidance on how IB supports the CCSS, mapping studies, online curriculum tools and professional development. However, the MYP Principles into Practice (2008) document provides the most explicit guidance for schools in understanding how to implement local, state or national standards while respecting the integrity of the MYP. First and foremost, the document reminds the reader that the MYP offers a framework for learning in which each school can adapt its own curriculum. The MYP prescribed


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