MYP Parents Information Evening (6th March 2008)

The second Middle Years Programme (MYP) Parents’ information evening was held at the Academy’s Lecture Theatre on the 6th of March 2008. The meeting convened by Mrs. Esther Nondi, the MYP Coordinator, and attended by Year 7 parents, discussed Learning Objectives and Assessment Criteria.

It was a follow-up to an introductory meeting held in November 2007 to introduce Year 7 parents to the MYP. The 2007/2008 Year 7 students will be the first graduates of the MYP at the Academy.

The aim of the second meeting was to explain to parents how learning objectives are linked to assessment criteria. Every subject has a number of learning objectives to be achieved at the end of a unit. A unit may be work covered over one term or half a term. By the end of a unit, the achievement of a student is measured against the assessment criteria.

As a point in case, Science has 6 learning objectives; A-F, where learning objective A is ‘Our World’. This objective enables students to understand the interdependence between science and society. The assessment criterion A therefore requires students to show the interdependence between science and the world.

Mrs. Rebecca Crossley, a Science teacher at the Academy, was at hand to demonstrate how assessment tasks she had given her Year 7 Class were marked and graded using Assessment criteria D and E, which are linked to Learning objectives D and E.

Mrs. Nondi gave parents assessment and reporting booklets that explain how assessment is going to be carried out for the MYP students in Year 7 to 10.

Also present were MYP Steering Committee members, Mr. Peter J. McMurray (Head of Academy), Mr. Simon Otieno (Principal, Senior School), Mrs. Jennifer Fenton (Dean of Studies), and other members of faculty.

The next meeting will be held on 20th of March 2008 and every Thursday evening for the next three Thursdays. Meetings start at 4:00 pm.