Designed for learners ages 11–16, the MYP spans the sixth through tenth grades. Students who begin the program at Rufus King International Middle School can apply to an IB-authorized high school to complete the MYP.

• IB MYP Guide for Parents (PDF)
• IB MYP Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
• RKIMS MYP Policies: Assessment, Academic Honesty, Inclusion, and Language

MYP Curriculum

The MYP curriculum framework at Rufus King International Middle School:

• Integrates IB approaches to learning and State of Wisconsin academic standards.
• Comprises eight subject groups to provide a broad and balanced education for early adolescents: language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design.
• Incorporates a Community Project in the eighth grade. This is an important opportunity for students ages 13-14 to collaborate and pursue service learning.
• Can be adapted to meet an individual student’s needs and abilities.

Students who successfully complete MYP coursework, the MYP Community Project (eighth grade), and the MYP Personal Project (tenth grade) are ideal candidates for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, offered at IB-authorized high schools during junior and senior years.

MYP Courses

The Rufus King Middle School IB curriculum spans eight subject groups and includes courses such as Gateway to Technology, beginning and modern band, exploring sculpture, drawing and illustration, beginning Spanish, and health and physical education.

MYP Projects

The MYP Community Project and MYP Personal Project are student-centered, age-appropriate, and they enable students to engage in practical explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection:

• Helping students develop the attributes of the IB learner profile,
• Providing students with an essential opportunity to demonstrate approaches to learning (ATL) skills, and
• Fostering the development of independent, lifelong learners.

MYP Community Project

At Rufus King International Middle School, eighth graders complete a community project that encourages them to explore their rights and responsibilities to implement service as action in the community. The community project gives students an opportunity to develop awareness of needs in various communities and address those needs through service learning. As a consolidation of learning, the community project engages in a sustained, in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community. The community project may be completed individually or by groups of a maximum of three students.

Grading/Assessment Criteria

Milwaukee Public Schools has an online gradebook system (Campus) so parents and students can access grades. Continuous monitoring of student progress is available through Campus Parent Portal. Printed interim reports with comments and snapshot grades are sent to parents/guardians every four to six weeks. Printed semester report cards are sent home in January and May. The IB Approaches to Learning (ATLs) are highlighted in discussing the student’s academic progress and students are regularly asked to reflect on their own perception of their strengths and weaknesses while preparing for written reports.

Milwaukee Public Schools use the use standards-based grading scale, which consists of minimal (MI), basic (BA), proficient (PR), and advanced (AD) which are converted into a value of 1-4 and then translated into the traditional A, B, C, D, and U grades for report cards and transcripts. See the chart below.

*Final letter grades are an average of all the entries over the course of the grading period. Rufus King International Middle School uses the IB Approaches to Learning (ATL), incorporated in the Campus report card for all subjects.

The ATL Skills Reported Are:

• Communication
• Research
• Self-management
• Social
• Thinking

Student’s progress toward mastery of these ATL skills is indicated with the following criteria:

• Exceeding (4): The student consistently and effectively works above grade level learning objectives.
• Meeting (3): The student independently works at grade level.
• In progress (2): The student asks for minimal teacher support to meet grade level learning objectives.
• Limited progress (1): The student requires significant teacher support and has difficulty working towards grade level learning objectives.

Additional documents and how-to guides are available to help families learn more about the IB MYP, campus portal, and more.

MYP Assessment Objectives and Strands