Inquiry-Based Learning Ahead

Have you heard the news? Our Sequoia Middle is a Candidate School for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Newbury Park High is working to expand its IB World School authorization to grades 9 and 10. Once authorization is granted, CVUSD will become the first school district in Ventura County to have a TK-12 IB continuum, with IB opportunities currently available at Cypress Elementary (grades TK-5) and Newbury Park High School (grades 11 and 12).

Achieving authorization as an IB MYP school involves a comprehensive, multi-year process that demands careful planning, ongoing evaluation, and demonstrated commitment to IB standards. This month, an IB MYP Consultant is visiting Sequoia and NPHS to learn how far the schools have come in implementing the Middle Years Programme. After their visit, the Consultant will provide both schools with a report of their progress, with matters to be addressed, and a clear pathway to becoming an authorized IB World School! The IB MYP runs from 6th grade to 10th grade (or IB MYP Years 1-5) so all Sequoia students and Newbury Park High School 9th and 10th graders will experience the IB MYP, once authorization is achieved.

To date, the Sequoia team has achieved the following:

• Teachers are using IB unit planners to organize their teaching. These planners help teachers incorporate global contexts into their lessons, as well as including Approaches to Learning. Approaches to Learning are the “soft skills” that help students approach the content like taking effective notes, bringing the right materials to class, and how to give and receive meaningful feedback.
• Teachers are incorporating design elements into their teaching so students can experience the IB MYP design cycle of inquiring and analyzing, developing ideas, creating solutions and evaluating.
• Sequoia has communicated their progress towards authorization with the school community through weekly newsletters, School Site Council meetings, PTSA meetings, school tours, Future Bears Night, and ongoing visits to elementary schools.
• Teachers are incorporating the IB Learner Profile Attributes in their classrooms, students have been introduced to each learner profile attribute during CREW time and the Sequoia community has learned what it means to be an Inquirer, Thinker and to be Knowledgeable (IB Learner Profile Attributes).

Additionally, in September and October, the Newbury Park High School IB MYP Coordinator and Sequoia IB MYP Coordinator met to align shared visions of MYP programs on both campuses.Topics like unit planning, grading and vertical articulation were the focus of these meetings.

As part of the IB MYP Consultant visit in December, both Sequoia and Newbury Park High have been busy compiling documents and evidence of IB teaching and learning. This three-day visit will evaluate the schools' progress towards becoming an authorized IB World School for grades 6-10.

👉 Click here to learn more about the IB Candidacy process at Sequoia.

👉 NPHS has been an authorized IB World School (grades 11-12) since 1996 - click here to learn more.