The Long Beach School District is pleased to announce that Long Beach Middle School has been officially authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School for the Middle Years Program. The middle school is the first in Nassau County and second on Long Island to receive this designation.  

The MYP approach, which is based on educational best practices, places an emphasis on student-centered learning, student engagement, inquiry-based explorations, project-based and service learning. The instructional practices have already been infused throughout the middle school’s curricula for the past two years.  As part of the authorization process, the district was required to begin using these approaches, outline units of study and demonstrate alignment with the MYP principles.

The MYP is intended to contextualize learning and to prepare students for a lifetime of learning. It also serves as an preparation for the high school level’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and other college-readiness programs. Long Beach High School became an International Baccalaureate World School in 2010. The objective of both programs is for students to develop the IB Learner Profile traits of being inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.

Through the MYP focus, students gain a greater understanding of why they are learning what is being taught in the classroom and how it applies to the broader world. They explore essential questions, make their own discoveries and reflect on their work as part of every unit.

The district’s road to becoming authorized for the MYP involved a number of steps over the course of four years, starting with a thorough exploration of the program by the District Curriculum Committee. Faculty members and administrators completed rigorous training initiatives and refined their instructional approaches in accordance with the program’s practices.

“I am in awe over the level of collaboration and the professional growth I have witnessed throughout this process,” said Long Beach Middle School Principal Dr. Michele Natali.  “I have seen our students become more creative, critical and reflective thinkers. They have risen to the intellectual challenge and have made the connections between and among their subject areas and the real world.”

“We are thrilled to announce this achievement for the middle school, district and community as a whole,” said Superintendent of Schools David Weiss. “We strive to offer our students the best opportunities available to prepare them with the experiences and skills they will need to be successful.”