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Voces y Silencios: Revista Latinoamericana de Educacin, Vol. 2, No. 1, 39-61
ISSN: 2215-8421 23
Christianne Cowie de Arroyo Colegio Anglocolombiano, Colombia, ([email protected])
The transition from elementary to middle school can be a challenge for many schools and students, but in the case of IB schools, it also involves a change in curriculum approaches. Namely, it involves moving from a transdisciplinary approach, such as the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), to an Interdisciplinary approach, such as the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP).
In our school, a K-12 IB world school in Bogota, Colombia, offering all 3 programs, this transition was problematic. Students experienced a decrease in academic achievement and many behavioural issues. For example, during the 2008 2009 academic year, 38% of our students failed at least one subject area in any given marking period, and a total of 17% of our students failed one or more subjects for the year. (Data taken from 2008 - 2009 academic results) Although very concerning, this pattern was consistent with current research in the field, which states, Achievement declines across transition may reflect [a] lack of continuity in curriculum from elementary to middle school. (Akos, Queen & Lineberry, 2005, p. 37) In addition to the academic decline, we also faced discipline problems and many bullying cases.
When first analyzing the issues, the problem was judged to be owed to the immaturity of our students. We believed that they were not ready to face the requirements of the MYP and Middle School routines. In line with this thought, our first suggestion was to delay this transition one more year: instead of having the transition in 5th grade (11-12-year-old students), we moved it to 6th grade (12 13-year-old students). However, after closer analysis, the conclusion was reached that this delay would only postpone the problem and not really solve it, particularly when taking into account that the problems we were facing did not disappear as the children grew up, but rather became even more evident. This was also consistent with current research, which reveals, Students who transitioned between grades six and seven had the most dramatic drop in grade point average compared to students who transitioned between grades five and six. (Akos, Queen & Lineberry, 2005, p. 54)
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