The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end, the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.

The International Baccalaureate offers three programs of education for students.

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) (for students aged 3 to 12) focuses on the development of the whole child in the classroom and in the world outside.

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) (for students aged 11 to 16) provides a framework of academic challenge and life skills through embracing and transcending traditional school subjects.

The Diploma Programme (DP) (for students aged 16 to 19) is a demanding two-year curriculum that meets the needs of highly motivated students, and leads to a qualification that is recognized by leading universities around the world.

SCS currently offers the MYP in grades six through eight, and it will better prepare students for high school, whether or not students continue to schools offering the Diploma Programme.

At SCS, all middle school students are MYP students, as every class offered for 6th – 8th grade is structured according to the MYP framework. The MYP framework requires students to study in eight subject groups: Language and Literature (English), Language Acquisition (Spanish), Individuals and Societies (Religion and Social Studies), Sciences, Mathematics, Arts (Art and Music), Physical Education and Health, and Design (Technology).

The framework also consists of three fundamental concepts. Students are given international and cultural perspectives that are guided by these IB concepts:

• Communication – valuing language acquisition in at least two languages
• Holistic learning – finding the connections across and within the subjects and grade levels
• Intercultural awareness -a growing understanding of a student’s own culture coupled with an understanding and appreciation of other cultures

Additionally, the framework provides an academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world and to become critical and reflective thinkers. Taken as a whole, the curriculum provides a balanced education that will equip young people for effective participation in the modern world.

Curriculum planning under the MYP framework considers the written, assessed, and taught curriculum equally. While the IB provides a framework for learning, the curriculum is driven by the Diocese of St. Petersburg’s Standards and Benchmarks and the Florida Core Standards. Therefore, SCS teachers integrate the MYP philosophy with the state and local curriculums to create conceptual units of study.