About PYP
About PYP
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Brighter Horizons Academy is a candidate school* for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme, and is pursuing authorization as an IB World School.
IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.
*Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org
Primary Years Program Introduction
The Primary Years Program (PYP) is a curriculum framework for young learners aged 3–12 designed by the International Baccalaureate (IB). Founded on a philosophy that recognizes a child’s natural curiosity, creativity and ability to reflect, the PYP generates a stimulating, challenging learning environment to nurture those assets and foster a lifelong love of learning in every child. The PYP, like all International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, is transdisciplinary, meaning students learn across subject areas while investigating big ideas.
IB Candidate School
Brighter Horizons Academy is a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme / Middle Years Programme / Diploma Programme / Career-related Programme and pursuing authorization as an IB World School.
IB World Schools share a common
Implementing PYP in Early Childhood & Elementary
The Academy is now an IB-PYP Candidate School!
Phase 1: Training elementary teachers through professional development by certified IB workshop leaders.
Duration: 2017-2018 Academic Year
Phase 2: Planning and Implementing IB educational practices in the classroom.
Duration: 2018-2019 Academic Year
Phase 3: Authorization and certification from IB.
Duration: 2019-2020
Advantages of an IB Education
Schools that are authorized to offer IB programs are subject to strict accreditation and are monitored by the IB, ensuring that schools provide a high-quality education.
IB teaching methods and curriculum are research based and draw from the best educational practices from systems around the world.
IB students develop a sense of the world around them and their responsibility to it.
IB programs are recognized internationally.
The IB Learner
The IB learner profile brings to life the aspirations of a community of IB World Schools dedicated to student centered education. IB programs promote the development of schools that:
Create educational opportunities that encourage healthy relationships, individual and shared responsibility and effective teamwork and collaboration
Help students make informed, reasoned, ethical judgments and develop the flexibility, perseverance and confidence they need in order to bring about meaningful change
Inspire students to ask questions, to pursue personal aspirations, to set challenging goals and to develop the persistence to achieve them
Encourage the creation of rich personal and cultural identities.
These educational outcomes are profoundly shaped by the relationships between teachers and students; teachers are intellectual leaders who can empower students to develop confidence and personal responsibility. Challenging learning environments help students to develop the imagination and motivation they need in order to meet their own needs and the needs of others.
IB programmes emphasize learning how to learn, helping students interact effectively with the learning environments they encounter and encouraging them to value learning as an essential and integral part of their everyday lives.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and learning in the IB celebrates the many ways people work together to construct meaning and make sense of the world. Through the interplay of asking, doing and thinking, this constructivist approach leads towards open, democratic classrooms. An IB education empowers young people for a lifetime of learning, independently and in collaboration with others. It prepares a community of learners to engage with global challenges through inquiry, action and reflection.
Current Teaching Practices vs PYP Implementation
| Instructional Delivery | Approximately 60% Teacher Driven, 40% Student Driven | Approximately 20% Teacher Driven, 80% Student Driven |
| Process of Teaching and Learning | Textbook/Worksheet Driven | Student Driven |
| Standards Based Instruction | TEKS* Aligned | TEKS* Aligned & IB Standards |
| Applications (Higher Order Thinking Skills) | Remember, Understand, Apply | Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create |
| Dependence of Thought | Teacher/Parent Dependence | Student Independence |
| Grading | Based on Percentages | Based on Rubrics and Level of Mastery |
| Implementation of Tarbiyah and Character Building | Partial Integration | Transdisciplinary with the Learner Profile |
*Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills
Impact on a BHA Student’s Learning Experience
The PYP program will cultivate independent learners. Students will be taught through real world applications, which will improve their problem solving skills. As students progress through their education, they will most likely perform better in their AP and dual credit classes. Students who have been through an IB program also have improved standardized testing scores, including improvement on the SAT due to the critical thinking skills incorporated into the content being taught. The skills they develop throughout their elementary years will prepare them for the academic and life challenges they will face as young adults. This program emphasizes the development of a well-rounded learner who is educated in a holistic environment with a global perspective.
IB Mission Statement
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 programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
IB Vision Statement
Our vision is to foster open and enlightened minds through education programmes crafted to suit students at all development stages between 3 and 19 years old.
From our very first exam session in 1970, we’ve designed our curriculums so that students build a deep understanding of how their studies fit into the wider context of our world, no matter what stage of their education they are at. From our Primary Years Programme (3-12), through to our Middle Years Programme (11-16), to the pioneering Diploma and Career- Related Programmes (16-19), each stage has a commitment to multilingualism, international mindedness, and action through service in the student’s own community. We champion critical thinking and a flexibility for learning that crosses disciplines. Our programmes are cornerstones upon which students can develop lifelong learning skills.
BHA Mission Statement
“Brighter Horizons Academy aims to develop practicing Muslim leaders who are lifelong learners that serve their diverse community and global society as respectful citizens.”
BHA Vision Statement
“Brighter Horizons Academy is a model educational institution that produces generations of leaders to be successful in this life and the Hereafter.”
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Garland, TX 75044
(972) 675-2062
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