Explore the Enhancing the MYP project to learn more about the purpose and the four main areas of the enhancements, including design principles, implementation timeline, resources, and professional development opportunities.
Purpose and Overview of Enhancing the MYP
The MYP is designed as a comprehensive and coherent curriculum framework guided by the IB philosophy. This curriculum framework is used to create units of instruction and the MYP educator is viewed as a curriculum designer. The enhanced MYP seeks to improve guidance for the unit planning process by making it clearer to all with more flexibility for stronger agency during curriculum designing. The enhancements are based upon research, feedback, and analysis. Currently, the MYP Beta Enhancements are being used voluntarily by MYP schools and educators that have elected to participate in the initiative prior to the September 2027 required implementation date. The hope for the Enhanced MYP is to create an enhanced teaching and learning experience by allowing for dynamic units to be implemented that are not only tailored to each school’s unique context but also permitting innovation and relevancy.
Design Principles of the Enhanced MYP
The IB has a set of nine principles that along with the IB mission guide the enhancements for the MYP. These principles are listed below:
- Foster international-mindedness
- Define the MYP as inclusive and accessible to all learners
- Improve well-being
- Refine the MYP as a clear, coherent, flexible framework
- Place learner experience at the centre of the MYP
- Elevate knowledge and skill transfer
- Encourage educators and schools to innovate
- Incorporate pedagogical and adolescent development research
- Design with the continuum in mind
The Enhanced MYP has four main areas of focus, Concepts and teaching for conceptual understanding, Global contexts, Approaches to learning, and Community engagement that have been influenced by these principles. More information on these components, which are also the areas of the MYP Beta Trial, are as follows.
Component 1: Concepts and Teaching for Conceptual Understanding
There are two areas of change within this component. The first change has to do with key and related concepts structure of MYP concepts. The Enhanced MYP has specified concepts for each subject with flexibility to designate additional concepts. The second change is referred to by the IB as “supporting concept-based teaching and learning”. The current approach involves educators creating a statement of inquiry, a provocative statement consisting of one key concept, one or more related concepts and one global context. In the enhanced approach, more flexibility is granted for how conceptual understandings will be taught. Teachers will use an “inquiry question” or “inquiry statement” to frame the learning. The statement or question is not required to include a global context.
The Enhanced MYP has a specified concepts list for each subject group. Every list contains a carefully considered twenty-five plus possible concepts that the school can choose from and make additions to the lists to align with what is most important in their school context and curriculum. This can be done using the current unit planner template or using a unit template locally designed that works best for the school context. There is no requirement for a school to cover a specific number of concepts from the lists, although eAssessment schools will be assessed on the subject groups’ specified concepts. The IB recommends that schools with students participating in eAssessment not use the beta guidance with those students until the 2027 final Enhanced MYP publication.
Component 2: Global Contexts
The current six MYP “global contexts” structure will continue to have a title, key question, description, and bullet list of possible explorations. The IB has noted that there is a possibility that the name “Global contexts” may change during the enhancements. The global contexts component does have three enhancement approaches. The first is the approach to the use of global contexts as planning strategies. The Enhanced MYP provides guidance for developing a contextual lens around learning and teaching along with suggestions for inquiry questions to assist students and teachers with their explorations.
The second is the approach to how a global context is used to frame inquiry in a unit. With the inquiry statement or inquiry question replacing the statement of inquiry (SOI), the global context can be included in these elements, but it is not a requirement in the enhancements. The global context will continue to shape the unit along with the inquiry statement or inquiry question.
The third is the approach concerning the word “context” with its enhanced description. The IB states that it “encourages international-mindedness and global engagement using enhanced global contexts and three contextual lenses.” The three contextual lenses referred to are the individual, the local, and global lenses.
Component 3: Approaches to Learning
There are three areas that are being addressed in this Enhanced MYP component, the approaches to learning (ATL) skills, teaching of the ATL skills, and the documentation of the ATL. The current MYP has a ten skill cluster in addition to the five ATL skill categories that are unique to the MYP will no longer be required. This will provide more cohesion for the IB continuum. Each of the five ATL categories will have a shorter suggested skills list as well.
The teaching of ATL skills changes is twofold. The elimination of the terms “implicit” and “explicit” will provide more teacher agency when planning teaching and learning. More teacher-agency will also come with the flexibility to choose from the briefer list, adapt the skills, or identify additional skills.
The documenting of the ATL skills and strategies can be accomplished in the manner that works best in the school’s context. Examples resources and guidance are provided by the IB. Teachers will also be encouraged to select when and how skills will be taught.
Component 4: Community Engagement
In the current MYP framework, educators have found it challenging to find connections between their learning outcomes and service opportunities. The Enhanced MYP framework is changing what is now known as “Service as Action” to “Community Engagement”. This enhancement is being made to help educators have more flexibility when designing and implementing curriculum as well as to create greater coherence in the IB continuum. The chart below shows the enhancements to approaches and practices in the community engagement component.
Current Approach & Practice | Enhanced Approach & Practice |
| Called “Service as Action” and centers around learners’ service to the community decided upon by the students | Called ‘Community Engagement” centering on taking relevant action cooperatively decided upon with the community |
| “Learning outcomes” designate the goal of learners’ participation in service as action | A reduced number of “Learning objectives” define purpose with more clarity and has greater alignment with the IB continuum |
| Exclusive focus on either direct or indirect service as a contributory mode | Opportunity to choose to engage with their distinctive contexts through dialogue, relationship-building and reflection and reflexivity |
| Units of inquiry can incorporate opportunities for students to act upon their inquiry into local expressions of global challenges with the service as action model. | Community engagement may be chosen as a guiding principle for a unit of inquiry. These units must provide opportunities for learners to collaborate with their peers and communities in response to local and/or global challenges. |
Community Engagement Process Diagram
Timeline for Implementing Enhancing the MYP
The timeline for the Enhanced MYP is underway with the Beta launch option for volunteers that commenced in December 2024. The four areas of the Beta trial are being implemented in Candidate and Authorized MYP programmes that selected to participate. The full launch of the enhancements including the four areas and the new programme-level and subject-level guidance for all subjects is September 2027. After this deadline, additional support and support materials will be deployed leading up to the first eAssessment May 2030.
Preparing for the Implementation of the Enhanced MYP
Process is greater than the product in the Enhanced MYP and the purpose drives the process. The four areas and the programme and subject guidance will require refining every MYP unit. Educators will work collaboratively as curriculum designers in the unit planning process. Thinking about the September 2027 full launch with a backwards design mindset, schools, teams, and support staff would benefit from charting out professional learning needs to build capacity and a timeline for collaboration meetings to revise current units. Beginning in May 2025 virtual and face-to-face MYP category 2 subject and category 3, Creating authentic units, workshops will bring in the enhanced content for unit refinement. Unit planning, curriculum design, best practices and implementation strategies addressed in these workshops will help MYP educators with being prepared to engage in the process to enhance MYP in their own context.
Resources and Tools for IB Teachers
There are resources that are currently available to support educators as they engage in the work of implementing the enhancements. Click on the links or follow directions below to view these documents, sites, and opportunities.
- The Enhancing the MYP BETA trial website
- Middle Years Programme updates, May 2025 © International Baccalaureate Organization 2025 (located on MyIB >Implementation)
- Enhancing the MYP BETA: Eligibility, expectations, and frequently asked questions
- The Enhancing the MYP BETA trial explained
- Enhancing the MYP BETA Classroom strategies
- Enhancing the MYP BETA Questions to support implementation
- CASIE Virtual Workshops and Face-to-Face Workshops
Professional Development Opportunities for IB Educators
Each MYP school has begun or will soon begin their Enhanced MYP journey. Early planning and preparing for empowering every educator to be curriculum designers equipped to collaboratively refine MYP units with an enhanced process will allow for everyone to be ready for the September 2027 full launch. Engaging with the IB Community can positively impact the Enhanced MYP implementation. Opportunities and resources provided by CASIE can support your plan. CASIE provides IB workshops, CASIE Presents capacity building professional development, and tailored consulting that addresses the individual/school needs for delivering a high quality IB programme.
