Curriculum

Primary School

The Primary School offers integrated programmes incorporating the IB philosophies and practices as well as the best aspects from the Republic of Kazakhstan State Educational Standards. The Primary School is situated in 3 buildings on the Miras International School campus. The Pre-School which caters for three and four year old students has its own purpose built building and secure playground. The Kindergarten, catering for five year old students is also housed in its own building close to both the Pre-School and the main school building. The Grades 1 – 5 classes are all housed in the primary building, which is connected directly to the main school building.

Miras International School is the only school in Kazakhstan that offers all three of the International Baccalaureate  Programmes. The primary school was authorized in 2008 by the IB to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and staff are currently working towards our the next periodic  evaluation  visit from the IB in early 2011.

Languages of instruction in the Primary School are:

Pre-school - Russian and Kazakh;

Kindergarten to Grade 5 - Kazakh, Russian, English. From Kindergarten to Grade 5 there are three classes per grade level. One class in each grade level is a Kazakh – taught stream, one is a Russian taught stream and the third  class caters for both International and Russian students educated in English & Russian.

In Primary School we strive to teach 50% of the curriculum in English

Class Organisation

Pre-School

There are five Pre-School classes catering for our three and four year old students. Parents of our three year old students have a choice of their child being educated in Russian or Kazakh, whilst parents of four year olds also have the option of their child joining the International/Russian taught stream where their child will have the majority of his/her lessons in English.

Kindergarten to Grade 5

There are three classes at each grade level from Kindergarten to Grade 5, one is a Russian taught stream with English and Kazakh taught as additional languages, one is a Kazakh taught stream with English and Russian taught as additional languages and the third is a Russian/English taught stream where the Russian students work primarily in Russian, taking English and Kazakh as their second languages. The English speaking students this stream take Russian as a foreign language and have access to a native English speaking teacher for the majority of their lessons.

The IB Primary Years Programme

 Our school teaches through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, whilst incorporating the best aspects of the Republic of Kazakhstan State Educational Standards.

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is one of three programmes offered by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB). It is a programme designed for learners aged 3 to 12 years which focuses on the total growth of the developing child,  meeting their social, physical, emotional and cultural and academic needs.

It draws on research and best practice from a range of national systems and combines this with a wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools, to create a challenging and significant educational framework for all children.

 Presently there are over 300 authorised PYP schools in 62 countries. The programme demands rigorous academic learning for its students and sets high standards for, and has high expectations of students.

Should you be interested in finding out more about the primary Years Programme please view the IB website at www.ibo.org

Secondary School 

The Secondary School offers integrated programmes incorporating the IB philosophies and practices as well as the best aspects from the Republic of Kazakhstan State Educational Standards.

Diploma Programme 

Miras International School is the only school in Kazakhstan that offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school was authorized in 2002 by the IB and successfully re-evaluated in 2008. There have been six Diploma graduation ceremonies in our school. The highest achievement to date has come from a student scoring 39 points (which allows entry to the best universities in the world). Students are able to choose 6 subjects from 6 subject groups a wide range including Geography, History, Visual Arts, Information Technology in a Global Society, Business & Management, Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics (3 levels) and Languages(English, Russian, French, Mandarin).  3 subjects are studied at Higher Level (representing 240 teaching hours) and the other 3 at Standard Level (representing 150 teaching hours). Students also complete an Extended Essay and work in Theory of Knowledge as well as become involved in Community Action & Service activities. At Miras we deliver this programme in English.

Our strengths include a low student teacher ratio, a good mix of nationalities in the teacher and student body (15 teachers representing 9 countries and 23 students from 8 countries). A number of our teachers work as examiners for the IB. The delivery of the programme has been constantly improved and in the last examination sessions our success rate was 100%. Our graduates study at renowned universities throughout the world including USA, UK, Canada, France, Singapore, Switzerland and Turkey, including Harvard and British Columbia Universities.

A modified Certificate Programme can be tailored to meet the needs of students who are unable to follow the Diploma Programme.

Middle Years Programme 

The MYP provides a framework of academic challenge and life skills, designed for students aged 11 to 16. Students develop knowledge, understanding, attitudes and skills to participate actively in a constantly changing world and society.

The curriculum includes all major disciplines but is flexible enough to accommodate “national curriculum" requirements. It is based on the fundamental concepts of holistic education, communication and intercultural awareness.

Five broad areas known as the Areas of Interaction (environmental, health & social, community & service, approaches to learning and human ingenuity) give the MYP curriculum its distinctive core and reflect the programme's focus on students' intellectual and social development. These five Areas of Interaction are perspectives rather than specific subjects, and are not directly assessed nor awarded individual grades. Instead, they are indirectly assessed through the Personal Project which is an independent piece of work created in Grade 9/10 that is intended to be the culmination of the student’s sustained involvement within the five areas.

There are no formal or externally set or externally marked examinations. Students completing the course may be eligible for the IB MYP Certificate or the award of a Record of Achievement – formal, internationally recognized documents certifying the student’s performance in the Middle Years Programme – this is validated by the IB through external moderation. The Record of Achievement list results in all moderated subjects in which the student has been awarded a grade by the school. The certificate is issued only to students who complete stated requirements.

The Middle Years Programme is delivered in three separate streams:-  English (Grades 6-10) and Russian (Grades 6-10) and in Kazakh (Grade 6, and Grade 7 in Sep 2010). Students studying in the Russian Taught Stream will be eligible to take the State exams at the end of the  Grade  9

In Grade 11 in the Russian Taught Stream students are eligible to take the Unified National Test or State Examinations.