Middle School (Grades 5-9)

The Middle School Programme for students aged 11-16 is based on the integration of International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme for this level of education with the Kazakhstani educational standards.

The Programme encourages students to develop their own creative skills, critical thinking, and ability to understand connections between learning subjects and the real world.

A special attention is paid to communication skills, intercultural understanding, and global interaction – qualities, which form a successful person within the conditions of the rapidly changing modern world.

The content of the educational programmes is considered through the prism of key and subject-specific concepts, ideas, and issues of global significance – global contexts:

Globalization and sustainability.
Fairness and development.
Identities and relationships.
Orientation in space and time.
Personal and cultural expression.
Scientific and technical innovation.

In accordance with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme requirements, there are eight educational areas in the current curricula for each grade: Language and Literature (English, Kazakh, Russian), Foreign Languages Acquisition (as second languages) (Kazakh, English, Russian and French), Mathematics, Science (Natural studies, Chemistry, Physics, Biology), Individuals and Societies (History of Kazakhstan; World History; Human Rights and Society; Geography; Economy and Business), Design (Computer technologies and Digital Design), Arts (Visual and Performing Arts), Physical Education.

Specific features of the Middle School Curriculum:

‘Language and Literature’ subject area includes the following integrated courses: ‘Kazakh Language and Literature’, ‘Russian Language and Literature’ and ‘English Language and Literature’. For effective development of students’ language skills and for the purposes of differentiation in teaching, the learning of Kazakh and foreign languages is implemented in two-three different-leveled groups.
The ‘Host Country Study’ educational subject is aimed at acquaintance of foreign students with history and culture of Kazakhstan and to form basics of (speech in) speaking Kazakh.
A special focus is made on learning English, which is one of the languages of instruction and communication within the School as prescribed by the School Language Policy. The English educational programmes are aimed at further development of effective communication skills in students within the international context at the School; improvement in students’ language training needed for further learning of educational disciplines in English and studying by International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at (the) a higher level of education.
STEM interdisciplinary project, starting from Grade 6, are incorporated into the programme.
The ‘Design’ educational area is focused on teaching programming languages, contemporary computer technologies, fundamentals of robotics and on formation of digital culture in students.
The ‘Art’ educational area is represented by following disciplines: Music, Visual Art, and Dance, which correspond to the requirements of the International Baccalaureate Programme for Middle School.
Variable subject disciplines in English for Grade 9 and 10 students are focused on students’ preparation for studying by International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (Grades 11-12).

Specific features of the Middle School Curriculum:

The culmination of the study by the Middle School Programme is the compulsory work of 10-graders on the Personal Project. The culminating project of the Middle Years Programme in Grade 10 is the Personal project. The topic and types of the project are optional for a student. (He/she) Students can choose the topic based on own interests and needs. The project is not a final work on a certain subject but reflection of students’s understanding of global contexts and their ability for independent learning-and-cognitive activity. When assessing the project, primary attention is paid to the level of skills used by the student in their work the process.

The Grade 10 curriculum completes the international school level integrated educational programme with optional external final examination in one of the subjects from each subject group of the International Baccalaureate Organization, which is a requirement for obtaining the certificate on completion of general international middle school standard, and the beginning of