A MEASURABLE ACADEMIC EDGE

Share this article with a friend.

December 29, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

From classroom to college: How the IB Middle Years Program gives Notre Dame Prep students a distinct advantage.

When families ask what sets a Notre Dame Prep education apart, the answer is not a single course or program. It is a way of teaching and learning that research increasingly shows makes a difference.

A recent international study conducted by the University of Oxford’s Centre for Educational Assessment found that students enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, or IB-MYP, demonstrate significantly stronger critical-thinking skills than their non-IB peers. The findings hold even after accounting for student background, academic ability and socioeconomic status — and they help explain why Notre Dame Prep students, who can participate in IB from prekindergarten through grade 12, enter college with a distinct academic advantage.

“Overall, this study, which was developed by Joshua A. McGrane, Samantha-Kaye Johnston, Mireia Vendrell Morancho and Therese N. Hopfenbeck, provides encouraging evidence that the MYP contributes to students’ critical thinking skills,” researchers concluded, noting that MYP participation was “a significant predictor of critical thinking” with a moderate effect size compared with students in national curricula. 

What the MYP is — and what it isn’t

The IB Middle Years Program serves students ages 11 to 16, typically grades six through 10. Unlike a single advanced or honors class, the MYP is a framework for teaching and learning that shapes how all subjects are taught.

At Notre Dame Prep, that means every student in grades six through 10 participates in the MYP automatically. Families do not opt into the program; it is the foundation of instruction.

“The MYP is not a special class,” NDP educators often explain to prospective parents. “It’s the ‘how,’ not the ‘what.’”

Students study eight traditional subject areas each year, from math and science to language and the arts, but teachers organize instruction around concepts, inquiry and real-world application, rather than rote memorization. According to the International Baccalaureate Organization, the goal is to develop “active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning.”

The program emphasizes intellectual challenge and reflection, encouraging students “to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, preparing them for success in further study and in life.”

What the research shows

The Oxford-led study examined 870 students in Australia, England and Norway, comparing grade 9 and 10 students enrolled in the MYP with peers in non-IB programs. Researchers used regression analysis and propensity score matching to ensure fair comparisons.

After controlling for multiple variables, MYP students consistently outperformed non-MYP students in critical thinking, as measured by the Cornell Critical Thinking Test.

Specifically:

• MYP participation predicted higher critical-thinking scores with a moderate effect size (β = 0.33 to 0.38).
• In both grades 9 and 10, MYP students showed a statistically significant advantage.
• Researchers concluded that “participating in the MYP confers an advantage in critical thinking,” a perception shared by students, teachers and coordinators across all participating countries 

While the study was conducted internationally, its implications extend well beyond those borders. The instructional features that support critical thinking — inquiry-based learning, interdisciplinary connections, and explicit assessment of thinking skills — are central to the MYP everywhere it is implemented, including in the United States.

Why MYP students think differently

Researchers identified three features of the MYP that support critical-thinking development: principled action, understanding the nature of language, and assessment and accountability 

“Principled action,” the report states, reflects the IB’s commitment to “teaching and learning through practical, real-world experience.” Students are expected not just to learn concepts, but to apply them, often across disciplines and in authentic contexts.

Students interviewed for the study repeatedly emphasized ownership of learning as central to how they developed critical-thinking skills. Inquiry-based learning, they said, strengthened their independence of thought and ability to transfer thinking from one subject to another.

Teachers echoed that view, noting that the MYP’s shared assessment language makes expectations around thinking explicit. Assessment criteria, researchers found, “help showcase to students the importance of critical thinking” and maintain accountability in how it is taught and measured 

At Notre Dame Prep, that approach is visible across classrooms. Science students are not only assessed on what they know, but on how they design investigations, process data and reflect on the real-world impacts of science. Humanities students learn to analyze sources, evaluate perspectives and communicate evidence-based arguments, which are skills that transfer directly to college-level work.

Preparing students for what comes next

For students who continue into the IB Diploma Program in grades 11 and 12, the transition is intentional.

“The Middle Years Program was rigorous and challenging,” said Lucas Anderson, NDP ’22. “And it prepared me well for the course work of the DP.”

That preparation benefits all students, whether they pursue the IB Diploma, Advanced Placement courses or a traditional college-preparatory track. According to IB research, MYP students consistently have greater success in later IB coursework and demonstrate confidence in managing their own learning.

Ryan Wells, who graduated from NDP in 2024, said he enrolled in the IB-DP program because he knew it would set him up for not only college, but for life in general.

"Its reputation and dedication to higher education are unmatched, and that appealed to me," Wells said. "My brother, who was at the University of Notre Dame when I was at NDP, raved about the program's ability to prepare students, which also motivated me to enroll in the program."

Teachers at Notre Dame Prep emphasize that success in the Diploma Program begins well before junior year.

Educators note the experience of their MYP courses prepares students for the kind of skills and activities they will encounter in the Diploma Program.

Katherine Thomas, Notre Dame Prep's IB-MYP coordinator, also said the introduction of the MYP perfectly complemented the school's existing curriculum and educational philosophy.

"The MYP has been a natural fit both for our Marist-based school and for our mission," said Thomas, who has been on staff as a teacher for 15 years and an MYP coordinator for 10. "The different aspects of the MYP, such as the Approaches to Learning skills and the Learner Profile attributes directly connect with our mission to form Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars."

She said the academic aspect of the mission relates to the school's already impressive curriculum that includes IB, and the Christian people and upright citizens aspects blend well with the non-academic qualities of the IB program.

Learning through independent inquiry

One of the most distinctive elements of the MYP is the Personal Project, a student-driven capstone experience completed in grade 10.

At Notre Dame Prep, sophomores may elect to take the Personal Project as a one-semester course, an approach designed to support student wellness while maintaining rigor.

“The Personal Project is a one-semester, independent project course that sophomores can elect to take,” said Megan Rochon, Notre Dame Prep’s librarian and IB-MYP personal project coordinator. “It’s part of the IB Middle Years Program, and each year, the students end the project by presenting their projects to freshmen who will have the same opportunities next year.”

The project requires students to set a goal, research deeply, apply skills across disciplines and reflect on their learning — a process that mirrors the kind of independent work expected in college and beyond.

What makes a strong IB World School

The structure of the MYP also aligns with what international education expert Pasi Sahlberg describes as the “recipe for a great IB World School.”

In an essay widely shared within IB communities, Sahlberg emphasizes collaboration, creativity, professionalism and equity as essential ingredients. “Collaboration should be a fundamental principle of schooling, for both students and teachers,” he writes, noting that strong collaborative cultures create “safe and secure psychological and social environments for risk-taking, creativity and innovation.”

Sahlberg cautions against systems that prioritize standardization at the expense of curiosity and imagination. “Play is a natural and powerful way to learn,” he writes, adding that creativity flourishes when schools value community and shared purpose.

Those principles are evident in the MYP’s interdisciplinary planning, team-based teaching and emphasis on inclusivity — features that research shows support both engagement and higher-order thinking.

An advantage that lasts

For families considering Notre Dame Prep, the question is often how a school prepares students not just for the next grade, but for the future.

The evidence suggests that the IB Middle Years Program does exactly that. By teaching students how to think, reflect and apply knowledge, rather than simply memorize it, the MYP provides a measurable advantage.

As the Oxford researchers concluded, the program’s “evidence-based, student-centered pedagogical approaches” help students develop critical-thinking skills that extend well beyond the classroom. 

At Notre Dame Prep, where IB principles guide instruction from early childhood through high school, that advantage begins early — and continues long after graduation.

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.