Tarbiyah Academy

An IB World School for the PYP

On the heels of a successful annual gala, we’re proud to announce our highly anticipated middle school for the 2019/2020 academic year. This project has been years in the making. The steady growth of the student body and the groundswell of support from parents and community have enabled us to reach this moment. The Board of Directors has unveiled its next phase at Tarbiyah Academy with its Middle School Program. This initiative consists of:

  • New construction consisting of over 4000 sq ft of new classrooms, library and lab
  • Specialty teachers in pertinent subject areas
  • Tailored curriculum emphasizing comprehensive Islamic integration
  • High school preparedness and transitioning to the public sector
  • Emphasis on leadership including public speaking, debate, rhetoric
  • Community service and volunteerism
  • Registration is now open for grades K-8!

 

SUCCESS - go get it written in white chalk on black chalkboard

Frequently Asked Questions about our New Middle School

 

 

Scrabble board with block tiles spelling Learn, Read, Math, Back to School

 

 

 

Why Middle School? Why now?

Dr. Jacquelynne S. Eccles of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor states: “The years between 6 and 14—middle childhood and early adolescence—are a time of important developmental advances that establish children’s sense of identity. During these years, children make strides toward adulthood by becoming competent, independent, self-aware, and involved in the world beyond their families. Biological and cognitive changes transform children’s bodies and minds. Social relationships and roles change dramatically as children enter school, join programs, and become involved with peers and adults outside their families.”

Alhumdulillah, Tarbiyah Academy has established a robust and sturdy educational base in its Primary Years Program grounded in the IB curricular framework and an Islamic ethics and spirituality. Entering into our fifth year, we are ready to take our commitment and service to the community’s youth to the next level. We are thrilled to launch our Middle School and support our adolescents and early teenagers in their journeys to find themselves, develop their talents and grow their knowledge, and assert a confident Muslim identity amidst growing social instability.

Will Tarbiyah MS be an IB World School?

Tarbiyah Academy will not apply for IB candidacy in the first or second years of the Middle School. Our PYP will be conducting a self-study year in 2019-20 and will be re-evaluated by the IBO in 2020-21. In 2021-22, we anticipate being established enough in our Middle School program to apply for MYP candidacy.

 

 

Will the curriculum be an IB curriculum?

Yes! We have several years of lived practice in learning the IB curricular framework, transdisciplinary learning, approaches to learning, and key concepts. We will be designing our Middle School Program of Inquiry based on the best practices of an IB pedagogy.

What will the focus of the MS be?

While the nature of teaching and learning in the PYP is concept-based, transdisciplinary and largely taught by a single classroom teacher, our MS will be designed to transition into a model that focuses on disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning. Our teaching will continue to be differentiated for a range of individual learning needs, but with a focus on adolescent and teenage developmental needs.

Our curriculum design will reflect this. The important outcomes of the MS will be action, service, and Community and Personal Projects (the MS counterparts to our PYP Exhibition). Our broad and balanced curriculum will consist of eight subject groups: language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and societies; sciences; mathematics; arts; physical and health education; and design.

We will be sure, insha’Allah, to nurture MS students’ self-awareness in deeper knowledge of Allah His messenger (saw). We will gear units of inquiry to developing High School preparedness, transitioning to the public sector, leadership including public speaking, debate and rhetoric, and community service and volunteerism.

Will the school teach local and national standards such as Common Core?

Yes! We will be a Maryland State Department of Education certified non-public school and will teach Common Core standards for ELA and Math, Next Generation Science standards, MSD standards for Social Studies, and ACTFL standards for Arabic.

 

What resources can you devote to develop the Middle School?

The greatest resource we are devoting to our MS is the knowledge and experience we have gained during the young but rigorous journey of our PYP. We have developed a sophisticated Program of Inquiry and robust bundle of educational practices that we will apply to our MS program.

In addition, on the heels of a successful Fundraising Gala, we are excitedly embarking on new construction consisting of over 4000 square feet of new classrooms, a science lab, a library replete with carefully selected reference, science and literary texts, and a design-focused Maker Space.

Will Tarbiyah Middle School teachers be certified and trained?

Yes! Our teachers will be certified in their respective fields and grade levels, and will receive IB Middle Years Program training beginning in Year 1 of the MS.

What are the advantages of a Tarbiyah Middle School education?

Tarbiyah Academy has worked hard to achieve a fine balance between academic rigor, Islamic ethos, best practices in education, outside-the-box thinking with regard to classroom space and management and an energized school spirit. Particularly for middle schoolers, who must navigate a time marked by transition of every kind (biological, emotional, intellectual and spiritual), we are filled with a sense of urgency. We gaze upon our children and marvel at how much they’ve grown moving through the PYP. The Tarbiyah Middle School is the logical next step in our own journey of lifelong learning, service and action.

 

Registration is now open!

Visit https://tarbiyahacademy.com/admissionsprocess/ to begin your application. Space is limited, and cannot be guaranteed after April 15, 2019.