The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and its Effect on Students in Poverty

The achievement gap between middle class white students and black or Hispanic students living in low income households continues to be a persistent problem in education even ten years since the authorization of No Child Left Behind in 2001. This study examined the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and how students from low income households preformed on the Criterion Referenced Competencies Test (CRCT) mathematics and reading subtests when compared to similar students at a school with a traditional instruction program. Analysis of covariance was employed using scores from students’ fifth grade composite Cognitive Abilities Tests as the covariate. The analysis did not detect a significant difference (p=.410) on the eighth grade adjusted means reading CRCT scores, but did detect a significant difference (