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Patterson Elementary showcases its IB Primary Years Program authorization and student-centered approach
Summary
Patterson Elementary staff told the Gilbert Unified governing board that the school completed IB Primary Years Program authorization after a multi-year candidacy; presenters described the program’s units of inquiry, emphasis on process-oriented assessment, student agency, and Spanish instruction, and noted a sixth-grade exhibition on Feb. 27.
Principal Chip Pettit and IB coordinator Paula Dunnet presented Patterson Elementary’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) authorization and described how the school integrates IB philosophy with Gilbert Public Schools standards.
Pettit said the school began candidacy in 2021, completed authorization last year and is now in a post-authorization phase that includes ongoing program development and periodic reviews. He described PYP as a philosophy and framework that uses the district curriculum with illustrative-math adoption, six units per grade, and schoolwide, wall-to-wall IB lessons.
Dunnet outlined core PYP elements: transdisciplinary themes, units of inquiry, approaches to learning (ATL) skills, learner-profile attributes and an emphasis on formative assessment and student agency. She said PYP assessment focuses on process and student reflection rather than only summative products, and described classroom practices such as co-constructed rubrics, learning logs, and student-led inquiry.
Pettit said Spanish is the required language in Patterson’s PYP and that students attend weekly Spanish lessons focused on cultural understanding; staff are planning a February 27 exhibition to showcase sixth-graders’ culminating work.
Board members thanked presenters and asked about impacts on student engagement and state assessments; presenters said Patterson’s data show growth (Patterson has risen from an earlier B to scores in the mid-90s on state-related reporting metrics and strong growth measures) and that teachers observe increased student willingness to take academic risks and higher-quality classroom discourse.
The board did not take action on the presentation; it was accepted as part of the teaching-and-learning spotlight.
