Special Programming
1:1 Chromebook Initiative, International Baccalaureate® (IB) World Schools, and AVID
1:1 Chromebook Initiative
2025-26 BMS Chromebook Information Handout (sent home in first day of school folder)
Chromebook User Status Information
Students at Bearden Middle are not allowed to stream music or videos, unless specifically asked to do so by a teacher. Sites like Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, Amazon Music, Netflix, Hulu, etc. are fine at home, but should not be visited during school hours on the KCS WiFi.
Here is a curated list of sites students may visit if they finish an assignment early. All other gaming sites will be blocked/closed out using the county's subscription to Hapara. Hapara is an education technology platform used by schools and teachers to manage and support students when they’re working online—especially with the Google Suite for Education.
Students who repetitively break our BMS Chromebook Rules will lose the privilege of having a device to use.
Qustodio
Qustodio is a FREE service that provides parents with a resource to supervise school-issued Chromebooks outside school hours. If interested, click here for more information.
Canvas
Parents can be Observers of their child's Canvas account. Canvas is the county's Learning Management System. It is the same LMS used by major universities, including the University of Tennessee Knoxville.
To link to your child's Canvas account, follow these directions.
Once you’re linked to your child’s account, you can:
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📊 Grades (current + past)
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📅 Assignments & due dates
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✅ What’s submitted, missing, or late
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📝 Teacher feedback on work
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📢 Course announcements
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📚 Syllabi and class materials (if the teacher allows it)
What you cannot do
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❌ Submit assignments
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❌ Take quizzes or tests
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❌ Post in discussions (usually)
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❌ Message teachers as your child
For all technology questions, please contact Jennifer Pace at jennifer.pace@knoxschools.org
International Baccalaureate® (IB) World Schools
Bearden Middle School is an International Baccalaureate school offering The Middle Years Programme (MYP), which helps students grow as thinkers, problem-solvers, and global citizens. At the middle school level, MYP encourages curiosity, connects learning across subjects, and builds important skills like communication, collaboration, and reflection—preparing students for success in high school and beyond.
Education in International Baccalaureate® (IB) World Schools:
- centres on learners
- develops effective approaches to teaching and learning
- works within global contexts, helping students understand different languages and cultures
- explores significant content, developing disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding that meets rigorous international standards.
An IB education aims to transform students and schools as they learn, through dynamic cycles of inquiry, action and reflection. Teachers enable and support students as they develop the approaches to learning they need – for both academic and personal success.
IB programmes aim to help students explore and construct their own personal and cultural identities.
In the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), core subjects aren’t referred to by traditional U.S. class names like English or History. Instead, they’re organized into eight subject groups that reflect a global framework for learning:
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Language and Literature – (equivalent to English/Language Arts)
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Language Acquisition – (world languages, e.g., Spanish, French, etc.)
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Individuals and Societies – (similar to Social Studies/History)
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Sciences – (Life, Physical, Earth Sciences, etc.)
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Mathematics
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Arts – (visual arts, music, theater, etc.)
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Physical and Health Education
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Design – (problem-solving, technology, engineering, innovation)
In addition, all students work on developing the IB Learner Profile traits.
The video series below introduces viewers to a global network of IB teachers and learners, who are engaged and passionate about learning.
For all IB questions, please contact Bahar Hill at bahar.hill@knoxschools.org
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)
Bearden Middle is also an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) school. AVID is a non-profit educational program that helps students prepare for college and post-secondary success by teaching academic and study skills. AVID primarily targets students with a GPA between 2.0 - 3.5 who are on the college track but may need support in developing skills like writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading (WICOR).
This program uses an AVID elective class and school-wide strategies to build a culture of college readiness.The program is implemented in schools in 46 states and 16 other countries, making it a global system.
For all AVID questions, please contact Allison Gill at allison.gill@knoxschools.org