Middle School – Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinator
(Grades 6 to 10)
Professional Expectations*
(*including but not limited to and in addition to the MS teacher and Head/ Supervisor professional expectations
and what is stipulated in school policies, handbooks, guides, etc., as well as official IB publications)

Job Title : (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinator
Department : Academic
Reports to : Heads of School, Director of Academics, Assistant Director of Academics (IB
Continuum) Middle School Deputy Principals (Administration)
Supervises : Deans, Heads of Department/ Subject/ Area/ Year, Core Supervisors &
Facilitators (ATL, SaA, CP, PP), Programme Teachers, Students
Collaborates : (Chinese/ International) Middle Years Programme Coordinator, CNC
Coordinator


For guidance:

• The LYBS core values underpin our programmes and educators shall aim to ensure that curriculum implementation will realize the school’s mission, vision and objectives.
• Classroom pedagogy will reflect the philosophy and guidelines of the respective programmes.
• The most recent respective programmes and school Handbooks, Guides, as well as policies and procedures will be read, fully understood and adhered to.

Job focus:

The function of the (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator is to take a leading role in the coordination of Grades 6 and 10, to allow their smooth, efficient running, and thus maximize student learning outcomes.

To further clarify, please note that:

• The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator is appointed with a job description, release time, support and resources to carry out the responsibilities of the position.
• The job description of the (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator includes recognition of this leadership function, in addition to the management roles of general programme administration and communication.
• In addition to carrying out a range of administrative functions, the (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator is a part of the Middle School pedagogical leadership team. Pedagogy is defined as “the art and science of teaching children” (Ozuah 2005: 83), in contrast to andragogy which is “the art and science of helping adults learn” (Knowles 1980: 43). When considering teaching strategies suitable for students aged 11 to 16 it may be useful to move towards more andragogical approaches, in order to design teaching more appropriately matched to the developmental stage of the students.
• The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator has a good knowledge of the school regulations and procedures described in the respective handbooks, guides, policies and procedures, as well as the Handbook of Procedures for the Middle Years Programme and the General regulations: Middle Years Programme. The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator is allocated sufficient time to do the job properly, reflecting the extensive demands of the role, and is part of the Middle School pedagogical leadership team, in order to raise the profile of the programme offered to students at the highest level.
• The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator has responsibility for communicating information to all members of the school community. The following illustrate some of the additional aspects of this role that should be taken into consideration:

1. Guiding the school community

School-based guidance must ensure that the community (students, parents and teachers) understand the selection options available, which can involve complex decision-making. Implicit in this is the need not only for clear knowledge of the various regulations but also an understanding of the consequences for individual students in terms of appropriate balance, course load, stress and suitability for high education that is to follow. This process of guidance must begin well before Grade 6. The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be involved in the publication of documentation to support such guidance in order to promote the understanding and support of the implementation of the programme offered by the school community. The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator should apply all relevant copyright policies in all communications to the school community.

2. Determining admission to the Diploma Programme

The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be closely involved in developing and administering the processes for student admission into the programme offered; this may take the form of student interviews, testing or evaluation of teacher recommendations. Since LYBS is an inclusive school, as per its Admission Policy, the role of the (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be to develop processes for widely informing potential students and their parents about the programmes offered, so that they can make appropriate choices about whether to enrol and what options within the respective programme to select as/ if needed and applicable. The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator may work alongside designated administrative staff (Operations, Marketing Communications & Admissions Department).


3. Working with various programme teachers

A significant aspect of the (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator’s role is to ensure that teachers gain a full understanding of the programme. In the implementation stage, the (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be well involved in working with teachers to ensure that they fully understand their own subject’s requirements and have a broader awareness of the respective programme and its expectations. This is often achieved through in-house professional development, professional learning communities and regularly scheduled meetings with teachers in collaboration with the Middle School Administration and the fellow Coordinators. This serves to provide them with a good understanding of the demands that the programme places on the student and the forms those demands take, thereby putting their own subject into perspective. These meetings can also be critical in providing time for teachers to work collaboratively to develop effective timelines for assessment, thereby ensuring that students are not unduly taxed, with multiple assignments due at any one time. In addition, these meetings allow teachers to share methodologies for ensuring learning success and academic honesty.

4. Scheduling different programme courses and the school calendar

The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator will work closely with the Middle School Administration to create the school schedule and calendar to ensure that all courses meet programme requirements and that students gain the maximum benefit of concurrency of learning whenever possible. Scheduling can be a complex issue, particularly when teachers also teach in the in multiple school divisions, and it is frequently necessary to conduct a detailed analysis of timelines for internal and external (as/ if needed and applicable) assessment completion and submission. Linked to this, the (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator has a role to play in supporting the Middle School Administration in ensuring that school policies support the ongoing development of the programme offered and that excellent teachers are recruited and retained.

5. Supporting the core

The (International/ Chinese) Middle Years Programme Coordinator will have the additional responsibilities of the overall supervision and support of the core (ATL, SaA, CP, PP) in the school.

SaA — The Coordinator role includes developing opportunities for students to engage in authentic experiential learning and to reflect on their experiences in meaningful ways. This is time-consuming and requires close cooperation with many other school colleagues, who need to be involved in supporting the programme. The Middle Years Programme Coordinator has a leadership function, if not a specific management responsibility, in ensuring that the programme is properly supported and valued in the school. The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be under the overall supervision of the Middle School Administration.

Community & Personal Project — The Middle Years Programme Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the programme, ensuring that students fully understand its nature, training potential teacher–supervisors, and working to develop an appropriate timeline for production. Depending on the number of students involved, this can be an extensive task. The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be under the overall supervision of the Middle School Administration.

6. Articulating curricular expectations leading to the respective programmes

The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be under the overall supervision of the Middle School Administration. They will work with the respective programme Deans, Heads of Department/ Subject/ Area/ Year, Core Supervisors & Facilitators (ATL, SaA, CP, PP), Programme Teachers or curricular specialists to try to ensure that the curriculum provides adequate preparation in course content and assessment procedures, and potentially gives the maximum number of students the opportunity to successfully attend the programme. The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will naturally be in regular contact with the (Chinese/ International) Middle Years Programme Coordinator and CNC Coordinator to ensure coherent programme articulation through horizontal (looking across a grade level) and vertical (looking between grade levels) articulation exercises.

7. General administration

The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be responsible for managing a large number of essential administrative tasks detailed in the Handbook of Procedures for the Middle Years Programme. These include, but are not limited to:
• registering students as MYP examination candidates (as/ if needed and applicable); 

• entering data on the IB information system (IBIS), including provisional grades; 

• student mark entry; 

• supporting students with assessment access requirements. The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will also play a role in organizing and managing assessments and must ensure that all teachers are following the correct procedures and practices in monitoring assessment tasks and sampling work to be used for moderation and/ or standardisation purposes, as well as forwarded to the respective examination Boards (as/ if needed and applicable). 


8. Designing a database for the community 


It is important to maintain contact with alumni and to develop a database of assessment results, new placements and contact information within the context of any pertaining data protection requirements. This type of longitudinal data analysis will be the responsibility of the Middle Years Programme Coordinator in collaboration with the (Chinese/ International) Middle Years Programme Coordinator and CNC Coordinator.

9. Administering respective Programme budgets and teacher professional development 


The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will be frequently responsible for administering programme related postage and courier costs, the purchase of publications, and annual and examination fee payments (as/ if needed and applicable). In addition, the Middle Years Programme Coordinator will ensure that teachers have received appropriate authorized training in collaboration with the (Chinese/ International) Middle Years Programme Coordinator and CNC Coordinator and the Middle School Administration. 


10. Organizing and completing the five-year programme evaluation 


The Middle Years Programme Coordinator will have the prime responsibility for ensuring that all stakeholders have access to, and comprehend the expectations explicit in, the document Programme Standards and Practices (2020). This understanding will be the basis of an effective review process, conducted minimum over three semesters and maximum over two school years, which the Middle Years Programme Coordinator will spearhead, ensuring completion by the due date for submission to the IB in collaboration with (Chinese/ International) Middle Years Programme Coordinator and under the supervision of the Director of Academics and the Assistant Director of Academics (IB Continuum) . 

11. Programme implementation and development

The role of the Middle Years Programme Coordinator in the implementation and development of the programme will be extensive. The most intangible, but also probably the most significant, aspect of this role will be to ensure that the school embraces the mission statement of the programme and is able to demonstrate in an explicit way how the structure of the programme and its implementation are furthering this and the school’s mission. In this way, the Middle Years Programme Coordinator fosters, in collaboration with the respective programme Deans, Heads of Department/ Subject/ Area/ Year, Core Supervisors & Facilitators (ATL, SaA, CP, PP), Programme Teachers or curricular specialists, the spirit of an international education in the school, one that will hopefully help graduating students to develop the skills, wisdom and cultural understanding necessary to engage with the significant global issues we face now and in the future.

12. Part of the pedagogical leadership team

The processes involved in the management of the programme are comprehensively explained in the respective publications, which detail the specific regulations and practical requirements for delivering each programme. However, in addition to the crucial “procedural”/organizational responsibilities of the Middle Years Programme Coordinator, another important aspect of the role is that of being part of the Middle School’s pedagogical leadership team.

This does not mean that the sole responsibility for pedagogical leadership should fall on the shoulders of the the Middle Years Programme Coordinator. However, it does mean that the Middle Years Programme Coordinator plays a crucial role in helping to ensure, for example:
• that there is a clear and unified approach to planning, including collaborative planning; 

• that international-mindedness is embedded in curricular and co-curricular activities; 

• that the standard to which coursework is marked is established and monitored; 

• that especially the elements of the core play a central role in the curriculum and that both support, and are supported by, the subject disciplines. 



13. Promoting the use of the Resource Centre

Encouraging teachers to actively use resources (e.g. Programme Resource Centre/ PRC) and participate in forums will be another important consideration. The Middle Years Programme Coordinator must also ensure that all teachers attend official, authorised training as required by the respective programme regulations. 


Qualifications and experience:

 Bachelor’s degree in a related field from a recognized/ accredited university (required)
 Teaching License/ Certification/ PGCE, etc. (required)
 Advanced degree in Education and/ or Education Administration (preferred)
 Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in education overall (required)
 Minimum 4 years of relevant experience in the Middle Years Programme (required)
 Minimum 2 years of relevant administrative experience in education (preferred)
 IBEN active participation (preferred)
 English language competency (oral and written): Native/ near native (for international hires – required), proficient (for national hires - preferred)
 Chinese language competency (oral and written): Native/ near native (for national hires – required), proficient (for international hires - preferred)
 P. R. China work permit and visa minimum requirements (for international hires – required)

What we offer:
* 12 months salary per year (40,000-50,000/month inc housing)
* Paid holiday (6-7 weeks' summer holiday and 3-4 weeks' winter holiday)
* Medical Health insurance
* Housing Allowance
* Flight tickets reimbursment

Location is 上海市闵行区平阳路150号 (No 150 Pingyang Road Minhang District, Shanghai) Shanghai Liaoyuan Bilingual School is very closed to subway Line 1 Jinjiang Park