English teacher Dana Lieberman is the new International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program coordinator. She is also teaching English 10 and English 10 Honors this year. In this QRU?, Lieberman the IBMYP Certificate.

As the IBMYP coordinator, what do you do to help students?

I work with teachers and administrators to implement the program, set up support for teachers and students, and organize tracking of all students in the MYP (all freshmen and sophomores). I help teachers understand the guidelines for unit planning and assessments in the MYP so that students benefit from teaching that helps them improve their critical and creative thinking.

Do you find it hard to balancing the roles of English teacher and IBMYP coordinator? Why or why not?

Because I teach English 10, I am giving MYP assessments to my students and working with them on the Personal Project. Teaching English 10 perfectly complements the Coordinator position. It’s great to be able to see the program in action in my own classroom and work closely with the other English 10 teachers as we implement the Personal Project.

What are the requirements of the IBMYP Certificate?

Requirements for the MYP Certificate are 25 hours of community service or three reflections on community service by spring of freshman year, 25 hours of community service or three reflections on community service by spring of sophomore year, two consecutive years of the same World Language in grades 9 and 10, successful completion of the Personal Project in sophomore year, and successful completion of MYP Assessments in six core classes.

What are the benefits of getting the IBMYP Certificate?

The MYP Certificate is excellent preparation for the IB Diploma, the IB Career-related Certificate, and honors and Dual Enrollment courses. Students who complete the Certificate requirements will be more prepared for college preparatory coursework than students who do not complete the Certificate and will have learned valuable critical and creative thinking skills.

Is the IBMYP degree required for the IB diploma?

It is not necessary to earn the MYP Certificate in order to pursue or earn the IB Diploma. However, students who do receive the Certificate have a much higher success rate in earning the IB Diploma than students who do not earn the MYP Certificate.