Learning
by Jarrett Brown & David Crosby
In this blog, our panellists share key insights from the recent ManageBac+ webinar on curriculum implementation in China. Drawing from their leadership experience in two distinct international school contexts, they explore how schools can navigate local requirements while upholding global curriculum standards.
Jarrett Brown, Secondary School Principal at ISA International Education Group, brings a wealth of experience leading teams across IB and bilingual programmes. David Crosby, Head of Systems and Data at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, offers a data-driven perspective on aligning curriculum planning with the school’s overall strategy.
Together, they reflect on how schools can build coherence, foster collaboration, and support diverse curricula in a complex and evolving educational landscape.
Curriculum in Context –Meeting Local Needs Without Compromising Global Standards
International schools in China must align global standards with local expectations, and families play a central role in this journey. Both ISA and YCIS have adopted a blended curriculum model that respects the academic expectations of China’s national system while cultivating global competencies through international curricula.
At ISA International Education Group, the curriculum combines the Chinese national framework with IB, A-Level, and AP programmes. Local content strength is complemented by global skills like critical thinking, research, ATL, and real-world application through service learning. Students receive early guidance—from Grade 8—on exam pathways (Zhongkao, Gaokao, IGCSE, DP, etc.), supported by close family engagement.
Chinese local academic rigour is balanced with meaningful real-world application in ATL skills and service classes.– Jarrett Brown
At Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, growing parental expectations have reshaped curriculum transparency. Pre-COVID, families had physical access to learning environments. Today, that visibility is maintained through technology—primarily ManageBac+—which gives parents real-time updates on curriculum, progress, and assessment across all school sections.
The school has also introduced the DSE (Diploma of Specialized Education) to expand student pathways and future readiness.
ManageBac+ serves as a digital bridge offering parents a real-time, comprehensive view of curriculum delivery and student progress.– David Crosby
Balancing International Rigour with Local Realities
Integrating international expectations with local policies often brings challenges, from language demands to managing multiple assessment pathways. Both schools highlight the value of coherence and clarity when navigating these.
At ISA International Education Group, the team aligns skill-based outcomes across IB and IGCSE/A-Levels with local subject depth, such as critical thinking through Chinese literature. A key challenge has been language proficiency: many students struggle with the demands of English-medium instruction. ISA addresses this through built-in language scaffolding, EAL support in core classes, and helping families make informed choices about which exam pathways truly serve their child’s goals—rather than attempting all options at once.
Alignment in curricula is essential to manage the balance of local requirements and international expectations.– Jarrett Brown
At Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, the goal is deeper: not just delivering both local and global content, but integrating them within a cohesive system. Chinese Studies are embedded across year levels to build cultural fluency, and international programmes like IB and IGCSE are managed within a single platform—ManageBac+. The school has also woven in the Hong Kong DSE, a popular local qualification, into its broader offering. With customizable curriculum templates and assessment tools, ManageBac+ helps track both international learning outcomes and local language proficiency targets.
The challenge wasn’t just the curriculum—it was building a unified system that respects both local and global priorities.– David Crosby
Using ManageBac+ to Build Curriculum Alignment and Visibility
More than just a platform, ManageBac+ acts as the curriculum engine for international schools navigating multiple programs and languages.
For both leaders, ManageBac+ plays a central role in delivering aligned, transparent, and trackable curriculum experiences.
At ISA International Education Group, ManageBac+ brings structure and coherence to a complex curriculum landscape—IB, IGCSE, and bilingual tracks are all housed in one system. Teams use it to vertically and horizontally map learning outcomes, identify gaps and redundancies, and align assessments. This level of visibility helps maintain teaching consistency and rigor while simplifying transcript generation and reporting across programmes. Parents benefit too: real-time access to grading and progress data fosters trust and timely support.
ManageBac+ offers excellent transparency for reports, transcripts, and assessments.– Jarrett Brown
At Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, a dedicated Curriculum Development team and ManageBac+ advisor ensure that every unit is planned, taught, assessed, and reported on the platform. This alignment supports both academic rigor and bilingual delivery. Crucially, ManageBac+’s multilingual capabilities allow families to access curriculum outlines, assessment criteria, and updates in their preferred language—deepening parental engagement across linguistic boundaries.
Multilingual access in ManageBac+ ensures non-English-speaking parents stay informed and involved—an essential part of inclusive education. – David Crosby
Strengthening Collaboration Across Curricula and Campuses
Effective collaboration across multiple curricula—IB, British, AP, and local—is essential in international schools navigating China’s complex educational landscape.
At ISA International Education Group, collaboration is intentionally structured. Teachers from diverse programmes engage in joint planning sessions and shared PD to identify overlapping skills and assessments. The focus is on integration, not isolation—breaking down curriculum silos. Beyond campus, ISA champions broader professional networks (like ACAMIS and IB Educator Associations), advocating for both virtual (WeChat, PeerSphere) and in-person exchanges to build a stronger regional educator ecosystem.
Listen to all stakeholders through different formats and different languages for the best answers. – Jarrett Brown
At Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, ManageBac+ powers transparency and cross-disciplinary visibility—enabling subject leaders and curriculum coordinators to monitor progression, share resources, and co-plan effectively. Learning Communities in Lower Secondary use the platform to create shared space for reflection and integration, while transcript generation across IGCSE and IB tracks ensures clarity for university admissions.
ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills act as a shared language across curricula, helping teachers unite around core global competencies like collaboration, responsibility, and self-regulation. In Primary, a bilingual co-teaching model—where two educators lead instruction together—further demonstrates how merging pedagogical strengths can enrich student experience. Cross-departmental strategies, such as applying “push-in” and “pull-out” support models from the Chinese department to the English team, exemplify how collaboration enhances differentiation and impact.
ATL skills provide a universal framework for character education that bridges curricula and unifies teaching teams. – David Crosby
Key Takeaways for School Leaders
True alignment between global programmes and local expectations demands both structural clarity and cultural sensitivity.
At ISA International Education Group, the priority is inclusive leadership. School leaders are encouraged to listen deeply—including to quieter voices—and build collaborative teams that reflect a range of perspectives. Success lies in respecting the academic strength of national curricula while embracing the creativity, skills, and service components of global programmes. Forward-looking schools also begin embedding future-ready literacies—like AI fluency—into both local and international learning contexts.
Blend the best of both worlds—academic rigor from national curricula and real-world skill development from international standards. – Jarrett Brown
At Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, alignment starts with a shared language. Frameworks like ATL (Approaches to Learning) provide a common foundation for teacher collaboration across curricula. ManageBac+ supports this integration with tools that promote transparency and cohesion. The advice to leaders: invest in regular cross-curricular planning time, use platforms that unify efforts, and model collaboration as a schoolwide value.
Shared frameworks and consistent tools are the bedrock of curriculum coherence—and cultural unity—in complex school environments. – David Crosby
Their message is clear: build flexible systems, foster collaboration, and use the right tools to make curriculum management more transparent and inclusive for all stakeholders.
Conclusion: Toward Coherence with Purpose
In China’s dynamic international school landscape, curriculum alignment is more than a technical task—it’s a leadership responsibility rooted in cultural respect, strategic planning, and human connection. The experiences of ISA and Yew Chung show that success lies in intentional integration: blending local strengths with global frameworks, leveraging tools like ManageBac+, and fostering a collaborative mindset across teams and communities.
For school leaders, the path forward is clear:
- Listen widely, especially to quieter voices.
- Plan strategically, using shared frameworks and transparent systems.
- Collaborate deeply, across curricula, languages, and borders.
By doing so, we not only meet policy expectations—we prepare students for a future that is globally connected, locally grounded, and profoundly human.
Interested in learning more?
Explore how ManageBac+ supports curriculum alignment and bilingual education across global schools. Contact us to book a personalized demo.
