Cambridge Courses: A Pathway to College Success for High School Students

For high school students, the journey to college can be significantly enhanced through college acceleration opportunities. Programs like Advanced Placement (AP), Cambridge AICE, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), dual enrollment, early college high schools, and International Baccalaureate (IB) offer a head start, allowing students to experience college-level work while earning valuable college credit. These programs not only prepare students academically but also contribute to their overall readiness for postsecondary education.

The Power of College Acceleration

College acceleration programs provide numerous benefits. They allow students to:

Gain College Credit: Earning college credit while in high school can reduce the time and cost of a college degree.
Prepare for College-Level Work: These programs expose students to the rigor and expectations of college coursework, easing the transition to higher education.
Explore Interests: College acceleration programs offer a chance to delve into specific subjects and discover potential career paths.
Enhance College Applications: Participation in challenging academic programs demonstrates a student's commitment to learning and their ability to succeed in a college environment.

Cambridge AICE Diploma: An International Curriculum

The Cambridge AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) Diploma is an international high school curriculum and examination system that offers a rigorous and well-rounded education. The Cambridge program offers both CTE focused and other traditional academic courses. It is designed to prepare students for success in higher education and beyond.

John I. Leonard High School: A Case Study in College Acceleration

John I. Leonard High School (JILHS), the largest high school in Florida’s Palm Beach County school district, exemplifies how a school can effectively integrate college acceleration opportunities into its curriculum. Serving a diverse student population of 3,600 students (roughly 70% Hispanic, 18% Black, and 10% White), JILHS offers both the AP Capstone and Cambridge AICE Diploma programs. Nearly half of the student population takes Cambridge courses.

Integrating Cambridge into CTE Pathways

Unlike many high schools, John I. Leonard seamlessly integrates its college acceleration opportunities-like AP, Cambridge International, and dual credit-through its career academies and CTE pathways. For example, the Cambridge Travel and Tourism course can be taken as early as the 9th grade and is extremely popular with students. John I. Leonard maps the Cambridge course into its CTE Travel and Tourism pathway. Students will then know the course sequences for the pathway and how college acceleration courses fit into the CTE pathway. The school strategically maps Cambridge courses into its Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways. This approach allows students to see the direct relevance of college-level coursework to their chosen career fields. For instance, the Cambridge Travel and Tourism course is integrated into the CTE Travel and Tourism pathway, providing students with a clear understanding of how the course sequence aligns with their career goals.

Overcoming Challenges to Increase Enrollment

JILHS’s students face certain challenges. As such, Principal Patterson cannot solely rely on the state, standardized assessment or the PSAT to identify students who have the potential to succeed at college acceleration courses. Through those methods, only 15% of students would qualify. There are no eligibility restrictions on Cambridge course enrollment. However, the school must overcome significant challenges to increase Cambridge enrollment: students often don’t understand the course or its value, students don’t believe they can succeed in college-level courses and many parents have lost the idea of the value of a college education.

Strategies for Success

JILHS implements a multi-faceted approach to promote college acceleration and ensure student success:

Automatic Enrollment: Principal Patterson automatically enrolls students in more rigorous courses like Cambridge courses. There is a risk to auto-enrolling students. Parents sometimes push back and ask that their student is removed from the course. I win some. I lose some.
Targeted Recruitment: Principal Patterson sets an annual target based on the prior year with growth. For the 2020-21 school year, her target is to have 50% of the student population enrolled in Cambridge courses. She also examines the demographic composition of Cambridge International to ensure targets are met for English language learners and students with disabilities.
Open Communication: After this automatic enrollment, some parents and students inevitably seek a change. But to do so, they must first talk with Principal Patterson and her team, and this gives the school another opportunity to sell the value of college acceleration courses and inform parents about their children’s capability to succeed.

Financial Incentives

The Florida Legislature provides financial incentives to encourage participation and success in college acceleration programs:

Teacher Bonus: The Florida Legislature has created a $50 teacher bonus per student, with no cap on the bonus amount, for each student scoring an “E” or higher on a Cambridge exam or 3 or higher on an AP exam.
School Bonus: The Florida Legislature has created a $691 school bonus per student for each student scoring an “E” or higher on a Cambridge exam for the 2020-21 school year. (The bonus is part of Florida’s student funding formula and is equivalent to 0.16 full-time equivalent student membership). Additionally, the school receives $1,295 in bonus funding per student who earns a Cambridge AICA Diploma or AP Capstone Diploma. (The bonus is equivalent to 0.3 full-time equivalent student membership under Florida’s student funding formula.)
Student Financial Aid: A student who earns the Cambridge AICE Diploma automatically qualifies for the Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholarship award regardless of the student’s SAT/ACT score. The award pays 100% of the tuition and applicable fees at an eligible Florida college or university.

Adapting to Remote Learning

JILHS closed its doors on March 16, 2020, and shifted to a remote instructional delivery model. With respect to Cambridge International, no Cambridge exams were administered in spring/summer 2020. Instead, teachers were responsible for compiling student evidence of success and for ranking the students on the A-E scale by course. Cambridge International would request compiled student evidence to validate a teacher predicted grade.

The Need for Data

Principal Patterson would like access to disaggregated, post-graduate high school data on students who successfully complete a Cambridge course or earn the Cambridge AICE Diploma, along with other college acceleration options, to help her better identify best practices or improvements in current offerings.

Cambridge Experience at Peterhouse College

Peterhouse, the oldest college of the University of Cambridge, offers a unique summer program that welcomes students to experience Cambridge. Students may attend one or two sessions and choose one course per session from options that include Medical Science, Business, Psychology, Espionage, and Law.

Program Features

Comprehensive Fees: Fees include accommodation, classroom instruction, workshops, field trips, two daily meals, and all program-organized activities.
Scholarships: A select number of scholarships based on financial need are available.
Cambridge as a Teaching Tool: Every class is designed to use Cambridge as a teaching tool.
Extracurricular Activities: When not in class, students have access to a full range of activities designed to help them discover local and national culture.
Accommodation: In Cambridge, students live in rooms that are occupied by undergraduates during the year. Students are housed in singles or doubles.
Facilities: Students have access to common areas within the residences as well as a variety of sporting and educational facilities (gyms, basketball courts, tennis courts, pitches).
Meals: Students enjoy breakfast and dinner in their residence's dining hall. Breakfast is primarily continental style with choices such as cereal, yogurt, fruit, toast, coffee, and tea. Several options are available at dinner, including a vegetarian dish and a salad bar. Special dinners are regularly held, and each program ends with a formal banquet.
Grade Reports: Shortly after the program, all students and their parents receive a comprehensive set of grade reports, presenting their course syllabus and highlighting their specific contributions and achievements within their course(s).

Student Testimonials

"Thanks to the Cambridge Tradition experience, my daughter is much more mature, has a better knowledge of how to live abroad without her family, and she's better prepared for university!"
"Our daughter had a wonderful experience, and she found the Psychology and Genetics courses engaging and useful. She learned new things, made friends, and had 4 amazing weeks!"
"Our daughter loved the Oxford Experience program. She enjoyed her Major, made nice friends, and really began to feel more independent and confident while exploring beautiful Oxford. A great experience through and through and just what we all were hoping for!"
"Just wanted to reach out to thank you for helping to make my daughter's summer spectacular!"
"Thank you for making my son's experience at Cambridge so memorable! Usually reserved, he talked the whole way home from the airport about what he learned in class, the friends he made, and the museums he visited."

Dual Enrollment Programs

For faster progress on your academic journey, earn college credits while still in high school through our dual enrollment programs.

The Value of a College Education

A college education is an essential investment in a high school student’s future. Individuals with a bachelor's degree earn an average of $36,000 annually or 84 percent more than those holding a high school diploma.

Course Flexibility

Online (Asynchronous) Courses: offer maximum flexibility. There are no set class times, allowing you to choose when to complete coursework. However, assignments must meet syllabus deadlines. For first-time students, INF 101-Information Literacy for College Success is highly recommended.
Remote (Zoom) Courses: more closely resemble traditional on-campus classes with scheduled or synchronous class times.

Read also: Finding Accommodation in Cambridge

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