Many high school principals with a passing rate of 85% on AP exams would be proud of their students’ achievement. But as Kassandra Fried, Principal of Cypress Bay High school in Broward County, Florida, examined her campus’s data in 2011, she was concerned. She found that while the school administered over 3550 AP exams, only 38% of their student population was taking AP classes. Cypress Bay High School serves a majority-minority student population of about 4700 students that is 64% Hispanic, 22% White, 7% Asian and 5% African American. However, Principal Fried noted that students of color were underrepresented in college level courses, with only 36% of Hispanic students and 2% of African American students enrolled in AP. 2700 of their students—more than half—were not taking ANY college level classes, and only 1% of 9th graders were taking advanced courses. Kassandra Fried is not the kind of educator who can be complacent. She and her team were determined to increase opportunities for advanced, college level courses to provide pathways for success for more students. At the Texas ASCD conference in Houston this October, she presented a session about Cypress Bay’s journey to expand participation and inclusivity in advanced academic courses.
After a national and international search, Principal Fried, Assistant Principal Debra Santoro, and Campus curriculum director Suzanne Moody found Cambridge International. Part of the highly respected Cambridge University, Cambridge International is the leading provider of international education, working with over 10,000 schools in 170 countries. Cambridge offers K-12 vertically aligned curricula and assessment, along with professional development services. Teachers were trained in the Cambridge instructional approach, in which teachers become facilitators and students drive learning through engaging in collaborative small group work and discussion. Cambridge provided the curricular resources and professional development needed to complement the campus’s AP program and challenge students to meet high-level expectations across multiple academic, career, and technical disciplines.
Initially, Cypress Bay offered nine courses from the Cambridge International curricula, including Computer Science, Business, Thinking Skills, Chinese, advanced Spanish for native Spanish speakers, and English General Paper, a foundational course that develops students’ writing skills. As more students became engaged with the Cambridge program, the course list has now expanded to over 30 courses in four categories: Mathematics and Science, Language Arts, Arts and Humanities, and Global Perspectives. English 1 and 2 Honors courses have been replaced by Cambridge Pre-Advanced courses, which prepare students for the writing and critical analysis skills they will need in college-level courses. A unique Cambridge pathway, the only one of its kind in the nation, was created in partnership with the FBI to help recruit underrepresented populations. Students learn skills for cyber security and participate in practical exercises that require them to critically analyze case studies.
The project-based, problem-solving approach in the Cambridge curriculum moves students beyond multiple-choice, test-based academic courses, and offers more opportunities for students to explore their interests and gain relevant, hands-on experiences in career fields. The opportunities to develop verbal and written language skills benefit the English Learner population. Teachers enjoy the flexibility offered by the Cambridge curriculum, in which students develop case studies and projects that reflect their own interests.
The data on advanced academic participation looks very different today at Cypress Bay High School, thanks to the dedication of Kassandra Fried and her team. In 2022, 58% of students took advanced courses, including 55% of Hispanic students and 38% of African American students. 50% of 9th graders now take an advanced course. AP enrollment remains high, and the passing rate for AP exams has actually increased to 91%, BOTH for students taking the AP multiple-choice exams AND for students taking Cambridge’s essay-based exams. In 2022, 173 students earned the prestigious Cambridge AICE Diploma (Advanced International Certificate of Education) accepted by over 900 colleges in North America for credit or placement. Data shows that Cambridge students have higher rates of success in college over 4 and 6 years, as well.
Reflecting on her campus’s Cambridge program, Kassandra said, “We realized not enough students were taking accelerated classes and we asked, how can we reach more students? We partnered with Cambridge to create an opportunity for more students to perform at an advanced level. Our journey continues because the world keeps changing and evolving. Every success story is a tale of constant adaptation, revision, and change.”
Learn more about Cypress Bay High School AICE / Cambridge / Brochure (browardschools.com)
Learn more about Cambridge Cambridge Assessment International Education Official Website (cambridgeinternational.org)