Cambridge Secondary Information Night Welcome to <INSERT SCHOOL NAME> for a Cambridge Secondary Information Meeting. It is an exciting time for middle schools as Cambridge Secondary has been successfully introduced District-wide this year for a subset of students – those identified as gifted or high-achieving, and I expect the successes to continue next year as well. Now I am sure many of you are wondering how your student was selected and what Cambridge Secondary is. Tonight I will introduce you to Cambridge Secondary and what that means for your student’s middle school year or years. March 30, 2017

Cambridge Secondary Invite Why did my student receive an invitation? Students identified as gifted Or Students identified as high-achieving Why did your student receive an invitation? All rising 6th graders or new students to 7th, and 8th grade identified as gifted were sent an invitation. These students have the capability to engage in advanced course work and may find participating in the Cambridge Secondary cohort extends their learning beyond the standard advanced coursework. Additionally, students who are high-achieving were sent an invitation. The criteria for this were students who have: earned a level 4 or 5 on both the reading and mathematics portion of the statewide assessment in 2016; and in students in grades 6 and 7, a grade point average of 3.5 or higher – please remember our 5th grade students do not have a grade point average. These students have the demonstrated the ability to engage successfully in grade level work and may find that participation in the Cambridge Secondary cohort stretches their thinking and helps them develop into an even stronger student.

Advanced Studies in High School How will this help my student in high school? The following advanced studies options are available in high school: Cambridge AICE courses Advanced Placement (AP) courses Dual Enrollment courses Cambridge Secondary provides middle school students an initial experience with Cambridge AICE, which is one of several advanced studies options in high school. Cambridge Secondary builds the skills students need to be successful in the various high school advanced studies programs available, including: The Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) program provides advanced academic pre-university qualification for students who are studying the Cambridge International A and AS Levels. The AICE program offers students the opportunity to tailor their studies to individual interests, abilities, and future plans; combining breadth of study with choice and flexibility. The AP, or Advanced Placement, program provides college-level courses and exams in various subject areas. More than 2,900 universities and colleges worldwide grant credit, advanced placement, or both to students performing satisfactorily on the exams. Nearly 1,400 institutions grant sophomore standing to students who have demonstrated their competence in three or more of these exams. Dual enrollment allows high school students to earn college/vocational credit toward a post-secondary diploma, certificate, or degree at a Florida public institution while also earning credit toward a high school diploma.

Advanced Studies in Elementary School NEW in 2017-2018 Next school year is the inaugural year for Cambridge Primary in grades 3 – 5 in our elementary schools Collier County Public Schools is the 1st public school district in the United States to have all traditional schools, K – 12, recognized as Cambridge school sites As you may have heard, Cambridge Primary is coming to Collier County Public Schools next year. Students identified as gifted or high achieving in grades 3 – 5 will have their initial exposure to Cambridge methodology with a focus on the Cambridge Learner Attributes which I will mention later. In expanding Cambridge to our elementary schools, Collier County is pleased to be the first public school district in the entire United States to have all of its traditional schools recognized as Cambridge school sites.

What is Cambridge Secondary? Cambridge Secondary is a framework to provide an appropriate volume of content and standard of difficulty in English Language Arts, mathematics, and science Places emphasis on learner qualities Confident Engaged Innovative Reflective Responsible These qualities will be infused into the advanced courses for English Language Arts, mathematics, science and social studies to extend student learning The Cambridge Secondary cohort will be the students’ initial experience with Cambridge AICE, of which those of you with high school students may be aware. Cambridge Secondary provides a framework for 3 of the core content areas – English Language Arts, mathematics, and science. While social studies is not included within the Cambridge Secondary frameworks, students participating in the Cambridge Secondary cohort will take advanced social studies courses that extend their writing and reasoning skills similar to what will occur in the other content areas. These frameworks place an emphasis on learner qualities – such as being a responsible and engaged learner – and these traits allow students identified as gifted or high-achieving to reflect on a topic from multiple viewpoints in order to determine what this means within the scope of their learning. Now we will watch a brief video detailing the Cambridge experience from the viewpoints of a recent Cambridge Secondary students. Click on film icon to watch the Cambridge Secondary video.

Cambridge Secondary Application How does my student participate in Cambridge Secondary? Students will apply to participate in Cambridge Secondary Application will consist of: Parent-student agreement Student narratives Student self-assessment Applications are due Thursday, April 13, 2017 Participation in Cambridge Secondary is not automatic. Students who meet the eligibility requirements will receive a Cambridge Secondary application. The application consists of a student-parent agreement detailing the student’s commitment to year-long participation, two short response questions (or student narratives), and a student self-assessment on his or her own learner qualities. These responses provide insight into the student as a learner and how he or she perseveres when facing a difficult task. The first question asks the student to describe how he or she will be an active participant and learner in the Cambridge Secondary cohort. The second asks the student to describe a time she or he has had to persevere when facing a challenging task. Neither question is meant to be an essay, but rather a reflective answer (or narrative) by the student. Students will write their responses directly on the application form, and responses will be approximately a paragraph in length. There is also a Student Self-Assessment on the application. In this portion of the application, students will rate their own learner qualities given the statements provided. Students will answer these statements using a 1 – 5 scale with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. Additionally, students will also describe the outside activities in which they are involved such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or youth soccer teams. If interested, you and your student will have the next two weeks to complete the application as applications are due by or on Thursday, April 13th. Applications will be turned in at your student’s current school – be it the elementary or middle school. Elementary schools will send the rising 6th graders applications to the projected middle school.

Cambridge Secondary Selection School Site Review Team School-site review process Conducted at each middle school Reviews application Reviews student’s academic, attendance, and discipline data Notification of acceptance mailed the week of May 1, 2017 Now that students have applied to participate in the Cambridge Secondary cohort, each application will be reviewed by the School-Site Review Team. As the principal of this school, I will lead this School-Site Review Team. We will review each application and evaluate the application according to a rubric. The students’ grade point average, short responses, attendance history, discipline record (if any), and assessment data will be taken into consideration. Acceptance into Cambridge Secondary will be for the upcoming school year and may mean your student will have a similar schedule to other participants. Acceptance into Cambridge Secondary does not mean that your student has to take Cambridge AICE courses in high school. Once in high school, students will be able to choose from a variety of courses, such as Advanced Placement, Cambridge AICE, and honors courses. Students who are not accepted for next year’s Cambridge Secondary cohort may reapply for the following school year. For example, if your student is not accepted for 6th grade, he or she may reapply for acceptance in the 7th grade. Furthermore, a student who chooses to not participate in Cambridge Secondary in middle school will not be prevented from taking advanced courses in high school. If your student is not accepted and you believe this to be in error, we will schedule a meeting to discuss your student’s application. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this meeting, you may appeal to the District, and I will provide you with the District appeal process at that meeting.

Cambridge Secondary Schedules Student Schedules Students accepted into Cambridge Secondary may have similar schedules Students will take the Cambridge Secondary courses for all content areas Participation is a year-long commitment In 8th grade, students will take Pre-AICE Global Perspectives, a high school course As briefly mentioned as part of the last slide, students accepted into Cambridge Secondary may have similar schedules and will take the Cambridge Secondary infused advanced courses for all content areas. While social studies is not included within the Cambridge Secondary frameworks, students accepted into Cambridge Secondary will take advanced social studies courses that extend their writing and reasoning skills similar to what occurs in the other content areas. Participation is a year-long commitment as your student will be enrolled in these grade level advanced courses. In 8th grade the Cambridge Secondary students will take a Pre-AICE high school credit earning course. This course will be paired with the 8th grade advanced English Language Arts course and will engage students in the research process on a topic of interest. As this is a high school credit course, keep in mind that the grade earned in this course will count towards your student’s high school grade point average.

Cambridge Secondary & Assessments What assessments will by student take? Students will be instructed according to the Florida Standards Students will take the statewide assessments as designated by the State for their grade level or course Classroom assessments Students in Cambridge Secondary will be instructed according to the Florida Standards. Cambridge Secondary extensions will support these standards and extend students’ thinking as they become more reflective learners. As such, students will take the statewide assessments that are aligned to their grade level and courses. Therefore a 7th grade student in Cambridge Secondary will take the grade 7 FSA ELA, FSA Mathematics, and Civics End-of-Course assessments. These are the same assessments administered to other 7th graders. In the classroom, students will take assessments that provide them opportunities to analyze various sources and reflect on their learning. Reflective thinking and writing will be a component to these assessments and will tap into the student’s creativity and original thought processes.

Where do I get an application? Cambridge Secondary Where do I get an application? Applications and brochures are available this evening Once completed, applications are submitted to your student’s current school Elementary schools will forward applications to the student’s middle school Applications are due by or on Thursday, April 13th If you are interested in having your student participate in Cambridge Secondary next year, applications are available tonight. Please pick up your student’s application <INSERT YOUR SCHOOL’S PROCEDURE HERE>. The staff and I are excited to have Cambridge Secondary here at <INSERT SCHOOL NAME> and look forward to having your student apply! Thank you and have a good night!

Cambridge Secondary Information Night March 30, 2017