Cambridge-backed courses are expanding in Indiana. Here’s how schools are using them.

“Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news. Before 2024, students at Whiteland High School seeking advanced curriculum could already choose between Advanced Placement and dual credit courses. So when school officials considered adding a new curriculum backed by the University of Cambridge in 2024, they wanted to address the needs of a specific subset of students: the community’s growing population of non-English speaking students, who represent around 14% of the district and speak 64 languages. They found that the essay-based test in Cambridge courses allowed students to demonstrate their mastery of advanced content while they were still learning English, said assistant superintendent Cassandra Shipp. “We don’t want to limit our students who we know are bright,” Shipp said. “Regardless of whether they’re taking AP or Cambridge, our students have to be global competitors.” Indiana wants more schools to offer Cambridge STEM courses through $500,000 in grant funding earmarked in the latest state budget. The long-term goal is to create another way for students to earn an advanced diploma that leads to automatic college admission. Schools can apply for grant funding that will help pay for teacher training and program fees. In February, the state’s department of education awarded six schools — including Whiteland — funds to introduce courses like Thinking Skills, Computer Science, Biology, and Chemistry. Now, it has opened another round of funding to allow up to 16 more public and private schools to start offering these classes. What are Cambridge Courses? Cambridge courses come from the University of Cambridge in England through its nonprofit Cambridge International Exams . Though the courses are new to Indiana, and less common nationally than Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, they’re offered in approximately two dozen other states and 160 countries. The offerings from Cambridge are a little like both IB and AP programs: Like IB, Cambridge offers programs that begin in elementary school and go through high school; but like AP, it also offers standalone courses. Passing an A-level Cambridge course in an Indiana high school is equivalent to passing one in the U.K. or Singapore and indicates that a student is ready for college-level coursework, said Mark Cavone, the North American regional director for international education at Cambridge University press and assessment. While not necessarily aimed at multilingual students, some features make the courses a particularly good fit for them, like the incorporation of Global English , a neutral form of English. While most Cambridge courses are aimed at students going to college, the organization also offers some career-oriented courses, such as in marine science and travel and tourism, Cavone said. “The thing that keeps us up at night is that we want kids to be college and career ready by the time they graduate high school,” Cavone said. How can Indiana students use Cambridge courses? Through the expansion, more Indiana schools will be able to allow students to earn the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education, or AICE, diploma, Cavone said. The AICE diploma is one of the ways that students can earn an Honors Enrollment Seal in the state’s new high school graduation requirements , which guarantees students admission to any of the state’s public universities. Students can also earn this seal by earning an associate degree, IB diploma, AP Scholar with Distinction, or other advanced pathway. And schools receive a $2,495 bonus for every student who earns an honors enrollment seal. Cavone said Indiana’s diploma redesign and education choice policies made it a good fit for the organization’s expansion. Currently, Cambridge courses are available mainly in traditional public high schools, Cavone said, along with some charter and private schools. The first round of grant funding from the Indiana Department of Education was awarded to four public high schools, one charter school, and one private school: Whiteland Community High School at the Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation. The district also offers Cambridge English courses in middle and high school that are not backed by the grant. North Central High School in the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township Terre Haute South Vigo High School at the Vigo County School Corporation East Chicago Central High School at the School City of East Chicago GEO Next Generation Academy Al-Haqq Foundation Academy Schools interested in applying for the IDOE grant should fill out the application before July 17. Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org .

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