Cambridge Checkpoint Academy Brochure (159K PDF)

The Cambridge Checkpoint Preparatory Academy is a middle school advanced academic program for academically talented students sponsored by Cambridge University in England and is offered to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Checkpoint offers a rigorous and relevant curriculum and prepares student to take a series of comprehensive examinations at the end of their 8th grade year. Cambridge Checkpoint Preparatory Academy develops skills for success that lead directly into Cambridge Preparatory Academy at Federal Way High Schools and an Advanced International Certificate of Education through Cambridge University.

The Federal Way School District will inspire in all students a passion for lifelong learning, creating educated and caring contributors to the world.

Lakota and Sacajawea Middle Schools, in partnership with the community, seek to educate, inspire, and empower the leaders of tomorrow through the art of knowledge and creativity working hand-in-hand.

The Cambridge Checkpoint Preparatory Academy program at Lakota and Sacajawea Middle Schools seeks to enable dedicated students to prepare for success in future academic pursuits while obtaining a comprehensive view of the world.

• Spiraling Curriculum – enabling schools to condense Cambridge curriculum to accelerate student learning,
• Advanced academic curriculum in math, science, and English for academically talented students,
• Preparation for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE/PreAICE) Program and the Advanced international Certificate of Education (AICE) Program,
• Enhanced learning environment
• International recognition and ranking
• Foreign language at 6th, 7th, and 8th grade

• To prepare students for the demands and expectations of specialized, advanced academic programs at the Cambridge Preparatory Academy at FWHS,
• To provide students the opportunity to excel beyond state grade level expectations,
• To assess students’ academic strengths and weaknesses on entry to the Cambridge preparatory Academy at FWHS

• Highly qualified teachers.

• Teacher recommendation for 2 current teachers
• Core Academic G.P.A. (3.0+)
• WASL scores of 400 or better
• Complete essay in 3 paragraphs, no longer than 1 page – “What are the qualities of a successful student?”
• Copy of most recent semester report card

• While course content and teaching strategies focus on academic rigor in both the pre-AP and Checkpoint programs, Checkpoint will focus on preparing students for the Cambridge Checkpoint diagnostic tests at 8th grade as well as the progression tests at the 6, 7, and 8th. Checkpoint will prepare students for the AS and A level examinations offered at the internationally recognized Cambridge Preparatory Academy at FWHS.

• University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) has always been at the forfront of development in global assessment. Extensive research has enabled CIE to deliver high quality services which are internationally recognized
• Cambridge Checkpoint is an innovative diagnostic testing service designed to help students learn. A unique service and an invaluable tool for schools and colleges, Cambridge Checkpoint gives access to standardized tests that provide feedback on a students’ strengths and weaknesses in key curriculum area. Feedback of this kind is an invaluable source of information. It allows schools and colleges to make strategic decisions, drawing upon a pool of information and specialist reporting tools built into Checkpoint. Research has shown that Checkpoint scores are a good predictor of performance in IGNCSE and 0 Level examinations giving students a transferable indication of their academic progress.

• Cambridge Checkpoint tests are available in English, Mathematic and Science. They are designed for students of approximately 14 years of age studying mid-secondary curriculums. The tests cover all major areas of learning required in the first years of an international secondary education. Each area is broke down into sub-topics. It is the se subtopics which provide the framework for feedback on each and every student. Tests can be offered at three times during the year.

Diagnostic reporting is at the heart of Checkpoint and its power and flexibility is what makes Checkpoint truly unique.

• Tailor individual students’ learning programs,
• Monitor group and individual performance
• Provide information for reporting to parents
• Compare the performance of all the students taking the tests in that session
• Manage learning programs within Center and as students move between Centers
• Predict performance in students’ formal examinations

• The curriculum framework
• Their teaching group
• A whole school cohort
• Previous years students

The feedback is dispatched to Centers in two stages.

• The first set of feedback reports is dispatched within four weeks of the completed scripts being received in Cambridge. This set of feedback is in three parts: 1. Reports on the performance of individual students 2. Reports on the performance of teaching groups 3. A report on the performance of the Center as a whole
• The second set of feedback is the End of Session Report, dispatched once the results from all schools have been processed. The End of Session Report is in four parts for each subject: 1. The Principal Examiner’s report on the question paper and students’ responses, 2. The demographic breakdown of the whole entry showing the average performance of students of different ages and language backgrounds, 3. Block diagrams to illustrate the performance of students by age and language background, 4. Cumulative frequency graphs illustrating the performance of students by age and language background.

• The development of the Cambridge International Primary program has enabled CIE to provide a new and valuable resource to Centers which follow the Cambridge Checkpoint Curriculum Framework in the early Middle Years.

• Cambridge Progression Tests at Stages 6, 7, and 8 of the Primary Program will be made available to these Centers. Students can be put forward for the Stage 6 Test as they enter the three-year Checkpoint Curriculum. They can then take the Stage 7 and 8 tests in the two years prior to the year of their Checkpoint Test.
• These Cambridge Progression Tests are designed to be diagnostic in nature, like Checkpoint, and will be teacher-marked. The results can be entered and analyzed using software made available to participating schools through the Cambridge International Primary Program website.
• This service is particularly appropriate for Middle Schools, but is available to all Cambridge Checkpoint Centers that do not have a primary section.
• The fee for this service is 50 per cent of the full Cambridge International Primary Program fee.

• University of Cambridge International Examination (CIE) is part of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) and is the world’s largest provider of international qualifications for 14 to 19-year-olds. CIE has a broad range of qualifications, created for an international audience, and recognized by universities, education providers and employers across the globe.
• As part of the University of Cambridge, CIE has a strong pedigree in development and research. We constantly review our provision and introduce new subject area and qualifications. We also strive to improve the support we offer our network of registered Centers and utilize innovative technology for delivery, assessment and administration.