Frequently Asked Questions

Need Help?

About Cambridge

We are an education company. We develop products and services to be offered in partnership with schools and programs. We attract professional educators to our firm. These individuals hold advanced degrees and have experience in the classroom and administration. We have 30 years of experience and the resources needed to develop products which can be customized to meet your specific needs. Our program materials can be used in traditional, hybrid, and remote learning classrooms, or as a part of a supplemental learning experience.

Since 1990, Cambridge has provided quality test prep services to over 7,000,000 students of every ethnicity in urban, rural, and suburban settings. We have proudly partnered with districts, schools, and federal programs nationwide to provide college prep and life-ready resources.

Founded in 1990 by David P. Waldherr, Cambridge Educational Services aimed to make college readiness and test preparation available to every student, rather than a privileged few. According to Mr. Waldherr, “When I founded Cambridge in 1990, I wanted to bring affordable, customized test prep to continuing education, TRIO programs, and K-12 classrooms nationwide. I wanted students everywhere to have the opportunity to take a first-rate prep course for free or at a price they could afford.” Our prices are fair and, in comparison with other companies that offer similar courses and programs, our prices are some of the lowest.

Through our Grant Award Programs, Cambridge provides additional financial support for students, such as those on free and reduced lunch. Our Award Program has donated over $8,000,000 in products and services to ensure that all students, regardless of ability to pay, reach their true potential. These materials are invaluable for students who need additional support.

When you adopt Cambridge programming, and your needs shift, Cambridge will provide you with new tools AT NO COST. For example, if you find that you must migrate instruction from in-school to remote learning, we will switch out the in-school learning tools to remote learning tools. We will make the same switch if you are using remote learning materials and then transition to in-school learning.

Cambridge began partnering directly with schools to implement and activate college readiness standards for students. We are excited to work with you! Contact Cambridge at partnerships@cambridgeed.com to learn more about benefits of your partnership with us.

Cambridge has created a unified testing readiness approach that assists elementary, middle, and high school educators in their efforts to implement improvements and prepare students for college and future careers throughout their entire elementary, middle, and high school experiences. In short, Cambridge’s team of experienced and expert educators, academic researchers, and skilled trainers provides educators and students with innovative strategies that lead to long-term and measurable improvement.

Cambridge can handle any size project given our large pool of trained teachers and program coordinators. Our Program Coordinators work directly with your schools or programs to select and customize these resources to best fit each school’s desired program implementation. 

Over the past 30 years, Cambridge has “scaled” up to work with mid-range and large programs. These programs range from 500 to 13,000 students. In the last two years, larger programs that Cambridge has worked with included 8,700 students in Birmingham, 2,500 in Minneapolis, and 7,800 in Iowa. In addition, Cambridge has worked with Chicago, Detroit, and many citywide and statewide Federal programs.

Our research-based materials improve core skill development, dramatically raise SAT and ACT test scores by over two years of growth, increase high school graduation and college enrollment rates, and promote success during and after college. We increase college readiness by helping students develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to be successful in college. Our materials not only help students gain admission to their college of choice, but also help students avoid taking remedial courses which allows them to graduate on schedule.

The extent of increase between a pre- and post-test differs because of factors such as the amount of time between the test, the faithfulness of the implementation of the course, the attitudes of students/staff, as well as other circumstances that impact achievement. More detailed studies on amount of growth found using different program models is available from Cambridge.

Study Materials

A teacher edition and lesson plans are available in book format for the following series of tests: Victory ACT and SAT, Acceleprep, Non-Negotiable Skills, WorkKeys, and College, Here I Come. These series are also available online and include:

 

  • Page Flippers
  • Workbooks
  • Practice Tests (with or without scoring)

Cambridge offers different materials to support higher scores on the ACT and SAT.

  1. Acceleprep — These materials are a short course with short text options.
  2. Victory – These materials are variable length courses that provide robust texts.
  3. Non-Negotiable Skills Courses for Middle School/High School (NNS) – These are skill building courses with scaffolded skills and robust texts.
  4. Essential Skills Courses (ES) – These materials contain scaffolded skills at the higher range of scores and provide robust texts.

One of the most important ways Cambridge is different than other test prep programs is that we not only teach test mechanics, strategies, and practice, but we also review content skills. The Essential Skills book works in tandem with the Victory Materials so that after students complete the lessons, they have opportunities for instruction and access to assessments on test-taking strategies as well as the content tested on the ACT and SAT.

The Non-Negotiable Skills (NNS) series was developed in response to research that documented the importance of mastery of a core set of essential skills. Without these fundamental skills, it will be more difficult for high school students to achieve their full potential. These essential skills are grouped into the first three ACT score bands, 13-15, 16-19, and 20-23. The NNS material is presented in lessons, one for each skill. So, using the data analysis and report generated for the diagnostic test, students will have easy-to-follow individualized study plans. The entire course is managed, start to finish, by Cambridge’s learning management system. In addition to self-paced lessons, NNS uses a multiple-choice format for quizzes and mastery tests.

Courses

Cambridge offers a variety of options for each different test preparation course.

Online through Cambridge’s Learning Management System

  • Courses: Acceleprep Online, PrepCast Online, E-Celeprep (Studio)

Face to Face

  • Courses: 12, 24, 36 hours or Customized

Live Webcast

  • Courses: 12, 24, 36 hours or Customized

Individual Study

  • Program Self-study on-line, Small Group Tutoring, Individualized Instruction

Yes. Cambridge offers an online option for virtually every print book and program. Your students have access to online programs for the specific amount of time. Contact Cambridge for more information either on the Cambridge Educational Services website or at 847-299-2930.

Yes. We have had huge success when our highly qualified instructors teach students. We have an exceptionally large teacher network that is “on call” in most areas of the United States. Cambridge is an expert in recruiting certified Cambridge instructors from our trained pool of instructors. Our staff consists of master teachers who have at least 15 years of experience in the classroom. Together they hold over 30 bachelors, masters, and PhD degrees. 

Yes. We have qualified instructions who can teach our courses using a variety of instructional approaches.

  • Pre-Recorded (Trained instructors deliver instruction via a video recordings online)
  • Virtual Live (Trained instructors deliver instruction to students online)
  • Live In-person (Trained instructors deliver instruction directly to students at their school or program location.)

Cambridge offers a practice Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Test online. It is an adaptive and untimed test which provides a baseline score for both teachers and students. If students don’t pass the adaptive test, they take a diagnostic test to determine specific weaknesses to address. Teachers can view student scores and see classroom results at the item level.

Cambridge’s Credit READY! Prep for the TSI Assessment contains 18 hours of content and lessons that systematically introduce students to tested topics, refresh required skills, and teach key strategies to boost scores. Each section begins with an introduction to the test so that students learn what is being tested and how. Students then complete short lessons and work through examples to fill skill gaps and increase scores. Finally, they complete a graded practice test to verify their understanding.

The Score Booster for the TSI Assessment provides 18 hours of online, level-based practice to ensure student mastery. The Score Booster features six untimed quizzes for each subject: 2 basic, 2 intermediate, and 2 advanced. Students can take each quiz more than once and student progress can be monitored in real time. Students receive a percent correct score and a prediction of the likelihood of passing the actual TSI test.

Test and Data Reports

Cambridge uses retired tests from the testing companies that produce the tests. Using these retired tests ensures that your students have a testing experience that prepares them for test day and gives you data so you can have confidence in measuring your students’ skills. They also provide good information for a pre- and post-test analysis.

Sometimes, Cambridge test writers may need to create diagnostic or pre-/post-tests to use when a retired test is not available. In order to establish equivalence, Cambridge-developed tests are designed to accurately reflect the difficulty and range of topics that students will see on the real test. Our test writers are experts in the field, and they closely assess each item’s design to make sure that they are as accurate as possible.

Cambridge offers schools the option of student testing online or on Scantron answer sheets. Prep My Data provides a means of setting up a student assessment by a variety of different groupings, such as grade level or class. It also provides an opportunity to choose the types of reports that would be most helpful for your school or course. Additionally, courses provided in our online Learning Management System offer online tests and quizzes. 

Cambridge offers schools the option of providing students with a scan sheet that has student information already filled out. To take advantage of this complementary service, schools should provide student information in an Excel template and upload it to Cambridge’s Prep My Data at least three weeks in advance of the testing.

In addition to the student information printed on a scan sheet, one or more group codes can be added as well. A group code is a way to sort and generate reports on groups of test takers. For example, if you want to provide teachers with their students’ test results, you can add a teacher code. If you want to distinguish between students who have completed a test prep course and those who did not, you can use a group code.

There are three major benefits of using pre-printed answer sheets.

  • The sheets will be returned to the school with the student information already filled in, which saves time on the testing day and reduces the chance of error.
  • By providing additional information about the students’ class, teacher, homeroom, etc. Cambridge can create specialized data reports. For example, we can create an Instructor Summary and Error Analysis for Ms. Anderson’s 3rd period Algebra II class.
  • If the school is using a pre- and post-test evaluation of student learning, pre-printed scan sheets are the best way to ensure that students are correctly matched.

Proctoring instructions are available in the Resource Center. If you need further assistance, please contact Cambridge to receive the appropriate administration documents.

Scanning machines can best read marks that are reflected from a soft #2 pencil. A problem with students using a pen is the potential inconsistency in the machine correctly reading the marks. Before sending in paper answer sheets for scoring, it is best that the coordinator reviews each paper answer sheet. Any pen or light pencil marks can be marked over with a pencil. It is essential not to penalize students who did not understand the importance of using dark pencil marks. 

If scan sheets are scanned by Cambridge with missing data, the school will be contacted to determine the best way forward. One goal of administering a full-length practice test is to provide data on a student’s skills for use by teachers.

The first reporting option is Xpress Data. It can be ordered for data gathered using Cambridge’s Online Assessment and is provided electronically once an assessment administration is completed. The second option is called Digital Now Data and is used for the electronic reporting of assessment data that it collected on scan sheets. It is reported within 72 hours of receipt of scan sheets. The final data reporting option is Premium Data. This can be used for data collected either online or on scan sheets and includes both print and electronic reporting. It includes some additional features such as Cambridge navigators which contain explanations of item performance and strategies, and two data file exports. Cambridge offers customized data reporting options to fit your needs.

Yes, it can export student data files and the data in an Instructor Summary report.

For schools that utilize Cambridge’s Premium Data Services, a XML/CSV Data File export option is available. This file provides access to all data concerning the test and provides schools with the flexibility to sort and run their own data analyses based on school/program needs.

The Instructor Summary MS Excel Export (ISX) allows schools/districts to view, sort, and manage the data that is found in Cambridge’s Instructor Summaries. This includes student subject and total scores as well as a summary of the group’s performance.

Tests taken using Cambridge’s Assessment portal (either online or from scan sheets) provide a Student Summary report for each student. This report breaks down the total test score into section and individual test scores. The student can also observe strengths and weaknesses within specific categories for each subject test.

 

An individual Item Analysis Report provides students with a comprehensive breakdown of their performance on each item: its category (corresponding to the categories listed on the Student Summary), the correct answer, how students answered each item, and any items that were left blank. Students can use this report along with a test booklet to re-consider items they answered incorrectly or guessed on.

If teacher or instructor information is provided for each student testing through Cambridge’s Prep My Data (either online or paper scan sheets), reports can be generated by teachers. If not, a department report is created. Instructor Summary, a Pre-Post Instructor Summary, an Error Analysis, and Content Distribution report is created for the entire school.

The Instructor Summary provides a teacher with an overview of each student’s subject test scores (e.g. math) and total scores. It also includes a summary of the entire group’s performance. Minimum and maximum scores show the range of individual student performance, allowing teachers to compare scores across students and identify the highest and lowest performers.

For institutions using pre-test or diagnostic test scores to compare with a post-test, a Pre-Post Instructor Summary provides information to evaluate student growth from the pre-test to the post-test.

The Error Analysis report shows the number and percent of students who selected each response for every test item. This report has several disaggregation features which offer information that teachers/instructors can use to identify skill gaps in relation to both individual and clusters of test items.

The Content Distribution report is like the Error Analysis report but provides more specific information on groups of items that measure the same skill. This report allows teachers to evaluate students’ performance more efficiently and can be used in a mastery-based learning model.

The Formative Connection report contains elements of the Content Distribution report. In addition, data on the number and percent of students within each of the three score ranges who selected each answer choice is aggregated. This in-depth analysis allows your school or program to target skill gaps and differentiate instruction more effectively. This report requires 100 or more student test takers.

 

The Scaled Score Distribution report is a visual tool to show how many students achieve a particular score and how their scores compare to the group. Each bar represents the total number of students in each scale score.

Cambridge can provide schools, administrators, and teachers with customized data grouping. These reports are created based on several chosen parameters such as teacher, period, gender, ethnicity, etc. which allows schools to evaluate skills and measure progress from different perspectives. Additionally, a customized report based on specific standards or benchmarks could be created for large groups of schools or programs.  

In-Service, Professional Development

Cambridge offers a free orientation opportunity for staff who are using Cambridge materials.  Contact your Sales Representative or Cambridge staff via web or phone to schedule this training. We also offer train-the-trainer workshops to support teachers.

Our goal is to tailor our professional development to support your needs. We will work with you in advance to determine the best timing for our online and in-person workshops for specific staff as needed by your school.

Cambridge’s most requested professional development offerings are:

  • Test Demystifier
  • Implementation: Incorporating Testing Readiness into Instruction
  • Understanding Data and Targeting Student Instruction

Different staff within a school may have different training needs. You can choose the staff who would be most appropriate to attend.  A training workshop on Cambridge’s after-school test prep might have a different audience than classroom teachers using the Cambridge materials alongside their curriculum. It is important to know the number attending the event in advance to make sure that all staff participating in the workshop have materials.

Since our workshops are tailored to a school’s customized needs, they will vary in the amount of time required. Some last an hour, others a half day, others a full day, and others might last multiple days. We will work with you in advance to determine the best timing for our online and in-person workshops as needed by your school.

Our presenters all have extensive experience with the tests offered by Cambridge. We are educators helping other educators. To the extent that time allows, we bring best practices in professional development into your schools.

Cambridge offers a variety of options to support student learning. One of these is Lesson Plans. They provide teachers with a detailed, hour-by-hour and item-by-item instruction guide for each subject and score range. They include the complete Course Concept Outline and the corresponding Course Concept Items as found in the student text and teacher’s guide. The recommended Lesson Plan items are related to specific items in the student text (referenced by item number and page number listed) and illustrate the important points that should be covered in a lesson.

Cambridge’s Navigator Plus is an explanation guide for a particular test that can be used by teachers. It is a powerful teaching tool for in-depth study and review of a test.  It is integrated with tips and provides explanations for both the correct and incorrect answers.

The Resource Center contains a variety of tools to support your classroom teachers, your own specialized test prep instructors, a coordinator of student directed learning, or a Cambridge instructor.

Student Support Services

The same presenters who deliver Teacher Professional Development conduct our student workshops. Specific workshops on each series of tests (e.g., SAT, ACT, WorkKeys) as well as the College, Here I Come series provide students with information on preparing for and entering college. Each workshop provides opportunities for student involvement.  

After each workshop, we share our perceptions and discuss ways to best use our course(s) to raise student achievement.

The same presenters who deliver Teacher Professional Development conduct our parent workshops. Two courses, College, Here I Come and College, Here I Am are used to support parents helping their children not only raise their achievement but understand the process of preparing for and entering into college.

Other workshops available for parents and their students include the:

  • Family Engagement Workshop
  • Financial Aid Workshop
  • Family/Teacher Communication Workshop
  • College and Career Motivation Workshop
  • Half-Day ScoreCelerator Workshop

Learning Supports

Engagement in test prep centers on the individual student’s personal goals for college and career. The online Resource Center offers material to help students determine their goal score and what they need to do to get into the colleges they choose. Cambridge offers student motivational workshops, parent workshops, and teacher professional development. Our Moodle Learning Management System contains many opportunities for students to engage in gamification activities.

Cambridge offers a variety of options to support student learning. One of these is Lesson Plans. They provide teachers with a detailed, hour-by-hour and item-by-item instruction guide for each subject and score range. They include the complete Course Concept Outline and the corresponding Course Concept Items as found in the student text and teacher’s guide. The recommended Lesson Plan items are related to specific items in the student text (referenced by item number and page number listed) and illustrate the important points that should be covered in a lesson.

Cambridge’s Navigator Plus is an explanation guide for a particular test that can be used by teachers. It is a powerful teaching tool for in-depth study and review of a test. It is integrated with tips and provides explanations for both the correct and incorrect answers.

Some additional materials are also available from Cambridge to support students. They include:

  • Career Interest Inventory
  • Learning Styles Profiles
  • Vocabulary Building materials

 

Cambridge’s Resource Center contains a variety of tools to support classroom teachers, instructors, and administrators. Contact Cambridge to learn more about all the features of this new resource.

Business

If your school or program has questions about your order, shipping/receiving, or billing please contact Cambridge at 847-299-2930.

Use the Cambridge website at www.mycambridgeed.com or contact Cambridge directly to order test prep materials or courses for students. Cambridge’s ACT and SAT courses are related to the Cambridge Victory, AccelePrep, and ECeleprep materials. These print and online materials are easy for students to complete independently if desired. 

Use the documents that you received with the shipment of the paper answer sheets and other materials that were sent to you. If you are still unable to locate the documents needed to return the completed tests, please contact Cambridge Support staff at 847-299-2930.

Orders received after 2 pm are shipped out the following business day. When an order is shipped, we will provide you with the tracking number(s). Using the tracking number(s) provided, you can follow the path of your order from our warehouse to your location.

You will receive your students’ reports within six business days after the students’ completed paper answer sheets are received at the Cambridge offices. They can be delivered in four days depending on the data package purchased from Cambridge.

  • Electronic student reports sent through email to the school within 6 days of receipt.
  • Electronic student reports expedited and sent to the school within 2 days of receipt.
  • Printed paper student reports expedited and shipped directly to the school within 3 days of receipt.
  • Printed paper student reports shipped directly to the school within 6 days of receipt.

Depending on the problem, there are different reasons that a student might not receive a test report. Some possibilities include: a lost or incomplete answer sheet, an answer sheet that was skipped during the scanning process, or an answer sheet that clearly showed that students were not exerting “test effort.” Have you ever seen an answer sheet that looks like a picture of a tree? Cambridge staff will work with you to find the best way to make sure that each student’s data is valid and reliable. 

Facebook Instagram Linkedin Phone-alt

Cambridge Educational Services, Inc. offers and scores tests from ACT, Inc., The College Board, and other testing companies. These are retired tests, intended for practice purposes only and not for official administration, and are based on high school curriculum as of the copyright dates of the tests. Cambridge’s products and services, including its score reports, are not approved or endorsed by ACT, Inc., The College Board, or the other companies that develop the tests, and Cambridge has no affiliation with any of those entities.