diff --git a/python/paddle/fluid/io.py b/python/paddle/fluid/io.py
index 75146fe3269ad2a799d8a8676e56cf4567b957f1..111907b57516a87dab3090dcbb6b042a4d979f25 100644
--- a/python/paddle/fluid/io.py
+++ b/python/paddle/fluid/io.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ __all__ = [
     'load_persistables', 'save_inference_model', 'load_inference_model',
     'get_inference_program', 'save_checkpoint', 'load_checkpoint',
     'clean_checkpoint', 'load_persist_vars_without_grad',
-    'save_persist_vars_without_grad'
+    'save_persist_vars_without_grad', 'get_latest_checkpoint_serial'
 ]
 
 
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ def save_checkpoint(executor,
     _lru_delete(checkpoint_dir, max_num_checkpoints)
 
 
-def need_load_checkpoint(checkpoint_dir):
+def get_latest_checkpoint_serial(checkpoint_dir):
     """
     If the directory have checkpoint files, it will return lastest checkpoint directory serial number
 
diff --git a/python/paddle/fluid/trainer.py b/python/paddle/fluid/trainer.py
index 72168886fdba4d3f9dd9982803c4ba8e1ef2a5cf..3c32ec1de8a97ae088087e5fb1e6bd364ddbf23d 100644
--- a/python/paddle/fluid/trainer.py
+++ b/python/paddle/fluid/trainer.py
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ class Trainer(object):
                     "The checkpoint_config shoule be an instance of CheckpointConfig"
                 )
             else:
-                self.checkpoint.load_serial = io.need_load_checkpoint(
+                self.checkpoint.load_serial = io.get_latest_checkpoint_serial(
                     self.checkpoint.checkpoint_dir)
 
         self.scope = core.Scope()