Nearly 120 Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) students from 10 schools have been named Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Diploma recipients. Of those, 94 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma^™ and 25 students earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate during the 2020-21 school year. The AP Capstone Diploma program helps students to develop critical thinking, research, collaboration, and presentation skills that are critical to academic success.

GCPS Superintendent Dr. Calvin Watts is proud of the district’s students, indicating the honor is the result of their hard work and dedication. Dr. Watts says, “In Gwinnett County Public Schools we are focused on providing students with academic experiences that prepare them for life after high school. The students who earned the AP Capstone Diploma and AP Seminar and Research Certificate should be applauded for not only accepting the challenge and rigor of taking an AP course but for also taking their learning a step further and applying their learning through relevant research projects. This type of learning will serve them well as they continue their education at the postsecondary level.”

To receive the AP Capstone Diploma, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and on four additional AP Exams. To receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research. Students are increasingly participating in the AP Capstone program. Over 2,000 schools participated in the AP Capstone program worldwide during the 2020-21 school year, when approximately 11,900 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma and 7,700 earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate. 

Unlike traditional AP subject exams with a single end-of-year assessment, AP Seminar and AP Research assessments are project-based and evaluate skills mastery through group projects, presentations, and individual essays completed throughout the year. Instead of focusing on one specific academic discipline, AP Seminar and AP Research are interdisciplinary: students are empowered to create research projects based on topics of personal interest and they are assessed on the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management, and presentation skills needed to complete their projects.

The Gwinnett schools where students earned these AP distinctions are:

AP Capstone Diplomas
School	Honorees
Archer HS	12
Berkmar HS	5
Brookwood HS	6
Discovery HS	9
Duluth HS	8
Meadowcreek HS	3
Mill Creek HS	23
Parkview HS	7
Paul Duke STEM HS	9
Peachtree Ridge HS	12

 

AP Seminar and Research Certificate
School	Honorees
Berkmar HS	2
Brookwood HS	3
Discovery HS	4
Duluth HS	3
Meadowcreek HS	3
Mill Creek HS	6
Parkview HS	3
Paul Duke STEM HS	1

The College Board Advanced Placement^® Program gives students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school. A 3 or higher on an AP Exam has multiple benefits for students, including earning college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on AP Exams, saving them time and money. Research shows AP students are better prepared for and more likely to enroll and remain in college, do well in classes, and earn their degrees on time. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that AP Exams align with their high standards.