AP Seminar is a portfolio based class. The work that students produce throughout the 2nd semester is all a part of their AP Exam. Their work is submitted to the College Board through the Digital Portfolio.
In most AP classes, the student receives an AP Score based solely on their performance on the end of year test in May. In AP Seminar, the end of year exam counts for only 45% of a student's AP exam score. There are performance tasks that students work on throughout the year that comprise the rest of the exam score.
Performance Task one is comprised of two separate evaluations:
Students choose groups based on areas of interest, then begin to narrow down a topic and scope for their research. Once the team has decided on a research question, individual team members branch off into different areas of focus for their research (often team members research contributing factors, or possible solutions). After the students have written their research papers, they must converge back as a team to share their findings and synthesize their research. They must create a multimedia presentation (Google Slides, PowerPoint, Prezzi) that explains the scope of the problem, and establishes a clear argument for the most viable solution to their chosen problem.
Performance task one comprises 20% of the students' AP Exam score.
Like the first Performance Task, PT2 is comprised of two separate evaluations:
For Performance Task 2, students receive a set of documents in January known as the stimulus packet. As a class, we read and discuss the articles and texts in the stimulus packet. Students must identify a theme or issue from this packet and use this to launch their own research investigation. Like PT1, this research is also solution driven, as students must present a well-researched argument for a particular solution. After their research is complete, students will create a mini TED-Talk style presentation reviewing their findings and making a clear argument for the best solution to their chosen problem or issue. Students must also defend their research in a 2 question Oral Defense that follows their presentation.
Performance Task 2 comprises 35% of the students' AP Exam Score
Once you have completed the Performance Tasks, the End of Course (EoC) AP Exam will seem like a breeze. There are only 2 tasks on the EoC Exam:
The End of Course exam comprises 45% of the students' AP Exam score.
For more information, visit the AP Seminar course page: apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-seminar/exam