Six seniors at Elite Scholars Academy in Jonesboro have become the first students in Georgia to earn the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education diploma, an internationally recognized credential that required three years of coursework and international examinations graded overseas. Mayra Angel, Denzel Garcia Padilla, Xuan Nhi Huynh, Uyen (Julie) Ly, Excel Omoloso and Vanessa Taylor make up the historic group, each finishing a rigorous academic pathway rarely seen in Georgia public schools.
As reported by WSB-TV, the diploma is awarded at Pass, Merit, or Distinction level depending on exam performance. Ly and Omoloso earned Distinction, Angel, Garcia Padilla and Taylor earned Merit, and Huynh earned Pass. Clayton County Public Schools Superintendent and CEO Dr. Douglas Hendrix congratulated the students and Elite Scholars Academy staff, saying it was “amazing” that the group became the first in Georgia to achieve the credential, per the same report.
School officials credited the milestone to Cambridge teachers, counselors, administrators, families, Principal Samuel Wayne West and magnet and Cambridge program coordinator Dr. Justin J. Spurley, the station’s report notes. West himself was named a regional finalist in December for the Magnet Schools of America National Principal of the Year Award, according to Clayton County Public Schools, with the district crediting him for advancing magnet school access, equity and academic performance.
What It Takes to Earn the Credential
Earning the Cambridge AICE Diploma requires passing at least seven credits within a 25-month window, including the mandatory AS Level Global Perspectives & Research course alongside subjects drawn from Mathematics and Sciences, Languages, and Arts and Humanities, according to Cambridge Assessment International Education. A single AS level exam counts for one credit while a full A level exam counts for two. Examination papers are written and evaluated by examiners in England, a process distinct from the Advanced Placement tests more familiar to American students…