Heritage High School is one of more than 300 schools worldwide to implement AP Capstone™ — an innovative diploma program that allows students to develop the skills that matter most for their future college success: research, collaboration, and communication. The program includes a two-course sequence: AP® Seminar and AP Research. Developed in direct response to feedback from higher education faculty and college admission officers, AP Capstone complements the in-depth, subject-specific rigor of Advanced Placement® courses and exams.
Students who complete AP Seminar and AP Research with scores of 3 or higher, and receive scores of 3 or higher on four AP Exams in subjects of their choosing, will receive the AP Capstone Diploma™. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher on the two AP Capstone exams but do not take or earn qualifying scores on four additional AP Exams will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™.
Heritage High School will start AP Seminar in the fall of 2015.
“Heritage High School is proud to offer students such a wonderful opportunity to engage in 21st century learning. This innovative program will provide students the freedom to explore topics about which they are the most passionate. They will engage in critical thinking and develop skills that will serve them throughout high school, college and their careers,” said Stacey Riendeau, Principal of Heritage High School.
The AP Seminar course will equip students with the power to explore academic and real-world issues from multiple perspectives. Through a variety of materials — from articles and research studies to foundational and philosophical texts — students will be challenged to explore complex questions; understand and evaluate opposing viewpoints; interpret and synthesize information; and develop, communicate, and defend evidence-based arguments. Teachers have the flexibility of choosing themes based on student interests, whether they are local, regional, national, or global in nature. Samples of themes that can be covered in the AP Seminar course include education, innovation, sustainability, and technology.By tapping into students’ personal interests, AP Capstone gives a broader array of students an entry point into challenging course work. Students are assessed through both an individual project and a team project completed during the year and a year-end written exam.
The subsequent AP Research course will allow students to design, plan, and conduct a yearlong investigation on a topic of their choosing with support from experts at the university level or in the community. Students will build on the skills learned in the AP Seminar course by using research methodology; employing ethical research practices; and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information to present an argument. At the end of the course students have the confidence to present and orally defend their own scholarly academic research.
Said Trevor Packer, senior vice president for AP and Instruction at the College Board: “We are proud to offer AP Capstone, which enables students and teachers to focus on topics of their choice in great depth. This provides terrific opportunities for students to develop the ability to write and present their work effectively, individually, and in groups — the very skills college professors want their students to possess.”
By responding to and partnering with the higher education community, the College Board developed AP Capstone to allow students to practice the important skills that colleges want. The program will prepare more students for the rigors of college and for success in future careers.
“AP Capstone is a unique program that teaches skills we think are very valuable not only for college but life,” said John Barnhill, assistant vice president for enrollment management, Florida State University. “The ability to analyze, to critically think, to present information is really wonderful, and I think both courses do a great job of preparing the student for the rest of their lives.”