The College Board’s AP Capstone is an innovative program that allows students to engage in rigorous development of skills critical for success in college, and includes a two-course sequence: AP Seminar and AP Research, designed to be taken in sequence during the 10th & 11th or 11th & 12th grade years.

AP Seminar is available to students entering 10th or 11th grade.  This course equips students with the power to explore academic and real-world issues through an interdisciplinary lens and consider multiple points of view. Students will be challenged to explore complex questions, understand and evaluate opposing viewpoints, interpret and synthesize information, and develop, communicate, and defend their own points of view.  Teachers have the flexibility of choosing themes based on student interests, whether they are local and/or civic issues or international topics.

Students are scored on a series of three assessments that combine to determine the exam score:  a team project, followed by an individual project during the year and finally an end-of-course written exam taken during the traditional AP exam time in early May.

AP Research is available to students who successfully complete the AP Seminar course.  AP Research allows students to design, plan, and conduct a yearlong mentored investigation on a topic of their choosing. 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 and defend an argument, which combine to serve as the AP exam score.

The AP Capstone Diploma program offers two distinct awards —the AP Capstone Diploma and the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™:

• The AP Capstone Diploma is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on 4 additional AP Exams of their choosing.
• The AP Seminar and Research Certificate is granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research.

For more information about the AP Capstone Diploma Program, please contact your counselor.