AP Capstone Diploma Program

AP Capstone is a Diploma program of 2 years which is conducted for high school students as two AP courses called AP Seminar and AP Research. Unlike the other courses offered in the AP program which can be written as independent exams and are focused on individual academic subjects, this course deals with skills that are essential in academia.

The skills that are explored through this course are critical thinking, collaboration, conducting research, and public speaking. They focus on developing skill sets that are required in college and workspaces. Students will also be able to earn academic awards from different colleges worldwide by participating in the course. This also helps the student earn extra college credits before joining colleges.

Explaining AP Capstone

In order to complete the AP Capstone Diploma Course students are required to take two AP courses, one in their 10th or 11th grade and the other in their 11th or 12th grade respectively. It is essential that the school the student is part of the AP Capstone Diploma Program without which they will not be allowed to take the course. Students will not be permitted to take both these courses in the same year and the order of the courses will be AP Seminar first followed by AP Research.

Along with receiving a grade of 3 or above in AP Seminar and AP Research respectively, students are expected to take a minimum of 4 AP classes of their choice during high school and clear the exams with a 3 or above in order to receive their AP Capstone Diploma. The AP Seminar and Research Certificate is given to students who clear only their AP Seminar and AP Research courses.

Courses Offered in AP Capstone Diploma

The two courses offered in AP Capstone are AP Seminar and AP Research. In AP Seminar, students will have to learn about topics in different subject areas and write research-based essays on the topics provided. At the same time in AP Research, students will have to build on the information they have received in the AP Seminar course and conduct researches based on their findings. Both these courses are for the duration of a year.

AP Seminar

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course Content
The course content for AP Seminar is as follows-

• 1st Step- Question and Explore
• 2nd Step- Understand and Analyze
• 3rd Step- Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
• 4th Step- Synthesize Ideas
• 5th Step- Team, Transform, and Transmit

Skills Acquired Through the Course

• To read and analyze texts
• To gather and combine information
• To view from multiple perspectives
• To craft arguments solely based on evidence

Assessment Criteria

Assessment is done through performance tasks and one end-of-course exam. The Team Project and Presentation takes up 20% of the test, the Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation takes up 35% of the course and the End-of-Course Exam with a time-frame of 2 hours consists of 45% of the grade.

• Team Project and Presentation- Students will be split into groups of three to five members and they will have to analyze academic-related or real-world problems. They will be required to present the argument of the solution to the problem along with an oral defense to the questions asked at the end of the presentation.
• Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation- Students are required to analyze the stimulus materials released by the College Board and find thematic connections between at least two of the materials provided. They have to compose a research question based on which they should analyze, evaluate and select evidence to develop the argument and present it with related conclusions.
• End-of-Course Exam- The exam conducted at the end of the course will contain 3 short-answer questions and one essay question. The former will contain questions asking to analyze arguments in a single source or document. The latter will focus on the synthesizing skills of the student in formulating an evidence-based argument.

AP Research

Prerequisites
Students can attend the AP Research Program only after completing their AP Seminar Course and successfully clearing the paper.

Course Content
The course content for AP Research is as follows-

• 1st Step- Question and Explore
• 2nd Step- Understand and Analyze
• 3rd Step- Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
• 4th Step- Synthesize Ideas
• 5th Step- Team, Transform, and Transmit

Skills Acquired Through the Course

• To conduct independent research
• To analyze sources and evidence
• To apply context and perspective
• To write a college-level academic paper
• To present research findings

Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria for the AP Research Course consists of an academic paper which takes up 75% of the grade and then the presentation and oral defense which takes up the rest of the 25% of the grade.

• Academic Paper- Students will have to write an academic paper which consists of-
  • Introduction and Literature Review
  • Method, Process, or Approach
  • Results, Products, or Findings
  • Discussion, Analysis, and/or Evaluation
  • Conclusion and Future Directions
  • Bibliography
  
  The components mentioned must be presented with respect to the discipline the academic paper is based on. The abstracts that are written will not be part of the assessment and the paper must be written for an educated, non-expert audience with zero plagiarism.
• Presentation and Oral Defense- Students must prepare a presentation for less than 15 minutes and deliver it to a panel of three judges. The presentation must include-
  • Research question/project goal
  • Details and explanations regarding the assumptions and hypothesis made along with their relation to the conclusion that has been arrived at.
  • Rationale for the choices made along with citations wherever necessary
  • Explanations regarding research processes, pieces of evidence, conclusions, and their implications

Registering for the AP Capstone Diploma

Students can register for the AP Capstone Diploma Program if they want to take the AP Seminar and AP Research Courses. This can be done only if the school the student is studying in offers AP Capstone. If the school does not offer the program, it is recommended that students contact their counselor, AP coordinator, or principal and request them to join the program so that they can avail the course.

AP Capstone Awards

• AP Capstone Diploma- Students can receive the AP Capstone Diploma if they clear the AP Seminar and AP Research courses with a grade point of 3 or above along with a passing grade in 4 other AP courses.
• AP Seminar and Research Certificate- Students who have only cleared the AP Seminar and AP Research courses and have not done any other AP courses will receive a AP Seminar and Research Certificate only.

Importance and Benefits of AP Capstone

The AP Capstone Diploma has been offered by the College Board only since 2014 and due to its relatively recent appearance in the academic field, the course is not that popular. The diploma is offered only at select schools in the country and hence is not actively sought after in college applications. But at the same time, highlighting that the student has an AP Capstone Diploma also states that the student has done 6 AP courses in all and that provides students with a better chance of attaining a college admission.