A New Academic Program for Accelerated High School Students
Paraclete High School offers a two-year program allowing students the opportunity to dive into AP courses and earn the AP Capstone diploma.
What is the AP Capstone program?
AP Capstone is a two-year program for high school students who want to take AP courses that will enrich the traditional subject classes with courses in research and skills preparing students for the rigorous study of higher education.
The students who are awarded the AP Capstone diploma are dedicated, independent, and effective communicators. The diploma is awarded upon completion and passing of the two Capstone courses as well as passing four other AP courses. To earn this diploma students have displayed proficiency of analytical thinking, real-world application of problem solving, as well as successful completion and mastery of a several research projects both individually and in groups.
Defining Scholars for Colleges
In a competitive academic world, AP Capstone allows the ambitious student the opportunity to stand out. The flexible content of the curriculum provides the student with an interdisciplinary background for their studies, an increasingly valuable asset on any campus. The two AP classes in the Capstone program are typically taken over the course of two years, which demonstrates commitment on behalf of the student.
How AP Capstone works
High school students pursuing the Capstone diploma will first take the AP Seminar class in 10th or 11th grade. This course incorporates both team and individual-based aspects, including presentations and projects on subjects of the student’s choosing. At the end of the AP Seminar course, there is an end-of-the-course exam, which students will need to complete in order to continue on into the second year of the program.
In order to achieve the Capstone diploma, each student is required to take four AP courses and exams outside the Capstone Seminar and Research courses.
Next, students who have completed their AP Seminar course will have the opportunity to take the AP Research course in 11th or 12th grade. This course is more focused on independent work and develops skills necessary for successful scholarly research, as well as the defense of a body of work. The Research course culminates in an extended essay, coordinating their own research, creating a multi-media presentation and a demonstration of defense of the work by the student author.
While the Capstone diploma is an incentive for students, these courses within the program can be taken without any other AP course. If students chose to only take Capstone or is not taking the other four AP course to achieve a Capstone diploma, when successfully finishing Capstone, the students who achieve a score of three or higher in AP Seminar and Research courses will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.
Is the AP Capstone Program right for me?
The AP Capstone is not an easy undertaking but is a great opportunity for an independent thinker to bring their intellectual and academic work to the next level.
The AP Capstone is a great fit for students who have the ambition to attend competitive four-year colleges or universities after their time at Paraclete. These students are able to organize their workload and manage homework well. Perhaps most importantly, each student will be conducting a long term research project, so it helps to have a curiosity and to want to apply theories and methodologies across different areas of study.
If you still have questions about the AP Capstone program, reach out!
Our AP Capstone Program leader, Mrs. Linda Kudrik, is a wonderful resource.
lkudrik@avphs.net
The History of the AP Capstone Program
Universities and colleges came together with the AP College Board to improve upon the traditional AP course offering in the AP Capstone program. While freshmen were knowledgeable about certain subject matter, professors found they often lacked the experience connecting what was on a test with real-world applications, or between disciplines.
Based on this feedback, the College Board designed this new two-year program to help bright young minds develop these skills that are so necessary in higher education and the professional world.
The AP Capstone program is not to be taken independently of other AP courses, but rather to be missing link between these subject-specific classes. Four AP courses are required for the Capstone diploma, but a student can take more with a guidance counselor’s approval.
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There are three AP Capstone difficulty levels: easy, medium, and hard. Easy AP Capstone tasks are those that don't require a lot of effort. Medium AP Capstone tasks may require more insight but still don't require a great deal of knowledge. Hard AP Capstone tasks may require some serious thinking and concentration.
The AP Capstone Diploma is increasingly recognized in admissions by higher education institutions around the world. Many colleges and universities offer credit and/or placement for a qualifying score in AP Seminar, AP Research, or both.
More than 2,000 high schools are approved to offer the AP Capstone Diploma program. Use this search to find participating schools near your city, district, state, or country. If your high school is interested in participating in the AP Capstone Diploma program, apply now .
AP Capstone is a powerful indicator of college readiness on a student's transcript and helps students stand out to colleges in the application process. Research has found that students who take AP Capstone courses are more likely to persist in college and earn higher first-year college GPAs.
Students who pass both of these exams in addition to at least four other AP exams will have completed the AP Capstone program. The Capstone program is not an easy undertaking, but for dedicated students who plan to apply to competitive universities, it's well worthwhile.
The program has reached a milestone of over 100,000 students participating during the 2022-23 academic year, representing over 2,500 schools worldwide. Approximately 15,800 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma, and 9,600 students earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.
Awards are also included on any AP score report sent to colleges. Here are the requirements to earn an AP Capstone award: 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.
Additionally, students who successfully complete both AP Seminar and AP Research, scoring a 3 or higher both years, will qualify for the AP Capstone Certificate. Students who successfully complete both years, plus score a 3 or higher on four additional AP exams of their choosing will receive the AP Capstone Diploma.
Having taken both exams, they cost more because AP Seminar and Research require evaluators to look at papers. AP Seminar consists of two papers one with a group and another with individual research. Each paper a little more or less 10 pages. To get someone evaluate this paper according to runbric takes more money.
Some high schools are permitting students to use the AP Capstone program classes to fulfill English requirements (a student would therefore forgo, for example, AP Language and/or AP Literature). In other cases, a high school might require students to take an English class in addition to the AP Capstone classes.
Global Recognition: The IB Program enjoys broader global recognition compared to the AP® Capstone program, and is recognized by universities worldwide. While the AP® Capstone program is more familiar to US universities, the IB program is ideal for students aspiring to study outside the US.
AP Capstone (properly the Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma Program) is a 2-year program developed by the College Board, which consists of two courses: the AP Seminar and AP Research.
If a student is participating in the AP Capstone program, the AP Seminar and AP Research exams cost $146 each. The fee does not increase for tests taken outside the US.
An Ivy League hopeful might take 3 to 5 AP classes, while if you're aiming for less-selective schools, 2 to 4 would be enough. Senior Year: Take more APs in core subjects and additional subjects, again being careful not to overburden your schedule and to leave time for college applications.
College counselors recommend that students strive to take 5-8 AP classes throughout their high school career, especially if they are interested in attending a highly-selective institution such as an Ivy League college. That said, you shouldn't feel pressured to take more AP classes than you can comfortably manage.
Current 9th and 10th grade students may select AP Capstone: Seminar as an elective class. Since it is a two-year program, current 11th grade students will not have the opportunity to take both courses in the Capstone program and are therefore ineligible to register for the program.
But what is a passing AP score? The College Board considers a score of 3 or higher a passing grade. That said, some colleges require a 4 or 5 to award credit. Whether a 3 is a good AP score depends on the colleges you're applying to.
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