New AP program promises closer college experience

SinAPcapstone (2)ce the beginning of this academic year, Advanced Placement students in approximately 100 schools worldwide have the opportunity to participate in the College Board’s innovative diploma program: AP Capstone. Designed to cultivate in-depth research into a specific discipline, the program centers around the courses AP Seminar and AP Research.

The AP Capstone program was developed in response to requests for change from higher education organizations. These organizations stressed the need for students with strong backgrounds in independent research and collaborative teamwork, essential for success in both college and the 21st century global marketplace.

The AP Capstone program is meant to be a two-year study in which students take AP Seminar the first year and AP Research the second. Students who receive scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research and four additional AP exams receive the AP Capstone Diploma.

“A lot of students could benefit from a program of this nature. Especially in project-based fields, this is what you’re going into. Being able to incorporate education into some kind of final product would be beneficial,” Assistant Principal Bryan Martin said.

In order to participate in the program, schools must receive an invitation; Oak Park has not yet fulfilled this prerequisite, though 11 out of the more than 100 participating schools worldwide—including Thousand Oaks High School—are located in California.

“The reason schools like Thousand Oaks may have been invited over Oak Park is because of how big and diverse they are,” Martin said.

As a recommended prerequisite to the AP Research course, AP Seminar engages students in discussions about real-world issues; students analyze and explore these issues through collaborative teamwork and project-based learning. At the end of the course, students are assessed through a team project and presentation, an individual research-based essay and presentation and a three-hour-long end-of-course exam.

After successful completion of AP Seminar, students are eligible to complete AP Research, in which students use the skills acquired in AP Seminar to engage in a research study with a faculty member of their choice. Students complete a 4,000-5,000 word (roughly 20-page) academic paper, a 15-20 minute presentation and an oral defense, much like a college thesis project.

Underclassmen see the potential of participating in the AP Capstone program.

“It can help in any career. I think it should be a really good experience because the program offers students a new opportunity to study a specific field, aside from everyday courses,” freshman Meghana Mudunuri said.

Outgoing seniors also see promise in the new program.

“It’s a direct application to help students learn in a new way, and that may be better. High school students are starting to develop their passions and this program helps them find them,” senior Olivia Zhao said.

According to the College Board website, 113 high schools in the U.S. and approximately two dozen schools in foreign countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China and Japan currently participate in the AP Capstone program

“It seems very interesting,” Martin said. “I might even call AP.”