AP Capstone

AP Capstone is a College Board diploma program that allows junior and senior students educational experiences that hone their critical thinking, research, collaboration, and communication skills. The program includes a two-course sequence: AP Seminar and AP Research. 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.

The AP Seminar course, taken in the 11th grade, equips students with the power to explore academic and real-world issues from multiple perspectives and through an array of lenses. Through a variety of materials — from articles and research studies to foundational and philosophical texts — students are challenged to explore complex questions; understand and evaluate opposing viewpoints; interpret and synthesize information; and develop, communicate, and defend evidence-based arguments.

The class centers around a theme based on class interests, whether they are local, regional, national, or global in nature. The ongoing theme for Northside’s AP Seminar class is Aesthetics and Innovation.

The subsequent AP Research course allows 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 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 developed the ability to present and orally defend their own scholarly academic research.