AP capstone

If you want to include the AP Capstone Diploma or the AP Seminar and Research Certificate on your college application, I recommend taking the AP Seminar during your sophomore year and the AP Research during your junior year. It takes approximately two months to receive your AP scores after taking the test, and there's always a chance that you won't have your scores back in time to submit your college applications. So, to avoid potential setbacks, plan ahead and take the necessary courses early.

Role of Generative AI in AP Capstone Courses

Generative AI tools are to be examined, critiqued, and explored, in line with other sources of information students may encounter during their research. It’s essential for students to learn the limitations and responsible use of generative AI to develop their work in AP Capstone courses and prepare for future college and career opportunities.

Definition of Generative AI in AP Capstone Courses

Generative AI tools use predictive technology to produce new text, charts, images, audio, video, etc. This includes not only ChatGPT and similar Large Language Models (LLMs), but also many writing assistants or plug-ins that are built on this or similar AI technologies. Generative AI tools can be contrasted with other AI-based tools that do specific tasks—for example, they help students with grammar, but don’t generate new writing.

Acceptable Generative AI Use in AP Capstone Courses

Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and as intended to support student learning, not to bypass it. Accordingly, all performance tasks submitted in AP Seminar and AP Research must be the student’s own work.

Students can use generative AI tools as optional aids for exploration of potential topics of inquiry, initial searches for sources of information, confirming their understanding of a complex text, or checking their writing for grammar and tone. However, students must read primary and secondary sources directly, perform their own analysis and synthesis of evidence, and make their own choices on how to communicate effectively both in their writing and presentations. It remains the student’s responsibility to engage deeply with credible, valid sources and integrate diverse perspectives when working on the performance tasks.

Introducing Checkpoints and Attestations

To ensure students aren’t using generative AI to bypass work, we’ll require students to complete interim "checkpoints" with their teacher to demonstrate genuine engagement with the tasks. This builds on and formalizes existing practice for Seminar and Research students.

• In AP Research, students are already required to complete “checkpoints” in the form of in-progress meetings and work in the Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP). No further checkpoints will be required.

• In AP Seminar, teachers will assess the authenticity of student work based on checkpoints that will take the form of short conversations with students during which students make their thinking and decision-making visible (similar to an oral defense). These checkpoints will occur during the sources and research phase (IRR and IWA), and argument outline phase (IWA only). A final validation checkpoint (IRR and IWA) will require teachers to confirm the student’s final submission is, to the best of their knowledge, authentic student work.

Students for both courses will need to complete the relevant checkpoints successfully to receive a score for their performance tasks. Failure to complete the checkpoints will result in a score of zero on the associated task.

Teachers will be asked to attest, to the best of their knowledge, that students completed the checkpoints authentically. College Board reserves the right to investigate submissions where there is evidence of the inappropriate use of generative AI as an academic integrity violation and request from students copies of their interim work for review.

        Source: College Board