Mission, Texas- Mission High School (MHS) and Mission Collegiate High School (MCHS) will be two of more than 600 schools worldwide to implement AP CapstoneTM- an innovative diploma program that allows students to develop the skills that matter most for their future college success: research, collaboration, and communication. According to the AP Capstone website, only 26 schools in Texas are currently participating in this program for the 2015-2016 school year.
The program includes a two-course sequence: AP® Seminar and AP Research. These were developed in direct response to feedback from higher education faculty and college admission officers, AP Capstone complements the in-depth, subject-specific rigor of Advanced Placement® (AP) 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 subject 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.
MHS and MCHS will start AP Seminar in the fall of 2016.
“This innovative program prepares a broader, more diverse student population for college and career success, and also provides our teachers with flexibility in the curriculum to expand access to challenging course work and the development of important skills,” said Dr. Ricardo López, superintendent.
The AP Seminar course, typically taken in 10th or 11th grade, will equip students with the power to explore academic and real-world issues from multiple perspectives. Through a variety of materials- from articles and research studies to foundational and philosophical texts- students will be challenged to explore complex questions; understand and evaluate opposing viewpoints; interpret and synthesize information; and develop, communicate, and defend evidence-based arguments. Teachers have the flexibility of choosing themes based on student interests, whether they are local, regional, national, or global in nature. Samples of themes that can be covered in the AP Seminar course include education, innovation, sustainability, and technology. By tapping into students’ personal interests, AP Capstone gives a broader array of students an entry point into challenging course work. Students are assessed through both an individual project and a team project completed during the year and a year-end written exam.
The subsequent AP Research course will allow 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 will 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 represent an argument. At the end of the course, students have the confidence to present and orally defend their own scholarly academic research.
# # #