The Advanced Placement Capstone is a prestigious two-year program that the College Board offers to develop students’ investigative and communicative skills in anticipation of college-level studies.
During the first year, students take AP Seminar, a foundational course typically taken during sophomore or junior year that gives them the opportunity to explore real-world issues and to hone skills such as research and argument development.
Students then advance to AP Research, where over the course of the academic year, they design, plan and conduct research around a subject that they choose. For example, students may decide to research hydroponic growing methods.
[Ask four questions when choosing between AP courses, capstone.]
Unlike other AP courses, once students have completed their research project, they do not take an end-of-year exam. Instead, they must write a thesis paper and give a presentation and oral defense of their work.
Here is a deeper look at each assessment component and what students should expect.
— Process and reflection portfolio: Throughout the research project, students must maintain a portfolio that tracks their process and reflections. Although ungraded, this is key to the thesis paper and presentation.
The portfolio allows students to track their progress throughout the course and should include a table of contents; a proposal form; a log of their communication with the instructor and others, such as expert advisers, who are involved in the project; permission from primary sources; an acknowledgment on plagiarism; personal reflections; and any other relevant materials.
The course teacher will review the portfolio periodically to help guide and evaluate students. As such, students should be as thorough as possible and document each step of their research. Similar to a bibliography, it is better to have too much data than not enough.
Students should write down all sources and revision suggestions that they are considering using or excluding and why, interactions with relevant individuals, questions and other pertinent information. And they should do this in the moment — it will be extremely difficult later on to remember all the steps they took on this one-year journey.
[Get more information on AP and IB diploma programs.]
— Academic thesis paper: This 4,000- to 5,000-word paper is worth 75 percent of a student’s AP Research grade. The paper must include an introduction; method, process or approach; results, product or findings; discussion, analysis and/or evaluation; conclusion and future directions; and bibliography.
The College Board expects students to address each part of their paper in a way that is representative of the subject matter they researched. Students should be careful to use correct terminology for the topic — whether that is comparative literature, European history, medical science, music or another discipline. If there is a field-specific writing format, students should also follow this.
For example, a student who is writing an academic thesis paper on the advantages of hydroponic growing methods may rely heavily on terms like “hydroculture,” “mineral nutrient solutions” and “sustainability.”
When compiling the academic paper, students are expected to cite all sources they use. As a general rule, it is better to overcite than undercite.
Every fact should be verifiable, and students should leave out any information they cannot attribute to a legitimate source.
The course teacher grades the paper and the College Board validates it. Students should review the 2017 rubric to gain a clearer sense of what they will be graded on.
[Weigh high school options for earning college credit.]
— Presentation and oral defense: In addition to the portfolio and academic paper, AP Research students must create a 15- to 20-minute presentation about their research that is worth 25 percent of their grade.
Students can use media — such as a slideshow, video or other material — that is central to explaining their academic paper. For instance, a brief animation might be used to illustrate different hydroponic growing techniques.
Students then give their presentation before three evaluators who can ask them three or four questions about their research. However, students will have an idea of what to expect, since evaluators must provide a list of possible questions, three of which they will use. One evaluator is the AP Research teacher, while the other two are expert advisers or discipline experts chosen by the teacher.
The College Board recommends that evaluators ask students about the research process, their understanding of the research topic and their reflection portfolio, which is described above. Evaluators may then ask a fourth question about any aspect. Students should also review the 2017 rubric to understand the grading.
To prepare, students can practice giving their presentation to friends and family. They should also review the oral defense question list, even having their practice audience ask them questions from the list.
AP Research can help students develop skills that will serve them well in college and beyond. Although this course may seem to require a great deal of effort, it can be worth it both in regard to the AP score and students’ future academic efforts.
More from U.S. News
3 Tips to Avoid Falling Behind on SAT, ACT Prep
Weigh High School Options for Earning College Credit
Transform Your PSAT Score Into an SAT Game Plan
High Schoolers: Understand AP Research Assessments originally appeared on usnews.com
