AP Capstone

AP Capstone™ at Juan Diego Catholic High School

Juan Diego Catholic High School is proud to offer the AP Capstone™, an innovative diploma program developed in collaboration with the College Board and leading universities. This program is specifically designed to equip students with the critical skills necessary for success in college, including independent research, collaborative teamwork, and effective communication.

Program Overview

AP Capstone™ is centered around two core courses: AP® Seminar and AP® Research. These courses are designed to complement and enhance the in-depth study provided by four additional AP® courses of the student's choosing.

• AP® Seminar: This course challenges students to explore a variety of academic and real-world issues from multiple perspectives. Students learn to collect, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of sources to construct well-reasoned, evidence-based arguments.
• AP® Research: Building on the skills developed in AP® Seminar, students design, execute, and defend a year-long research-based project on a topic of their choice.

Goals of AP Capstone™

• Develop College-Level Academic Skills: Students engage in rigorous academic work that prepares them for the complexities of college study.
• Enhance Synthesis and Application: The program extends students’ abilities to integrate cross-curricular knowledge in new and complex situations.
• Promote Precise Analysis: Students learn to gather and evaluate information systematically and accurately.
• Advance Argumentative Skills: The curriculum focuses on developing students' ability to articulate and defend evidence-based arguments.
• Foster Scholarly Research: AP Capstone™ offers a structured environment to practice disciplined research methods on topics that spark students' curiosity and passion.

How It Works:

• Students who achieve scores of 3 or higher in both AP® Seminar and AP® Research, along with four other AP® exams, receive the AP Capstone Diploma™.
• Students who score a 3 or higher in AP® Seminar and AP® Research but do not meet the requirement in four additional AP® exams receive the AP® Seminar and Research Certificate™.

Eligibility and Enrollment:

Juan Diego students, including freshmen, may enroll in AP® courses based on their performance on the College Board Accuplacer Diagnostic® tests in Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills, along with an advanced Lexile reading level score. These assessments are part of Juan Diego's Educational Assessment Exam administered to all incoming students and annually thereafter.

AP® Course Progression:

• Freshman Year: Students typically begin with AP® Art History.
• Sophomore Year: Students take AP® World History and AP® Seminar, often supplemented by additional AP® courses like Biology, Environmental Science, or Psychology.
• Junior Year and Beyond: Students continue developing their skills in Capstone Theology and other AP® subjects, culminating in the AP® Research project, which involves an extensive research paper and an oral defense.

AP® Courses Offered Include:

• AP Art History
• AP Biology
• AP Calculus (AB and BC)
• AP Chemistry
• AP Comparative Government/Politics 
• AP Computer Science (A and Principles)
• AP English (Language and Composition, Literature)
• AP Environmental Science
• AP European History
• AP French
• AP US Government/Politics
• AP Music Theory
• AP Physics (1 and C)
• AP Psychology
• AP Research
• AP Seminar
• AP Spanish
• AP Statistic
• AP Studio Art: 2-D Design
• AP US History
• AP World History

At Juan Diego Catholic High School, the AP Capstone™ program is more than just a pathway to a diploma; it's a journey that prepares students for the intellectual challenges of higher education and beyond, nurturing a lifelong passion for learning and discovery.