Tupelo High School is the first in Mississippi to offer the AP Capstone program.

“AP Capstone is a new, diploma program made from College Board that enables students to engage into academic skills necessary for college,” said Holly Gray, who is teaching the class of 21 students in the school’s Media Center. “It’s exciting and unique to have this program in our school, because Tupelo High School is the first school in the state of Mississippi to have this program along with more than 136 other schools across the United States.”

Gray said the program will benefit the students taking it by “reinforcing skills in research and collaboration.”

The two parts of the program are AP Seminar and AP Research. For AP Seminar, there are three components: a group research paper and presentation, an individual research paper and presentation, and a writing exam. In AP Research, the students design, plan and manage a yearlong research-based investigation on a chosen subject.

“The difference between the two classes is that AP Seminar is the beginning, and we need to have the knowledge of the basics by working together in a group or discussing arguments,” Gray said. “AP Research is all independent work that is taken after AP Seminar.”

Sophomore Avery Claire Littleton said the course has multiple benefits.

“I took AP Capstone because I thought it would look good on my college application,” Littleton said. “Also, my mom made me take the class. Some benefits for taking this class were that I would become a better writer because I love to write and edit stories, and I can be more prepared for advanced classes in the future.”

Students must complete both AP Seminar and AP Research, which are both a semester long. Students also have to score a three or higher on the AP exam for each class in May.

Additionally, students must take at least four other AP classes of their choice. To receive the AP Capstone Diploma, students must score a three or higher on four of the other AP classes, and students must score a three or higher on AP Seminar and AP Research. If students do not score a three or higher on all exams, they will receive the AP Capstone Certificate. The difference between these two is that the AP Capstone Diploma shows that the student successfully passed the program and passed the AP exam, while AP Capstone Certificate shows that the student only completed the program and not the AP exam.

According to www.collegeboard.org, taking AP Capstone benefits current high school students and upcoming college students. It helps high school students advance in research, argumentation and communication skills that are at the core of college readiness and important for learning. It also provides a foundation based on the knowledge and precise course work of AP in a collaborate format.

After completing high school, AP Capstone offers students a unique opportunity to differentiate themselves to colleges and universities. The program also helps new college students by helping identify students who are prepared to go to college with the research, writing, and collaboration skills necessary for successful college completion. Also, it provides consistent, externally validated measures of student ability. This can be done by demonstrating student research and writing abilities through a 5,000-word scholarly research paper.

According to www.collegeboard.org,  AP Capstone was made in response to feedback from higher education. AP Seminar and AP Research support the rigor of AP courses and exams by equipping students with the ability to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments. This is the ability of combining scholarly practice with academic intensity. The results of being able to complete this process should get students results of analyzing topics through multiple lenses to construct meaning or gain understanding, planning and conducting a study or investigation and proposing solutions to real-world problems, producing communication in various forms, collaborating to solve a problem, and conjoining to make cross-curricular connections.

College Board also mentions that AP Capstone collaborated with colleges and universities to define its contents and standards. It applies structures and learning objectives uniquely aligned with AP skills and practices and other skills-based learning objectives identified by many other educational programs.

As of now, more than 100 public and private institutions have indicated that they have or are working on policies to welcome students who successfully complete AP Capstone. The key consideration is to adjust AP Seminar and AP Research to existing courses in a student’s academic schedule.