An AP Capstone program was approved for Fountain Hills High School during the Dec. 14 School Board meeting, to be implemented beginning in the fall of 2017.

In short, the AP Capstone Program is a diploma program that focuses on inquiry, research and writing skills crucial for college and career success. FHHS Principal Cain Jagodzinski said the program will challenge the district’s brightest students and offer a new high tier of academic success for the school.

This makes FHHS one of approximately 1,000 approved schools worldwide to implement AP Capstone, which offers a heavy emphasis on research, collaboration and communication. The program consists of two courses taken in sequence: AP Seminar and AP Research. Developed in direct response to feedback from higher education faculty and college admission officers, AP Capstone complements the in-depth, subject-specific study of other Advanced Placement courses and exams.

“This innovative program gets a broader, more diverse student population ready for college and beyond,” said Jagodzinski. “The program empowers our teachers to use their professional judgement with curriculum choices so their students can access more challenging coursework and sharpen their reading and writing skills.”

The AP Seminar course, typically taken in 10th or 11th grade, equips students with the ability to look at real-world issues from multiple perspectives. Through a variety of materials—articles to research studies to foundational and philosophical texts— students tackle complex questions; understand and evaluate opposing viewpoints; interpret and synthesize information; and construct, communicate, and defend evidence-based arguments.

Education, innovation, sustainability, and technology are examples of themes or topics covered in AP Seminar. However, Jagodzinski said teachers have the flexibility to choose subject content based on student interests, whether local, regional, national, or global.

In the subsequent AP Research course, students design, plan, and conduct a yearlong research-based investigation on a topic of individual interest, documenting their process with a portfolio. Students build on skills developed in the AP Seminar course by learning how to understand research methodology; employ ethical research practices; and collect, analyze, and synthesize information to build, present, and defend an argument.

“We are proud to offer AP Capstone, which enables students and teachers to focus on topics of their choice in great depth,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president for AP and instruction at the College Board. “This provides terrific opportunities for students to develop the ability to write and present their work effectively, individually and in groups—the very skills college professors want their students to possess.”

Students who earn scores of three or higher on AP Seminar and AP Research assessments and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing will earn the AP Capstone Diploma. This signifies their outstanding academic achievement and attainment of college-level academic and research skills. Students who earn scores of three or higher on both AP Seminar and AP Research assessments only (but not on four additional AP Exams) will earn the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.

For more information on the program, contact Fountain Hills High School at 480-664-5500.