Jesuit High School is one of approximately 1,800 schools worldwide to implement the AP Capstone™ Diploma program — an innovative program that allows students to develop the skills that matter most for college success, such as research, collaboration, and communication. The program consists of two courses taken in sequence: AP Seminar and AP Research. Students who score a 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research, and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing, earn the AP Capstone Diploma™. 

This signifies outstanding academic achievement and attainment of college-level academic and research skills. Students who score a 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research (but not on four additional AP Exams) earn the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™.

Jesuit High School will start offering AP Seminar in the fall of 2019. “Our Jesuit education strives to form students who fall in love with learning while promoting a depth of understanding that moves beyond the superficial,” said Michael Wood ’99, Principal of Jesuit High School. “This innovative program will allow our students to explore, with expert guidance, customized topics that align with their passions and will deepen their ability to become Men for Others, preparing our highly-motivated students for college and beyond.” In AP Seminar, typically taken in 10th or 11th grade, students choose and evaluate complex topics through multiple lenses; identify credibility and bias in sources; and develop arguments in support of a recommendation. AP Seminar is a project-based learning course. Official AP Seminar assessments include research reports, written arguments, and presentations completed during the academic year.

In the subsequent AP Research course, students design, execute, present, and defend a year-long research-based investigation on a topic of individual interest. They build on skills developed in AP Seminar by learning how to understand research methodology; employ ethical research practices; and collect, analyze, and synthesize information to contribute to academic research. Like AP Seminar, AP Research is a project-based course. Each student’s official AP Research score is based on their academic paper, presentation, and oral defense.