Learning for Life

AP Capstone Diploma ™ Program Helps Students Build Essential Skills

This year, as a testament to its commitment to helping students build the skills required to succeed in college and life, Nichols applied to and was accepted to the AP Capstone Diploma™ Program, a rigorous academic program offered by just 2,000 schools worldwide—and only five schools in Buffalo, NY. A true mark of distinction, only 46,840 students took the AP Seminar exam in May 2021, compared to the nearly half-million students who sat for the AP U.S. History exam.

The Value of

The

AP Capstone Diploma College Board AP courses are globally recognized for their academic rigor and consistent grading standards. These high standards are increasingly valuable post-pandemic when rampant grade inflation and test-optional college admissions practices have made it more challenging for genuinely outstanding students to distinguish themselves. In this changed academic landscape, the AP Capstone Diploma Program offers students an elite opportunity to stand out among competitors in the college application process—and learn skills that will elevate the rest of their academic career.

Introduced in 2022, the two-year AP Capstone Diploma Program is comprised of two challenging courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. Led by Dr. Aranya Maritime P’17,’25, Dean of Academics, the 30 Nichols students enrolled in AP Seminar this year are using a classic work of English literature as a jumping-off point to develop research questions that touch on real-world issues. There are two sections of 15 students this year, and Dr. Maritime expects to have six sections next year. Students wishing to complete the AP Capstone Diploma in time to display the honor on their college applications can begin work their sophomore year. However, Dr. Maritime expects many juniors—and even seniors—to enroll in the course to gain the benefit of the work and to list their participation in the program on their transcripts.

Opportunities for Advancement

To earn the AP Capstone diploma, a student must earn a score of 3 or higher in the AP Seminar and Research courses, as well as a score of 3 or higher on four AP exams. The challenging coursework and frequent collaboration with other students make it crucial to attend every class, which can be challenging—but not impossible—for students heavily involved in athletics or other school-sponsored activities. For students wishing to explore other advanced academic opportunities, Nichols also offers a dual enrollment program through which they can earn college credit transferable to a SUNY school.

Backward Design Begins With the Goal

“The AP Capstone Diploma program is an incredibly well-designed series of authentic assessments. It’s stunning to be in the middle of it,” says Dr. Maritime. The backward-designed program aims to prepare students to orally defend a 20-page research paper during the Research course at the end of the two-year program. To that end, students begin their work in a team in AP Seminar, drawing on each other’s strengths and unique perspectives to begin the research process. They work together for the first half of AP Seminar to write and defend a short research paper. Students then create their own research papers during the second half of the year. By taking these measured steps, students build the necessary skills to move on to the AP Research course the following year, where they research, write, and defend an individual 20-page research paper on a topic of their choice.

Empowering Students

Sarah Jacobson, Associate Head of School for Academics, believes AP Seminar’s group approach adds value. Each student has their own task, but they come together to generate the topic and present the first paper, keeping students engaged with topics that interest them. As the course progresses, the group becomes the sole source of feedback, providing students with a sense of ownership and empowerment. “The AP Capstone allows students to begin building their Nichols narrative earlier in their academic career, helping them figure out who they are and what they are interested in pursuing in their lives,” says Jacobson. “The scaffold of the program is adultgenerated, but the content is open to student passions and interest, allowing them the freedom to choose a topic and delve deeply into research in an intentional, integrated, and cohesive way,” Jacobson continued.

Academic Skills to Carry Forward

The AP Capstone Diploma Program teaches students how to think critically, analyze the validity of source material, work in a team, and meet the standards of an academic rubric—all essential for success in college. Dr. Maritime feels digital literacy is one of the primary benefits of the program. “Research methods have evolved because of all the electronic things students can access. We need to intentionally teach students how to verify sources for credibility and evidence for validity,” explains Dr. Maritime. “During the AP Seminar and Research courses, students learn to use cutting-edge databases, craft a research paper, and create an oral defense of their paper before they ever set foot on a college campus.”

The AP Capstone Diploma Program’s rubric scoring affords students another advantage: Once they understand the language used in the AP Seminar and Research rubric, students can use it to excel in their other AP courses. Additionally, students’ writings get submitted to the College Board for external grading throughout the course, galvanizing them to strive for a level of professionalism that will earn a high score from an objective grader. “I see my students getting stronger daily as they learn to grapple with the vast array of information they have access to every day and build the skill set to help them discern what is of value—and what is not. The essential skills and enduring understandings students develop in the AP Capstone Seminar and Research classes will serve them well in college, their chosen careers, and their whole lives,” said Dr. Maritime. n