For Immediate Release: 12/22/2016
East Greenwich High School to Participate in the College Board’s AP Capstone™ Program
Diploma Program Focuses on Inquiry, Research, and Writing Skills Crucial for College and Career Success
East Greenwich, Rhode Island —East Greenwich High School is one of approximately 1,000 schools worldwide to implement AP Capstone™—an innovative diploma program that allows students to develop the skills that matter most for college success: 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.
Students who earn scores of 3 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 3 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™.
East Greenwich High School will start AP Seminar in the fall of 2017.
“We are very excited to bring this programming to the students of East Greenwich High School.” said Principal Michael Podraza. “Given the wonderful talents of our students and educators, we believe that implementing this innovative program, which is built upon providing a flexible curriculum centered around students’ interests while maintaining a focus on real and relevant skills our students need and use, will allow our students to access challenging course work, sharpen their reading and writing skills, and engage in the academic study of topics that align to their personal interests, passions, and goals. We believe that members of our school community will seize the autonomy and high standards embedded in this program to create experiences that will have the hallmarks of what “personalization” should be in education today. We are thrilled to implement a program that so closely fits our mission to ‘empower all members to achieve their full potential as learners, thinkers, and responsible global citizens’ while we ‘take risks in order to inspire learning and discover passions’.
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, teachers have the flexibility to choose subject content based on student interests, whether local, regional, national, or global. By tapping into students’ personal interests, AP Capstone™ gives students from a wide range of backgrounds an entry point into stimulating coursework more than ever before. Students are assessed through: a team project and presentation, an individual project and presentation, and an end-of-course written exam. “We, as schools, are often told about the need to help our students become ‘college and career ready’,” said Assistant Principal Timothy Chace, “I think that giving students an opportunity to do college-level research on topics that they choose because of a deep, personal interest is a great way to start that journey.”
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. He adds, “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,”
By responding to and partnering with the higher education community, the College Board developed AP Capstone™ so students can practice skills that will serve them well in college and career. Because the program is a result of feedback from education professionals, it is not surprising that several colleges and universities have confirmed their support of for the program.
“AP Capstone™ is a unique program that teaches skills we think are very valuable not only for college but life,” said John Barnhill, assistant vice president for enrollment management at Florida State University. “The ability to analyze, to critically think, to present information is really wonderful, and I think both courses do a great job of preparing the student for the rest of their lives.”
About East Greenwich High School
East Greenwich High School is a rigorous public, four-year comprehensive high school with 721 students. It is the first high school in Rhode Island approved to offer the College Board’s AP Capstone™ Program. In 2015 and again in 2016 it is the only Rhode Island public high school to make Newsweek’s list of America’s Top High Schools, currently ranking at #259. The school is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the State of Rhode Island Department of Education.
About the Advanced Placement Program
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies—with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both—while still in high school. Through AP courses in 34 subjects, each culminating in a rigorous exam, students learn to think critically, construct solid arguments, and see many sides of an issue—skills that prepare them for college and beyond. Taking AP courses demonstrates to college admission officers that students have sought the most rigorous curriculum available to them, and research indicates that students who score a 3 or higher on an AP Exam typically experience greater academic success in college and are more likely to earn a college degree than non-AP students. Each AP teacher’s syllabus is evaluated and approved by faculty from some of the nation’s leading colleges and universities, and AP Exams are developed and scored by college faculty and experienced AP teachers. Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States grant credit, advanced placement, or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores — more than 3,800 institutions worldwide annually receive AP scores. In the last decade AP participation and performance rates have nearly doubled. In May 2016, 2.6 million students representing more than 21,000 schools around the world, both public and nonpublic, took over 4.7 million AP Exams.
About the College Board
The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success—including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit collegeboard.org.
Media Contact:
Michael Podraza, Principal of East Greenwich High School 401-398-1300 mpodraza@egsd.net
The College Board 212-713-8052 communications@collegeboard.org
