AP Capstone, a College Board program that can lead to scholarships and an AP award, is offered at every Denton ISD high school except Guyer—but it should.

The AP Capstone program should be included as an academic opportunity in the upcoming school years due to the skills it aims to construct that are necessary for college readiness—research, critical thinking, forming ideas and arguments, and conveying those ideas either verbally or in writing—while still appealing to students’ personal interests. Its opportunities for students to receive awards and scholarships, to appeal to admissions officers at universities, and to develop an academic portfolio ahead of their peers make the program especially rewarding.

In short, the AP Capstone Program consists of two classes—AP Seminar and AP Research—and allows students to receive either the AP Capstone Diploma or the AP Seminar and Research Certificate, which are given if a student earns a score of 3 or above in the AP exam at the end of both courses. The Diploma adds the criteria of taking and earning a score of 3 or above on four other AP exams.

In AP Seminar, students are taught how to analyze and compare research, then craft their own ideas and communicate them. In the follow-up course, AP Research,  students embark on a year-long research project on a topic of their choice, producing a research paper by the end of the school year. Because of the freedom of topics it can cover and its co-curricular view, the program explores the connections and complexities between multiple disciplines, meaning that any student could take this course and enjoy what they are learning about. This also means that, if offered and advertised to the student body, it is likely that many students would be interested in taking it.

Before getting to that, though, AP Capstone’s main selling points are the skills acquired through it. Any student looking to go to college after high school would greatly benefit from the program, not only because of its look on college applications—according to research, 85% of universities say that students with AP Capstone experience on their application are regarded favorably when making admissions decisions—but also because of the preparation for college courses.

Thanks to its material, students learn valuable skills that they will take with them into college and careers. These include, but are not limited to: how to conduct research, analyze information and present findings in an effective manner. These skills are beneficial to any major, as college courses of all types require some sort of independent research. Even if a student isn’t interested in college, these skills could be valuable in any career path, which makes it a great opportunity for Guyer students.

On the district’s page about the AP Capstone program, it says that it “is strongly encouraged for students in the Denton ISD EXPO program.” 14.6% of Guyer’s population is a part of this program. Comparing this to Denton ISD’s 12.7% of students who are in EXPO, Ryan’s 12.6%, and Braswell’s 7.5%, as well as the district’s 10% and the state’s 8.5%, Guyer is well qualified and in need of this program.

So why isn’t it offered at Guyer? There are a few possible answers to this, including staff training, budget restraints, and lack of student interest.

To teach within the AP Capstone program, teachers must complete 30 hours of training during the summer and 10 hours of training during the winter. The lack of this program at Guyer could be due to this, as the cost of training and providing the program could strain the school’s budget.

However, this is probably not the most prevalent issue pertaining to AP Capstone. The school’s associate principal, Dr. Nicole Jund, develops the master schedule and juggles hiring teachers, as well as deciding what classes will be offered in collaboration with the school’s counselors and department heads. Staff training does not seem to be a difficult obstacle to overcome, as training is not critical when just beginning an AP course.

“We have time as long as [teachers have] gone to trainings that will allow them to go ahead and start teaching the course. We just need to get them AP trained sometime over the course of that year… to support the advanced learners’ brain,” Jund said. 

Staffing shortages have also grown to be a problem for class offerings, forcing Guyer to prioritize teaching subjects required for graduation and electives in demand above costly programs such as AP Capstone.

“Last year, we were experiencing some reduction in staffing, so we had to make decisions about which classes we were going to keep and which classes we were not based on course requests. So, if a class has less than eight students and it’s not a practicum or work-based certification, that class will not make it,” Jund said.

The popularity of other programs and electives could be what is keeping AP Capstone from Guyer. Since the program usually results in an elective credit, students may not realize its benefits and instead opt for a class related to the career they want to pursue. If there aren’t enough students wanting to take a class, the school won’t spend money and time offering it.

If fewer than eight students want and are able to take a class, “the cost analysis is not supportive of keeping those classes,” said Jund.

Despite this, advertising AP Capstone’s possible availability and immense advantages during course selection could get enough people interested in the program to offer at least one class. After that year, the program would be likely to grow more popular through word of mouth, allowing Guyer to offer more of the program in good conscience.

Taking action to get AP Capstone to Guyer is something that anyone can do. As a first step, Jund recommends going to a department head or a counselor to convey an interest.

“If the department head thinks it is a good idea, we take proposals for new courses… to a committee in October. So, you could propose a course in September, and then it might be available the following year if it were approved by the committee,” Jund said. 

What matters most is to get students interested in it. If enough students circle it on their course card, it shows that Guyer has a need for the program, and it will make AP Capstone a higher-prioritized class so that the student body’s demands can be met. Students could even start a petition and get others to sign it, signifying that they want to take the program, and propose it to a counselor or principal with those signatures.

The opportunity of the AP Capstone program would significantly improve Guyer’s academic performance and college and career readiness, and it would give students a leg up in the professional world. The school’s strive for excellence can be almost guaranteed for students both pre- and post-graduation by incorporating this program into the pool of honors classes available.

If a student wants another course to be offered, Jund suggests communicating their ideas with a department head, through a club, or by researching dual credit opportunities to get started.

Find more information on AP Seminar, AP Research, the benefits of the AP Capstone Program, and district statistics.