AP Capstone

Advanced Placement Courses offered at all Burnaby Secondary Schools

AP courses are designed to provide motivated high school students with the opportunity to take university level academic courses while still in secondary school. There are courses offered at all Burnaby Secondary Schools. Contact the schools directly for more information about courses.

Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma Program offered at Burnaby North & Burnaby South Secondary

The Advanced Placement Program has expanded to include an innovative, new diploma program option called AP Capstone™. Burnaby North and Burnaby South Secondary schools were selected as two of  just 10 schools in Canada to initially offer this program. Developed in response to feedback from higher education faculty and college admission officers, AP Capstone complements the in-depth, subject-specific rigor of AP courses and exams, allowing students to engage in the rigorous development of skills critical for success in college: inquiry, research, collaboration, and writing.

 It includes  a two-course sequence: AP^® Seminar and AP Research.

The AP Seminar course, typically taken in grade 11, will equip students with the power to explore academic and real-world issues through an interdisciplinary lens and consider multiple points of view. Through a variety of materials ─ from articles and research studies to foundational and philosophical texts ─ students will be challenged to explore complex questions, understand and evaluate opposing viewpoints, interpret and synthesize information, and develop, communicate, and defend their own points of view. Teachers have the flexibility of choosing themes based on student interests, whether they are local and/or civic issues or international topics. Samples of themes that can be covered in the AP Seminar course include education, innovation, sustainability, and technology. Students are assessed through an individual and team project completed during the year and a year-end written exam.

 The subsequent AP Research course, will allow students to design, plan, and conduct a yearlong mentored investigation on a topic of their choosing. Students will build on the skills learned in the AP Seminar course by using research methodology, employing ethical research practices, and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information to present and defend an argument.

Students who earn scores of 3 or higher on the AP Seminar and AP Research Exams and scores of 3 or higher on four AP Exams of their choosing will receive the AP Capstone Diploma™. Students who earn qualifying scores on the two AP Capstone exams but do not take or earn qualifying scores on four additional AP Exams will earn the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™.

AP Capstone will help students distinguish themselves during the university application process by demonstrating their commitment to challenging coursework and by allowing them to showcase their in-depth understanding, interest and passion for specific issues.

For more information and how to apply, please see the main Burnaby School District website Advanced Placement pages.