|
|
TOPSS Celebrates 15 years
1992: TOPSS Interim Steering Committee formed
1993: TOPSS Committee officially established by the APA Council of Representatives
Laura Brandt, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire,
IL
2007 TOPSS Chair
From Psychology Teacher Network Newsletter, Summer 2007
Read comments about TOPSS and its 15th anniversary
TOPSS Timeline, 1992 – 2007
“[Fifteen] years have brought many changes and much progress for TOPSS.
TOPSS' mission of serving the needs of high school psychology teachers is always at the forefront of all initiatives and program proposals. As the popularity of psychology continues to increase, so does the need to equip high school psychology teachers with the most helpful resources.
TOPSS continues to address issues of outreach, recruitment and retention, establishing grass roots organizations at the state level and addressing issues of cultural and ethnic diversity.”
~Marissa Sarabando, on the tenth anniversary of TOPSS in 2002 |
The American Psychological Association (APA) has been committed to the teaching
of high school psychology for several decades. Since the 1970s, high school
teachers have joined APA as Teacher Affiliates. Within the APA governance
structure, a Committee on Psychology in the Secondary Schools (CPSS) was established
to address precollege psychology issues. However, by the late 1980s, as APA
was experiencing some financial difficulties, this committee, among others,
was sunset.
By the early 1990s, APA was on more stable footing and began reorganizing
some of the Central Office and governance structure. APA established the Education
Directorate and the APA Board of Educational Affairs (BEA). In addition,
APA reaffirmed the importance of high school psychology through the formation
of the APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS).
The TOPSS Committee was set up as an APA continuing committee reporting through
the APA Board of Educational Affairs to the APA Council of Representatives.
Fifteen years later, TOPSS is a vibrant committee of educators committed
to ensuring that high school psychology teachers have the resources they need
to accurately teach psychological science to high school students. This
is important because the high school classroom is often the first, and possibly
the only, time students have the opportunity to learn about psychology. As
noted [below], there have been dramatic changes in high school psychology enrollment
in recent years. We estimate that approximately five and a half million students
have taken a high school psychology course within the past 15 years.
Currently 1,500 APA High School Teacher Affiliates are participating in APA
as members of TOPSS. The mission of TOPSS includes promoting the scientific
nature of introductory and advanced high school psychology, meeting the curricular
needs of secondary school teachers, and providing opportunities for high school
students to be recognized and rewarded for their academic excellence.
TOPSS offers numerous resources for instructors of psychology, including unit
lesson plans, teaching materials, a Speakers Bureau, the Psychology Teachers
Network newsletter, National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula,
awards for teachers and students of psychology, opportunities for networking,
and professional development programs for those who teach psychology.
TOPSS has been fortunate to have the support of many individuals, including
Charles Spielberger, PhD, APA Past President, and Charles Brewer, PhD, of Furman
University, who played key roles in the establishment of the TOPSS Committee. Since
that time, more than thirty high school teachers and approximately 15 college
advisors have served on the TOPSS Committee.
As TOPSS continues to grow the benefits and opportunities for members will
continue to expand.
High School Psychology Enrollment Data
Advanced Placement Psychology
- 4,000 students took the AP Psychology exam in 1992
- 102,000 students took AP Psychology exam in 2006
- 2,700 AP Psychology teachers in 2006
- 140,000 students enrolled in AP Psychology courses in 2006
- 8th largest exam volume of 35 AP subject exams in 2006
International Baccalaureate Psychology
- 7,984 IB Psychology exams taken in 2006 (5,798 in US)
- At least 365 schools worldwide offered IB Psychology exam (210 in US)
- 7th largest of at least 26 IB subject exams offered in the US in 2006
AP, IB, and Regular Psychology
- Approximately 360,000 students enrolled in high school psychology courses
in 2003
- Approximately 730,000 students graduate each year having taken a psychology
course over the past four years
- Approximately 6,150 high school psychology teachers in the United States
|
