Nineteen ninety-nine was a momentous year for accomplishments and a beginning of a new era for high school psychology.
The National Standards for the Teaching of High School Psychology were approved by the APA Council of Representatives at the August 1999 meeting and the dissemination process was begun. The first step in this process was achieved when the Standards were placed on the TOPSS website; this has proven to be an excellent vehicle for distribution. One of the main initiatives for TOPSS is to continue to promote excellence in the teaching of high school psychology, and with the ability of access of the Standards on the APA website, TOPSS is continuing in its efforts to achieve that initiative. A working committee has been established to continue to update the Standards and to ensure the concept of a living document, one that will incorporate all issues pertinent to maintaining the quality of the teaching of high school psychology courses.
The TOPSS student recognition programs continue as 3 scholarships were awarded to the winners of the TOPSScholarship Essay Contest. TOPSS continued to recognize students through the APF/TOPSS "Excellence in High School Research" Awards. TOPSS also continued the Student Scholarship Achievement Award Certificate Program.
Once again TOPSS was awarded programming time at APA’s Annual Convention. Some programming was utilized in conjunction with Division 2. The 1999 TOPSS speakers included such notables as Ellen Langer, Robert Sternberg, William Damon, Diane Halpern, Peter Salovey, Dodge Fernald, Ellen Winner, and Jerome Kagan
TOPSS instituted a new teaching award for high school teachers. The purpose of the TOPSS Excellence in Teaching Award is to provide an opportunity for TOPSS to recognize outstanding teachers in psychology primarily at the local level. There will be five annual awards.
The State Coordinator program continues to expand with the development of a coordinator’s handbook. This will serve as an extremely useful tool for the enhancement of the state coordinator program, which serves as an important TOPSS outreach effort to high school psychology teachers nationally.
The TOPSS curriculum project continues to develop. Motivation and Emotion as well as a unit on Psychological Disorders were sent in mass mailings to the membership. Additional units in production are Treatment of Psychological Disorders, States of Consciousness, and Cross-Cultural Psychology. This is a continuing project for TOPSS and additional unit plans are in progress and updates of existing units are intended. TOPSS is committed to providing the most up to date and current information to its membership. The Monitor project continues to grow and expand with additional lists of articles sent in the mass mailings.
To continue to promote the education of the high school psychology teachers around the country, workshops were presented in conjunction with NEPA, the annual APA Convention held in Boston, the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, and at the Texas Psychological Association Convention. Additional workshops are in the planning stages for the year 2000. Workshops have been highly rated as products desired by our membership and serve as another means of outreach to psychology teachers.
Members of TOPSS are continuing to be involved with the initiatives launched at the June 1999 National Forum on Psychology Partnerships and the benefits are tremendous for everyone involved in the science of Psychology.
College faculty advisors for the past year were Dr. Charles Brewer and Dr. Jane Halonen. TOPSS wishes to thank these individuals for their expert assistance and unwavering commitment to the TOPSS Executive Committee and to the teachers of high school psychology.
Submitted by Mary L. Spilis, Chair, TOPSS
APA Education Directorate • 750 First St., N.E. Washington, DC 20002
(202) 336-5970
