Top resources for high school psychology teachers

In early 2025, APA’s TOPSS Committee reviewed the broad catalogue of resources developed by past committees and at the 2017 APA Summit on High School Psychology Education. The committee selected the top resources its members felt were high impact, aligned to the APA and TOPSS missions, and not available elsewhere.

TOPSS encourages all members and high school psychology teachers to use these materials as needed:

1. National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula (2022)
   This policy document is APA’s top resource supporting high-quality high school psychology courses. The standards provide domains, standard areas, content standards, learning targets, and integrative themes for the course.
2. Resource manual for new high school psychology teachers (2025)
   This guide for new high school psychology teachers addresses common questions that teachers may have about teaching the course.
3. Resource vetting rubric (2023)opens in new window
   This rubric assures quality control for classroom resources, such as demonstrations, activities, and/or presentations.
4. Unit lesson plans
   TOPSS provides free 3- to 7-day unit plans that provide content outlines, activities, resources, and more on various areas within psychology. Two-day lesson plans from award-winning teachers are also available.
5. APA resources to help teachers engage students in research (2024)
   This PTN newsletter article shares links to free APA resources—such as journals, articles, and activities—that are intended to engage students with psychological research.
6. Teaching psychology: Where can I find help? (2025)
   This resource provides answers to common questions from beginning and veteran psychology teachers.
7. Academic pacing calendars
   These sample pacing calendars aligned to APA’s National Standards cover a variety of high school psychology classes.
8. Why should I take high school psychology? (2024)opens in new window
   This page for high school students includes a short video on the many benefits of taking a psychology class in high school, addresses course and career options, and shares other resources for students.
9. Psychology clubs (2025)
   This recently revised page highlights the value psychology clubs can offer students.
10. APA Project Assessment (PASS)opens in new window
    Project Assessment is a free resource the provides psychology instructors with a dynamic library of vetted course assessments. This is an APA resource, not specific to TOPSS.
11. Promoting Psychological Science: A Compendium of Laboratory Exercises for Teachers of High School Psychology
    This free e-book published by the STP/APA Division 2 was inspired by the 2017 APA Summit on High School Psychology Education and provides teachers with laboratory exercises for the high school course.

The TOPSS website and TOPSS Facebook pageopens in new window are available as resources as well.