Exemplary AP® Program: Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor, Ill.

Feb. 2010

Midwestern News

A push-pull philosophy has vaulted Homewood-Flossmoor High School to high achievements across demographics and subjects. With a diverse student body of about 3,000, the school and district have challenged students to take the most rigorous courses and offered support to help students succeed.

The school, which is located in a southern suburb of Chicago, has been recognized by the College Board for having the largest number of African American students from the class of 2009 score a 3 or better on the AP^® Psychology Exam. The school also has been honored three times by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School.

“The course is a success because of our instructors’ commitment to an excellent scope and sequence, professional development, and an overall belief that all of their students can be successful,” said Principal Ryan Pitcock.

Superintendent Von Mansfield said the course exemplifies the school’s commitment to rigor for all students. “The two teachers [Lauren Chasey and Jennifer Juenke] who are responsible for the success of our AP Psychology course and subsequent test scores are great examples of what Homewood-Flossmoor has personified in all of its Advanced Placement programming. These teachers have truly embodied the College Board’s philosophy of access and equity, such that all students have the ability to reach their full academic potential.”

Homewood-Flossmoor offers 23 AP courses in six subject areas, and all students are encouraged to try at least one.

“Our open enrollment policy permits the student and his or her family to select all of the courses appropriate for the student’s given ability level under the professional advice of his or her guidance counselor,” said Pitcock.

Those opportunities have translated into AP achievement for more than a third of the school’s students. In 2009, nearly 1,400 students were enrolled in an AP course, and more than 1,000 took an AP Exam. The school is about 60 percent African American, 35 percent Caucasian and has a smaller number of Latino and Asian American students. The academic success has spanned all ethnicities as AP enrollment has grown from 877 in 2002 to 1,523 in 2010.

“The high expectation of our community and school board is for Homewood-Flossmoor High School to be the very best high school within the country. This charge drives each administrator, teacher and student to perform at extraordinary levels,” Pitcock said.

Those expectations and the exciting possibilities are on display for prospective parents at the school’s AP Showcase, an event that has led to dramatic growth in the number of students giving AP a try. “Each January, we invite parents and students, both eighth-graders and our current underclassmen, for a special evening devoted to AP courses,” said Nancy Spaniak, director of curriculum and instruction. “The evening begins in our auditorium with our college counselor and a college admission officer discussing the postsecondary advantages of experiencing a rigorous high school curriculum,”

Another voice of support comes from recent graduates who return to the school and tell their friends about starting college with dozens of credit hours. Mansfield, and of course, parents, enjoy those anecdotes. “It’s a big incentive,” he said. “It can save a family thousands of dollars, and it gives a big boost of self-esteem for students to get a pat on the back for a job well done.”