A number of other top private schools, including Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire,
have always steered clear of AP courses. Myra McGovern, a spokeswoman at the National Association of Independent
Schools, discerns "a movement from a small group of independent schools that have said no to AP courses," preferring to offer
high-level classes that are more focused, less test-driven and perhaps more engaging. "Learning is about having a passion,"
observes McGovern. "The threat is that students are so concerned with how they appear to the colleges that they pack in all
sorts of AP courses that may not even interest them."
To its
