This is a progress report of an independent study program in chemistry at a senior high school. Currently in its fourth year of operation, the program is designed to provide students with individualized, self-paced instruction in college-preparatory chemistry. The author discusses the rationale for the program, the initial phases, the problems encountered and changes instituted each year, and the program as it is presently structured and operated. The establishment of a hierarchy of behavioral objectives and the procedures for evaluating student performance are presented. The report includes an analysis of data collected on the performance of students in both the independent study and the conventionally taught chemistry programs. The results indicate that the independent study students are better able to achieve and retain the processes, generalizations and hypotheses of chemistry than the conventional chemistry students. The report concludes with plans for the future development of the program. Bibliography. (LC)