According to this author, a quiet revolution is picking up steam in the nation's private secondary schools, with broad implications for college admissions and for teaching and learning on both sides of the transition from high school to college. About 50 of the nation's leading college-preparatory schools have opted out of the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) program, preferring instead to offer curricula designed by their own teachers. In this article, the author discusses why college-preparatory schools are moving away from the AP program. He believes that using a homegrown curriculum unleashes the passion and creativity of everyone in the school community. Teachers are free to offer in-depth, thematic courses on subjects they love, and students can choose advanced courses based on their interests, rather than on what will "look good" because of an AP label.