As the lead Advanced Placement (AP) English teacher at Suncoast High School, a magnet school, the author started a pilot program teaching the lowest quartile group of African American students the AP English Literature and Composition course their senior year. Their educational background was limited, and several were not able to write a complete sentence. The ambience of taking AP made them proud and made them feel special. The school system had finally given them a solid course with a qualified teacher. The class used practice AP tests and read many novels and plays by African American authors. The class showed success because nearly all students went to college.