The College Board released the curriculum for its new course “Advanced Placement African American Studies” on Wednesday (1), which excluded part of a content contested by the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.

Historic Redress Debates in the US/Americas is listed as an example project topic in the curriculum, but is not a required lesson plan and is not part of the final exam. The curriculum on slavery, reconstruction, and the civil rights movement remains relatively unchanged. Furthermore, it does not require teaching on topics like Black Lives Matter or the case for reparations, two subjects that have been disputed by DeSantis.

It should be noted that earlier this month the “Florida State Board of Education” and DeSantis tried to block the new Advanced Placement (AP) course, telling the University Board that the course is “contrary to the law of Florida and significantly lacks educational value.” According to DeSantis, the course violates a Florida law that prohibits defining people as oppressed or privileged based on their ethnicity.

The outrage over the curriculum underscores ongoing battles against critical racial theory — a topic that is often confused with teachings about systemic racism. Soon, the DeSantis administration drew strong backlash from black leaders, Florida legislators, and governors of other states. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump accused the state of violating federal and state constitutions and threatened to sue if it did not reach an agreement with the College Board to reinstate the course.

On Wednesday (1), DeSantis unveiled a proposal to revamp the state's higher education system, with the aim of elevating "intellectual freedom" and combating "indoctrination." Proposed reforms would ban critical racial theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and ensure that "Florida's public universities and colleges are grounded in the history and philosophy of Western civilization."

As of this month, 1,530 school districts in 49 states have seen school board candidates take a position on race in education or critical racial theory. Additionally, at least 14 states have enacted legislation to limit the teaching of "divisive concepts" or CRT in 2021 and 2022, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The AP course is currently being tried in 60 high schools across the country, with plans to expand it to hundreds more schools in the fall, The Washington Post reported. The course will formally launch nationwide in 2024, with the first AP exams taking place in 2025. “This course is an unflinching encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture,” said David Coleman, CEO of the College Board in a press release on Wednesday (1).

Source: https://www.axios.com/2023/02/01/college-board-ap-african-american-studies