The College Board has released a revised framework of its African American studies Advanced Placement (AP) course, a course that has received plenty of criticism from both advocates and critics this year.
Dr. Terrell Strayhorn
With this Dec. 6 release, the testing company almost bookends 2023 with its AP African American studies framework releases. The previous version was released in early February 2023 after building on a pilot program the College Board had implemented in select U.S. public high schools last year.
The Feb. 1 version of the framework – a 234-page document with input from high school teachers and African American studies professors – received backlash from advocates, who criticized how the framework downplayed topics such as Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations, intersectionality, and queer life.
The College Board also faced pushback from conservatives, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in January, blocked initial plans to pilot AP African American studies in the state’s high schools.
The College Board denied making changes in the Feb. 1 framework to appease DeSantis and others, but reporting by various news outlets indicated that the company did have repeated contact with Florida officials before its release. In April, it announced plans to revise the framework again.
This new Dec. 6 framework brings with it several changes to the subject matter, wording, and sources involved. A look at the comparison chart the College Board released with the framework itself shows that many new sources have been added to the curriculum – either fixed or optional – and some have either been removed or made optional.
Around 13,000 students from nearly 700 schools are piloting the AP course for the 2023-24 academic year, according to The College Board. And the students in this second pilot year can take the AP exam in the spring.
