The College Board Plans to Change AP African American Studies, Details Unclear

By Ileana Najarro — April 25, 2023 1 min read

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The nonprofit group that runs Advanced Placement classes announced it will make changes to the framework of its new AP African American Studies course, though it has yet to reveal plans.

The April 24 announcement from the College Board comes months after a national debate swirled around the new course. Some scholars criticized the College Board for its exclusion of topics in the course framework, while some state leaders pledged to review the course, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis banning the course citing the inclusion of topics that violate state law restricting instruction on race.

“In embarking on this effort, access was our driving principle—both access to a discipline that has not been widely available to high school students, and access for as many of those students as possible,” the College Board said in a statement. “Regrettably, along the way those dual access goals have come into conflict.”

The AP African American Studies course framework was officially released on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month, with feedback provided by students and teachers from the first pilot year of the course, which ends this summer. According to the College Board, experts and scholars will work on changes to the existing framework during the second pilot round, which begins this fall. The official course is scheduled to be available for the 2024-25 school year.

“The updated framework, shaped by the development committee and subject matter experts from AP, will ensure that those students who do take this course will get the most holistic possible introduction to African American Studies,” the nonprofit said.

The College Board did not respond to Education Week’s requests for comment. It’s unclear why the organization is making changes and what changes it plans to make, nor what sparked this announcement.

Here is the College Board’s statement in full.

AP African American Studies Scholars to Make Changes to Course

The Advanced Placement Program has worked for several years alongside scholars, higher education institutions, and secondary schools to create an AP course in African American Studies.

We are committed to providing an unflinching encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture. To achieve that commitment, we must listen to the diversity of voices within the field. The development committee and experts within AP remain engaged in building a course and exam that best reflect this dynamic discipline. Those scholars and experts have decided they will make changes to the latest course framework during this pilot phase. They will determine the details of those changes over the next few months.

Ultimately this work must deliver a representative introductory college-level course, and that imperative will guide its development. Hunger for this course has exploded around the country, growing from 60 schools in the first pilot year to 800 schools and 16,000 students in the school year ahead. Every day, there are more stories about how this course is opening minds and changing lives. Regardless of how many students take this course, each one of those students should have access to the full breadth and beauty of this discipline.

In embarking on this effort, access was our driving principle—both access to a discipline that has not been widely available to high school students, and access for as many of those students as possible. Regrettably, along the way those dual access goals have come into conflict. The updated framework, shaped by the development committee and subject matter experts from AP, will ensure that those students who do take this course will get the most holistic possible introduction to African American Studies.

The journey in developing this new AP course began in the 2000s with major work beginning in 2020. See more about this history in a timeline of events: