College Board announces more changes for AP African American Studies course amid controversy

N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY
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More changes are coming to the AP African American studies course after College Board officials faced backlash for removing topics from the class that were criticized by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The College Board – a nonprofit which oversees the Advanced Placement program, as well as the SAT and PSAT exams – said in a statement Monday that a development committee and experts within the AP program "will determine the details of those changes over the next few months."

The changes come amid months of conflict between the College Board and officials in Florida who rejected a preliminary version of the class earlier this year.

“We are committed to providing an unflinching encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture,” the College Board said in its statement. "To achieve that commitment, we must listen to the diversity of voices within the field."

Florida rejects AP African American studies; others review or embrace it

The Florida Department of Education rejected the course in January, saying in a letter that it is contrary to state law and "significantly lacks educational value."

DeSantis said at a news conference that the state blocked the class because it included the study of “queer theory” and political movements that advocated “abolishing prisons."

The White House and Black community leaders criticized Florida's rejection of the course.

After the rejection in Florida, officials in Arkansas, North Dakota and Virginia said they would review the course to determine if it conflicts with state laws and policies, the The Washington Post reported. Mississippi reviewed the course in February and determined it complies with state law, according to Jean Cook, a spokesperson for the state Department of Education.

Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was "extremely troubled" by reports DeSantis was pressuring the College Board to change the course, and his state will review the course to ensure it "includes all necessary history" in a letter to College Board CEO David Coleman obtained by NBC News. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced the expansion of the course to 26 schools and criticized DeSantis for prioritizing "political culture wars ahead of academic success."

College Board faces backlash over curriculum changes

In February, the College Board released the official course framework, which removed or de-emphasized topics criticized by DeSantis and other conservatives.

Activists and Black scholars criticized the College Board for changing the framework because of political pressure. Some organizations, including the National Black Justice Coalition, called for Coleman to step down after the release of documents indicating the board was in communication with Florida officials well before the release of the guidelines.

Coleman told USA TODAY at the time that the changes had been in the works for a year. The board acknowledged that it made mistakes in rolling out the course but denied being in frequent communication with Florida about its content.

Course to be expanded to 800 schools

The course was taught at 60 schools across the country during its pilot year in 2022 and will expand to 800 schools in the upcoming school year, the board said. All schools can offer the class in 2024, according to a timeline from the College Board.

The organization said providing access to a discipline that is not widely available to high school students and making that course accessible to as many students as possible has been its primary focus.

"Regrettably, along the way those dual-access goals have come into conflict," the board said.

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Contributing: Marc Ramirez, Douglas Soule, Marina Pitofsky, Alia Wong and Nirvi Shah, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Board announces more changes for AP African American Studies