ATLANTA — Despite what appears to be a reversal of an earlier statement, Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies will not be offered in Georgia's public schools. On Tuesday, Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods said he would not fund an AP course in African American Studies for the state’s public schools. A day later, after education advocates, Gov. Brian Kemp and others pushed back on the idea, Woods appeared to reverse course.
The Georgia Department of Education now says it will pay for school districts to offer a course as long as it is the existing state-approved course in African American studies. This is insufficient as the state course is not a college-level course and it does not follow the College Board-approved curriculum, which adequately prepares students to pass the AP exam.
In addition to raising eyebrows about potential discriminatory motives, Superintendent Woods’ decision to allow state funding for a non-College Board approved course called “AP African American Studies” raises questions about students’ academic outcomes. It is unclear whether students will be able to receive AP credit for the state course, if their GPAs will be weighted to reflect the AP scale, or if successful completion of the state course will allow a transferable college credit.
“Any reversal to Woods’ initial decision falls short if the AP African American Studies course is not the curriculum that has been approved by the College Board. Rebranding the state's African American Studies course as ‘AP level’ is a violation of the state Board of Education's own policy. The ACLU of Georgia implores the state to fund the College Board-approved AP African American Studies course,” said Sarah Hunt-Blackwell, First Amendment Policy Advocate, ACLU of Georgia.
