SCHOOLED

College Board to Tweak AP Course After Accusations It Bowed to DeSantis

The nonprofit was swamped by criticism after releasing a curriculum that critics said proved it had yielded to conservative political pressure.

The College Board announced this week that it plans to make changes to its AP African American studies course—a move that comes less than three months after it released a framework that was slammed by critics as proof it had crumbled under political pressure. The course curriculum released in February was scrubbed of several topics deemed controversial—including Black Lives Matter and slavery reparations—by conservative lawmakers like Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who previously swore he would ban the class in Florida. In a vague statement on Monday, the nonprofit seemed to acknowledge regret for the misstep, saying that its dual goals of expanding access to both the subject matter and as many students as possible had “come into conflict.” It added that the scholars and experts in charge of shaping the course “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.” The board did not divulge a more precise timeline or any details on the nature of those changes.