Georgia’s Fight Over AP US History Exam Continues

Hear the audio version of this story.

Jose Gregory’s Advanced Placement U.S. history class at the DeKalb School of the Arts begins with the Pledge of Allegiance. Today’s topic is World War I, specifically America’s entry into the war.

“Let’s start with the document on page 708,” Gregory tells his class. “Let’s look at that table. What does that show, and what is the title of that, and what inferences can we make from that document?”

The students analyze the table of Approximate Comparative Loses in World War I. One of the biggest changes in the course, teachers say, is students have to interpret historical sources. Before, teachers had to run through a multitude of facts, hoping the content they covered would be on the exam.

Gregory, who has taught the course for 12 years, thinks the new framework is an improvement.

“It’s not just a laundry list of things that have to be taught,” he says. “There’s that flexibility for us to look at our state curriculum, and then supplement that information into our teaching to make sure that we’re preparing our kids for full examinations — for the AP and the state-mandated exam.”

But some lawmakers think the changes to the test and the associated course materials are harmful.

“History is viewed more from the lens of grievances and social justice and these other issues to the detriment of American exceptionalism,” Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick, says.

Ligon sponsored a resolution opposing the new exam. He says it disproportionately focuses on negative events.

“We need to discuss our mistakes and our errors,” he says. “We learn from those and move on. But we also need to acknowledge the times we’ve gotten things right and that we do good things.”

Ligon also led Georgia’s fight against the Common Core last year. For him, and other conservatives, this is an ideological issue. They believe their values are under attack in the new course.

Representatives of the College Board, which issues AP exams, appeared at a state legislative hearing last week. Ligon told them the new course vilifies businesses and downplays free enterprise. 

“Whenever we see anything about business, it’s somehow tied to something that’s somewhat negative,” he testified. “I’m not saying we’re pounding on them, but there’s this association, a very subtle association, that somehow there’s something bad or wrong with business.”

Conservative politicians in other states have similar complaints. An Oklahoma House committee passed a bill last week banning the new test. The Texas Board of Education issued a resolution asking the College Board to rewrite the exam. Georgia’s Senate resolution makes the same request.

But the Georgia Board of Education already reviewed the changes last summer.

“They have found, under this new redesign, the Georgia AP History teachers actually have more class periods and more time to incorporate the Georgia standards as well,” Dana Rickman, director of policy and research at the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, says. 

Back in Gregory’s class, he asks his AP History students a question about President Woodrow Wilson.

“What’s his biggest problem, perhaps? What is this president unwilling to do?” he asks.

“He’s unwilling to compromise,” his students reply.

The College Board has indicated it could be willing to compromise. It’s accepting feedback on the new exam through the end of this week. And it’s received plenty from Georgia.

“Maybe there is a need for compromise, to realize that perhaps there really is more common ground than we might have originally expected,” Gregory tells his students.

The College Board will announce any changes to the test in July. As for Ligon’s resolution, it doesn’t have the legal authority to change any AP course or exam in Georgia.