ETS Stands in Support of the AP African American Studies Course

February 6, 2023

Recent coverage about the AP African American Studies framework is filled with inaccuracies that take away the importance of the historic course designed to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans. This interdisciplinary course was developed over many years and draws from the expertise and experience of college faculty and teachers across the country. The pilot followed the standard process for developing AP course frameworks, and core revisions — including the removal of secondary sources — were finalized in December 2022, independent of political pressure.

Some of our most valuable learning experiences happen when we put ourselves into others’ shoes and look at things from an entirely different perspective. Learning different perspectives helps us take stock of our own ideas and beliefs and reflect on them based on new information. ETS stands behind the revised framework, as it is a landmark course comprised of key contributions in literature, sociology, anthropology, and linguistics, among other fields, to African-American history.

African-American history is part of American history and students deserve the freedom to choose the elective courses that best fit their academic goals.