The state Senate suggested Wednesday that Georgia should all but ban Advanced Placement U.S. history courses statewide, saying education officials needed to protect students from a “radically revisionist view” of American history that many conservatives say is left-leaning and biased.
The non-binding Senate Resolution 80, which passed on a 38-17 party-line vote, follows complaints in Georgia and elsewhere that the College Board has too dramatically overhauled the course, which is part of a curriculum the educational nonprofit developed and administers.
SR 80 demands state education officials withdraw the current AP U.S. history course and defund it if there aren’t major changes. The resolution is sponsored by state Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick, who has also questioned the state’s use of voluntary national academic standards called Common Core.
Georgia Education Department spokesman Matt Cardoza said no immediate changes would be made in response to Wednesday’s vote.
"A relentless negative portrayal," is how state Sen. Judson Hill, R-Marietta, described the changes to the popular course, which two of his children have taken. He and other critics complain it now glosses over or inaccurately reflects people and ideas including the nation's Founding Fathers, the Judeo-Christian influences on the country's development and U.S. foreign policy such as outlined in the Monroe Doctrine.
College Board senior vice president Trevor Packer defended its efforts to revise the course in a statement late Wednesday. He said SR 80 is “marred by misinformation” and noted several prominent historical organizations endorsed the revisions and many teachers support the course. College Board officials say the revisions reflect efforts to make students think more critically about history and to address teacher concerns that the course didn’t allow enough time to delve deep into some areas of American history.
“Neither the AP program, nor the thousands of American colleges and universities that award credit for AP US History exams, will allow the censorship of such topics, which can and should be taught in a way that inspires students with confidence in America’s commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” said Packer.
The course — one of 36 AP courses the College Board offers — is an elective and targets high-achieving high school students who want to study college-level classes. During debate Wednesday, Senate Democrats said it was a matter best left to academics.
"I think politicians ought to get their noses out of the classroom," said state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta. "Let the professionals do it."
Cardoza said Republican state Superintendent Richard Woods supports the resolution, referencing a statement Woods made when the legislation was introduced earlier this year. “Though this is a short-term solution, SR 80 provides steps to address the long-term problem of high school students not being taught key people, events, and documents that are the cornerstone of the history of our nation,” Woods said. “I applaud the members of our General Assembly for working together to protect the education of Georgia’s students.”
Some critics want to create a company to offer alternative courses to high-achieving high school students. One of those critics, Stanley Kurtz, senior fellow for the right-leaning Washington-based Ethics & Public Policy Center, hinted at the plan to Georgia lawmakers during a joint education committee meeting last month.
The College Board charges $91 for students to take an AP exam, but offers some students who can prove a financial hardship a discounted rate. Georgia’s graduating class of 2013 took nearly 80,000 AP exams that school year, state records show.
Currently, the College Board’s strongest competition comes from the International Baccalaureate program and public schools that choose dual-enrollment programs, in which students can earn college credit in high school.
