news
07-30-2015, 03:26 PM
After facing months of intense scrutiny over a new Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) course outline that some conservatives perceived as containing anti-American biases, the College Board released a new framework for the class Thursday morning. This structure places more of an emphasis on concepts surrounding American national identity, the country's founding leaders and documents and the effective role of free enterprise in U.S. history.
The College Board, the company that created and runs the Advanced Placement program, said the updated course framework reflects feedback it received from educators and historians during a public review period. The changes make it so "statements [in the framework] are clearer and more historically precise (https://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/english-history-and-social-science/us-history/2015-ced), and less open to misinterpretation or perceptions of imbalance" and so that specific important individuals and documents are clearly included, according to the group's website.
After deciding to redesign the course in 2006, the College Board released a new course outline last year that hit classrooms in the fall. It was designed by a committee of professors and teachers, and generated controversy from critics who said it took an overly critical approach to teaching American history.
In August 2014, the Republican National Committee adopted a resolution criticizing the framework for "radically revisionist view (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/08/college_board_statement_on_ap.html) of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nation's history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects." In October, the framework triggered weeks of protests (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2014/10/05/fa6136a2-4b12-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html) in Jefferson County, Colorado, after members of the local school board pushed for the creation of a committee to review the course and ensure it presented America positively. In February, the Oklahoma legislature took steps to try to ban the course from state classrooms (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=2015/02/18/oklahoma-ap-us-history_n_6702710.html).
The College Board officials and scholars who worked on the 2014 framework update consistently defended the product. The creators noted in an open letter (http://www.edweek.org/media/letter-us-history.pdf)that the course outline didn't require teachers to mention specific historical figures by name because they did not need such specific guidance.
"Many of the comments we have heard about the framework reflect either a misunderstanding of U.S. history or a very limited faith in history teachers’ command of their subject matter," the letter said. "The Curriculum Framework was written by and for AP teachers -- individuals who were already experts in U.S. history and its teaching."
The 2015 framework released Thursday directly responds to the fears of critics. As opposed to last year's framework, it explicitly mentions the concept of American exceptionalism and emphasizes the names and roles of the founding fathers. Although this year's framework highlights America's positive influence on world, like its role in ending the Cold War, it includes about the same number of references to slavery as last year's.
"Every statement in the 2015 edition has been examined with great care based on the historical record and the principled feedback the College Board received. The result is a clearer and more balanced approach to the teaching of American history that remains faithful to the requirements that colleges and universities set for academic credit. The new edition has been embraced by educators, including AP U.S. History teachers who reviewed it at the recent AP Annual Conference," a statement from the College Board reads.
More that 460,000 U.S. students took the APUSH exam (http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/2014/STUDENT-SCORE-DISTRIBUTIONS-2014.pdf) last year.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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The College Board, the company that created and runs the Advanced Placement program, said the updated course framework reflects feedback it received from educators and historians during a public review period. The changes make it so "statements [in the framework] are clearer and more historically precise (https://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/english-history-and-social-science/us-history/2015-ced), and less open to misinterpretation or perceptions of imbalance" and so that specific important individuals and documents are clearly included, according to the group's website.
After deciding to redesign the course in 2006, the College Board released a new course outline last year that hit classrooms in the fall. It was designed by a committee of professors and teachers, and generated controversy from critics who said it took an overly critical approach to teaching American history.
In August 2014, the Republican National Committee adopted a resolution criticizing the framework for "radically revisionist view (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/08/college_board_statement_on_ap.html) of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nation's history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects." In October, the framework triggered weeks of protests (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2014/10/05/fa6136a2-4b12-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html) in Jefferson County, Colorado, after members of the local school board pushed for the creation of a committee to review the course and ensure it presented America positively. In February, the Oklahoma legislature took steps to try to ban the course from state classrooms (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=2015/02/18/oklahoma-ap-us-history_n_6702710.html).
The College Board officials and scholars who worked on the 2014 framework update consistently defended the product. The creators noted in an open letter (http://www.edweek.org/media/letter-us-history.pdf)that the course outline didn't require teachers to mention specific historical figures by name because they did not need such specific guidance.
"Many of the comments we have heard about the framework reflect either a misunderstanding of U.S. history or a very limited faith in history teachers’ command of their subject matter," the letter said. "The Curriculum Framework was written by and for AP teachers -- individuals who were already experts in U.S. history and its teaching."
The 2015 framework released Thursday directly responds to the fears of critics. As opposed to last year's framework, it explicitly mentions the concept of American exceptionalism and emphasizes the names and roles of the founding fathers. Although this year's framework highlights America's positive influence on world, like its role in ending the Cold War, it includes about the same number of references to slavery as last year's.
"Every statement in the 2015 edition has been examined with great care based on the historical record and the principled feedback the College Board received. The result is a clearer and more balanced approach to the teaching of American history that remains faithful to the requirements that colleges and universities set for academic credit. The new edition has been embraced by educators, including AP U.S. History teachers who reviewed it at the recent AP Annual Conference," a statement from the College Board reads.
More that 460,000 U.S. students took the APUSH exam (http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/2014/STUDENT-SCORE-DISTRIBUTIONS-2014.pdf) last year.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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