Can South Carolina Schools Teach AP African American Studies? It’s Complicated

Can South Carolina Schools Teach AP African American Studies? It’s Complicated

South Carolina schools aiming to offer the new Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course this coming fall face a challenging task. They must secure direct authorization from the College Board and ensure their teachings align with college-level standards. These difficulties stem from the state department of education’s decision not to include the course in the state roster for the 2024-25 school year. The same fate befell the College Board’s AP Precalculus course, revealing a complicated educational landscape in South Carolina.

Facing Roadblocks

The AP African American Studies course and the AP Precalculus course are fresh initiatives from the College Board, a private non-profit organization. These courses aim to draw a more diverse student body into taking AP courses, potentially enabling them to earn college credit during high school. However, efforts to ensure access to these courses have hit significant roadblocks.

In 2023, during the first year of the two-year pilot program, Florida banned the AP African American Studies course amidst support from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The ban came into existence under allegations that the course violated state legislation restricting the teachings about race in the state’s schools. During the same year, Arkansas officials declared that the course wouldn’t count toward state graduation requirements. This decision left the districts to determine locally whether to offer it. Florida, Arkansas, and South Carolina are among 17 states that have imposed restrictions—via legislation or other measures—on how race can be taught in K-12 schools.

Local Solutions

Despite state-level rejections, the new courses remain popular on a national scale. Almost 700 schools took part across the nation in the AP African American Studies pilot program, which includes twelve South Carolina schools. Moreover, during its official launch in the 2023-24 school year, more than 175,000 students nationwide took AP Precalculus. This figure includes 25 schools in South Carolina that taught it even when the state education agency didn’t approve it.

After South Carolina decided not to approve AP African American Studies and AP Precalculus, the state suggested that schools could offer AP African American Studies as a “locally approved honors course.” Taking the cue, the College Board declared that it would “authorize South Carolina schools’ African American studies classes as an AP course if those courses meet college-level standards as verified by the AP Program. Schools could mark those courses as Advanced Placement on student transcripts that can be sent to colleges and universities. Students earning qualifying scores on the AP Exam would be eligible for college credit.”

However, whether the state will cover usual expenses for local decisions regarding AP African American Studies and AP Precalculus remains unclear. Traditionally, South Carolina has covered exam fees and training costs for all students enrolled in AP courses.

Looking Ahead

The challenges and resistance faced by AP African American Studies and AP Precalculus courses highlight the complex intersection of politics and education. It remains to be seen if these innovative courses, aimed at empowering students through diverse educational avenues, will find a secure footing in the South Carolina educational ecosystem.