AP African American Studies facts for kids

Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies is a special course for high school students in the United States. It's like a college-level class, offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is all about learning and researching the history and culture of people of African descent, known as the African diaspora. It aims to highlight African-American history and education. The course started as a test program in the 2022–2023 school year in 64 schools. It will expand to about 200 schools in 2023–2024. The plan is for the course to be available everywhere starting in August 2024.

History and Development

For many years, some people felt that College Board's courses focused too much on European history. To address this, College Board worked with the University of Notre Dame and Tuskegee University. Between 2017 and 2020, they tested an early version of AP African American Studies in 11 schools. In 2020, College Board updated some history courses to include more about the African diaspora.

In 2021, College Board officially announced the AP African American Studies course. It began as a pilot program in the 2022–2023 school year. This was the first new pilot course since 1952. It is also the first course from College Board focused on ethnic studies.

The pilot course covers many interesting topics. These include the story of Queen Nzinga from Angola. It also explores the Harlem Renaissance, a time of great artistic growth for Black Americans. Students will learn about the Black Panthers, a group that fought for civil rights. The course also features lesser-known heroes like Valerie L. Thomas. She was an African American scientist who invented the Illusion Transmitter at NASA.

Brandi Waters, who has a Ph.D., leads the development of this course. She said the course will give students a strong and inspiring introduction to African American studies. Supporters believe the course will encourage more African American students to join AP programs. They also think it will help improve test scores for minority students. In 2019, 32% of Black students passed their AP exams. This compares to 44% of white and Asian students. College Board hopes this course will also attract more Black and Latinx high school teachers.

Experts Helped Create the Course

The AP African American Studies Founding Group at Howard University, in Washington, DC

Dawn Williams is a dean at Howard University’s School of Education. She explained that experts in Black studies have carefully checked the course's content for years. Important leaders in the field helped create the course. These include Henry Louis Gates and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. Their knowledge ensures the course is accurate and thorough.

Course Development Timeline

Here's how the course was developed:

• 2017-2020: An early test version of the course was tried in 11 schools.
• February 2022: The schools and teachers for the pilot program were chosen and prepared.
• July 2022: Pilot teachers received training at Howard University.
• August/September 2022: The pilot course officially began.
• May 2023: The first pilot exam was given.
• August/September 2023: About 200 more schools and teachers joined the pilot program.
• May 2024: The second pilot exam was given.
• August/September 2024: The course is expected to be officially launched for all schools.

Course Overview

The AP African American Studies course is divided into four main units:

Exam

Test exams were given in May 2023 and May 2024. These pilot exams help College Board get ready for the official course launch in August 2024. Unlike regular AP exams, these pilot tests are not scored. Their results are not sent to students, teachers, or colleges. They are just for testing and improving the course.