LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Six schools in Arkansas have announced that they intend to continue offering AP African American Studies to students for the 2023 school year after the state's education department said it would not count it for college credit.
Districts like the Little Rock School District (LRSD), Jacksonville North Pulaski School District (JNPSD), and North Little Rock School District (NLRSD) announced that they will move forward with offering the course. eStem also announced intentions to continue offering the class as well.
LRSD was the first to make the announcement on Wednesday, sharing their they plan to continue offering AP African American Studies after it was announced that the course wouldn't be considered for AP credit at Arkansas schools this year.
LRSD released the plan, sharing that the district is proactively working towards providing "rich and comprehensive" learning experiences to its students and that it will move forward with offering the AP course this school year.
"AP African American Studies will allow students to explore the complexities, contributions, and narratives that have shaped the African American experience throughout history, including Central High School’s integral connection," LRSD said in a statement.
The district said that the course's inclusion will help develop empathy and critical thinking skills in students and make them more well-rounded.
According to the Arkansas Department of Education, the state will not move forward "until it's determined whether it violates state law and teaches or trains teachers in CRT and indoctrination.
"The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination," the Department of Education said in a statement.
But that leaves a big question for some, like LRSD board member Vicki Hatter — how exactly does this course break the law?
"If no one can give that answer, then how is it appropriate to single out one course of an AP exam?" Hatter said.
We took that question to the Department of Education and didn't get a response. We also reached out to Attorney General Tim Griffin's office and were told there would need to be a request made to his office for the matter to be investigated.
In the meantime, JNPSD also shared their intention to offer AP African American Studies as well. JNPSD said that the course's inclusion will be "a valuable addition to the district's curriculum, and will help our young people understand and appreciate the rich diversity of our society."
"The course will be taught by our highly qualified instructor who is passionate about the subject and is excited about the scholars’ interest in the subject matter," JNPSD said.
In addition to the other districts, NLRSD and eStem both shared their plans to move forward with the inclusion of AP African American Studies in their curriculum.
NLRSD shared that since the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will not pay for the AP exam, they will be looking for other options in terms of covering expenses associated with the exam.
eStem Public Charter School expressed that they will continue to teach AP African American Studies at eStem.
The AP African American Studies course will be offered as a local elective credit at eStem, and weighted on a 5-point scale. eStem, like LRSD, will also cover the cost of the AP African American Studies Exams for students and families who choose to remain in the course.
The districts said that AP African American Studies will be a weighted course on a 5 point scale. The districts shared that they will also continue to work closely with the College Board regarding content and curriculum.
The statements from these districts come after recent reports came out that the Arkansas Department of Education stated that an AP class on African American Studies wouldn't be offered or recognized for course credit as an AP course for the 2023-2024 year.
An image that circulated around social media showed that the course was deleted from the Course Code Management System, which is used by the state's education department to verify courses.
AP African American Studies was offered as a pilot class during the 2022-2023 school year at Little Rock Central High and The Academies at Jonesboro High, which were a part of 60 schools across the country.
Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva elaborated on the course's status when we asked him about it. Oliva claimed a lack of teacher training for not considering the course, but the College Board said it offered summer programs on every AP course as "professional development for teachers."
Six schools in Arkansas were reportedly going to participate in the pilot course in its second year. The College Board said that the University of Arkansas Fayetteville was one of over 200 colleges and universities across the country to provide college credit for the course.
We have updated this article to reflect which school districts are offering AP African American Studies for the 2023 school year.