Arkansas Has Surprise AP Course Decision on First Day of School

Arkansas education officials on Monday said an Advanced Placement course on African American studies won't count toward a student's graduation credit, prompting criticism from Black lawmakers who said the move sends the wrong message, the AP reports. The Arkansas Department of Education didn't bar schools from offering the course, as Florida did earlier this year when it told the College Board it violated state law. The department said the class, which is offered at a handful of schools in Arkansas, could still count toward students' grade point averages. But the Education Department said the class couldn't be part of the state's advanced placement course offerings since it's still a pilot program and hasn't been vetted by the state yet.

The department cited a state law enacted this year that places restrictions on how race is taught in school but did not say the course violates those prohibitions. "The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination," Department spokeswoman Kimberly Mundell said in a statement. The College Board revamped its course following Florida's decision, but faced criticism that it was bowing to political pressure. Arkansas education officials cited the ongoing revisions. "Without clarity, we cannot approve a pilot that may unintentionally put a teacher at risk of violating Arkansas law," Mundell said. When asked whether there's anything in the course that currently raises that concern, Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said that would have to be part of the review process of the final version.

Said the College Board in a statement, "On this first day of school, we share in their surprise, confusion, and disappointment at this new guidance that the course won't count toward graduation credits or weighted the same as other AP courses offered in the state. Throughout the first pilot year, we heard countless stories from the classroom about how this course opened minds, changed lives, and provided a much richer understanding of the country." Six schools were slated to offer the course in Arkansas this year, but with districts having been informed of the department's decision just days before classes began Monday (and the department explaining that the course had previously been coded as a state-approved course in error), it's unclear what the next steps might be for the schools offering the program. (See more at the AP.)