Below is the response from state School Superintendent Richard Woods to Gov. Brian Kemp about why he didn’t sanction the AP African American Studies class.
Woods offers a unique defense for his decision to not recommend the AP course for inclusion in the Georgia catalog of state-funded courses. He says the issue should be locally handled, something that has not happened with the other 38 AP courses.
Woods advises districts to offer an existing introductory African American history course and choose the higher-level AP content on top of it. (An AP teacher explains why that won’t work in a guest column today.)
This reluctance to approve an AP course is at odds with Woods’ push for more Georgia students to enroll in AP, a push that has increased participation and performance and enabled more high school students to start college with credit for those higher-level courses.
Here is Woods’ letter:
July 25, 2024
Dear Governor Kemp,
I appreciate you reaching out to share the questions your office is receiving about the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course. I appreciate your dedication to the students of our state and am happy to provide additional information.
I do want to provide assurance that the Department hasn’t changed its position regarding funding. Utilizing local funds or earning state funding through the African American Studies course code, which I requested in 2020, districts may offer parts or the entire AP African American Studies course. AP course codes do not receive special or additional state funding.
Answers to your specific questions are below:
Did the state fund the pilot of the AP African American Studies course?
No. This was a College Board pilot and they worked directly with districts. The College Board does not seek approval from states prior to course pilots.
If so, how much did the pilot cost the state?
There was not a cost to the state, since the pilot was administered by the College Board.
Was the curriculum for this course reviewed before the pilot?
No. The College Board does not seek approval from states on curriculum before piloting a course. Additionally, part of the pilot was developing the course’s framework, units, and supplementary materials — so it would have been inappropriate to comment on the coursework during the pilot period while the curriculum was in flux.
If so, why has your opinion changed since this initial review?
See above.
What specific parts of the curriculum do you cite for the concerns leading to your decision not to recommend the course for approval?
My primary concern and consideration was whether it was more appropriate to adopt the AP course in its 440-page totality at the state level, or to use the existing African American Studies course code and keep the review, approval, adoption, and delivery of this curriculum closer to local students, educators, parents, and boards. (Use of the existing course code allows local districts the option to teach part or all of the AP course and receive state funding, and students may take the AP exam.)
This allows local communities to be the decision-makers and provides more opportunities for parents, families, educators, and community members to provide input. As you stated in your letter, those closest to their communities are often the best decision-makers for what’s best for their communities — a view I support.
The Chair of the State Board of Education has issued a statement in agreement with my view that this local path is the most appropriate approach for teaching AP African American Studies. Please see the link to the full course framework (view at: apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-african-american-studies-course-and-exam-description.pdf) should your staff wish to review.
Over the past 10 years, how many pilot AP courses have been recommended and how many have not been recommended?
We are not aware of any other courses the College Board has piloted in Georgia over the last 10 years. We have reached out to the College Board to confirm this information.
How many students participated in the pilot of the AP African American Studies course?
We know that 4,413 students were enrolled using the African American Studies course code (45.01910) in 2024, compared to 2,795 students in 2023 and 1,856 students in 2022. This would include the AP African American Studies pilot but would also include districts offering other content (including locally developed curriculum) using the state course code. Specifically, Gwinnett County Public Schools used this course code to earn state funding in 2023 and 2024; we have clarified with them that they can do so once again for 2025. We have reached out to the College Board to confirm the number of students who participated in the pilot, specifically.
Which districts participated in the pilot of the course?
Districts are not required to report their participation in College Board pilots to the Department of Education. We have reached out to the College Board to request this information.
What specific reasons went into the decision not to recommend the AP African American Studies course for approval by the Board?
As stated above, it’s my view that decisions around offering part or all of this AP course should be handled locally using the existing African American Studies state funding course code, the addition of which I requested in 2020.
Are there any district-level concerns with using the existing African American Studies course as opposed to the AP course?
No. Districts can receive funding using the existing course code and have the local authority to select curriculum for the course.
Again, I appreciate your commitment to Georgia’s students and families. I hope this letter provides clarity on our efforts to keep decision-making close to parents, educators, and local communities.
Sincerely,
Richard Woods
State School Superintendent
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