The Georgia Senate voted Wednesday to suggest the state should all but ban Advanced Placement U.S. history courses statewide, saying state officials needed to protect students from a “radically revisionist view” of American history conservatives have deemed left-leaning and biased.
The non-binding Senate Resolution 80 follows complaints in Georgia and elsewhere that the College Board has too dramatically overhauled the course, which is part of a curriculum developed and administered by the educational nonprofit.
Critics complain it now glosses over or inaccurately reflects people and ideas including the nation’s Founding Fathers, the Judeo-Christian influences on the country’s development and U.S. foreign policy as outlined in the Monroe Doctrine.
College Board officials have defended their revisions, saying they reflect an effort to make students think more critically about history and try to address teacher concerns that the course didn’t allow enough time to delve deep into some areas of American history.
SR 80, which passed on a 38-17 party line vote, demands state education officials withdraw the current AP U.S. history course and defund it if there aren’t major changes. The resolution is sponsored by state Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick, who has also questioned the state’s participation in voluntary national academic standards called Common Core.
The course — one of 36 AP courses offered by the board — is an elective and targets high-achieving high school students who want to study college-level classes.
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