bettyandbob Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/20/us/ap-history-framework-fight/index.html I am wondering AP is supposed to provide some recognition of college level work. I don't know that the current iteration of the college board provides that. However, I do not think most universities think that the purpose of teaching a college level US History course is to "promote patriotism". Perhaps these states who want to promote patriotism should have two levels of US History. One everyone must take which teaches basics chronological facts and "promotes patriotism" and an advanced course that could be an APUSH course or a course a US History designed by a state university history department which oversees it being taught as a DE class taught oncampus at high schools statewide (my neighborhood high school has 3 DE classes taught like this). I kind of like unvarnished history and I don't think it detracts from my feelings about the US. It lets me see the great things we have done, overcome and what we continue to work on. I haven't examined the content closely, because my dc aren't doing this AP, but it sounds like CB is starting to get away from spit out the facts, which isn't college level work anyway. If the CB version isn't right, it also isn't right to take away higher level material. Then, break the monopoly and get states to make an actual course available to public school students. It's been done in my state Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 This quote is a doozy: Conservative board member Julie Williams wrote the Jefferson County proposal, which states: "Materials should promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights. Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law." How on earth are history teachers supposed to teach the American Revolution without encouraging and condoning civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law? Our nation was born from rebellion against authority and civil disorder. What do these people think happened at Lexington and Concord? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 How on earth are history teachers supposed to teach the American Revolution without encouraging and condoning civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law? Our nation was born from rebellion against authority and civil disorder. What do these people think happened at Lexington and Concord? I'm thinking that leaves out Rosa Parks and the whole civil rights movement, also. I've been trying to follow the arguments, but I'm not sure I understand. The news has quotes from politicians that are disgusted that the class doesn't teach the Declaration, the founding fathers, etc. But IMHO, if you haven't learned the Declaration, the Constitution and such, you don't belong in APUSH. Those are basic high school (and middle and elementary) topics. College U.S. History and APUSH assume they students know all of that and are going further into analysis. Do those opposed think that APUSH is the only American history class that these kids will get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Do those opposed think that APUSH is the only American history class that these kids will get? Yes. I don't know anyone who took two years of American History in high school. Or had room in their schedule to do so. Elementary and middle school history skims and skips a lot. And I had an American History course in college that did include memorizing all the facts and figures, not just analysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Do those opposed think that APUSH is the only American history class that these kids will get? In my state Amercan history is taught in 7th grade and civics in 8th grade. Do, founding fathers, the declaration, the constitution and a timeline of facts are taught before high school. Then, US history and US government are required as high school credits too. Students can take APUSH or IB history of the Americas in place of standard level US History and AP Government in place of standard level government. Really I think the basic facts and promotion of patriotism is covered in middle school. Anyone in APUSH or IB History of the Americas is expected to have the names biographies and timelines down. This is especially true in the IB program, because it is not completely focused on the U.S., but the students are required to take the state US History exit exam for graduation and the IB classes do no prep for that exam. I don't know if the AP classes prep for the exit exam. I think they just focus on the AP exam and also take the state exit exam sometime in the same month. The standard level US History classes do prep for the state exit exam. Dd is in an IB program. Her teacher has never prep students for state exam and his classes have a 100%pass rate. He has said there's too much to get through for IB requirements so he doesn't bother adding time or exercises to prepare the students. Clearly they've been doing fine on exit exams for years. I took a US History class in college. We were expected to interpret the events, not learn the timeline and spew facts. It was expected that you knew the foundation or learned it quickly on your own. Interpretation and analysis not basic memorization is what I expect in a university course. If CB is saying they providing a course similar to a college course then it should be beyond the basic timeline of facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Yes. I don't know anyone who took two years of American History in high school. Or had room in their schedule to do so. Elementary and middle school history skims and skips a lot. And I had an American History course in college that did include memorizing all the facts and figures, not just analysis. I had no idea it was a replacement for high school American history (obviously ds isn't doing AP history.) I thought it was a second course to replace the college class. I took an honors US history class in high school that was very rigorous (though my middle school one was, too.) My college class was focused on analysis of more obscure sources and events, rather than the memorizing. I guess I understand some of the comments better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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