The Virginia Department of Education approved the AP African American Studies course, now offered as a pilot course. Late last year, College Board’s AP African American Studies course was approved and received the green light to be taught across Virginia. After six months of review, Virginia students can now take the courses. Eight FCPS (Fairfax County Public Schools) will offer AP African American Studies starting this fall. The course availability depends on student interest. While Oakton High School has offered African American history for tenth through twelfth-grade students, the cause has not run since 2021.  

    This could be due to the pressure on students to take Advanced Placement classes. Principal Lane expressed that students and teachers need to have enough interest for a course to run. Oakton is introducing new courses, “the new women’s literature course and the LGBTQIA course,” due to interest from Oakton teachers, said Mrs. Lane. When selecting what courses Oakton will offer in the real history courses, the question of how many AP courses Oakton already offers arises.                                                                                                                                                                        

   In past years, Oakton introduced African American history, which was able to run due to the high student interest. However, the classes could not run due to low enrollment numbers in the following years. When deciding on which AP courses are offered, teachers need to be willing to go through the summer training that the College Board requires. 

   The competitive culture driving students to overload their courses with Advanced Placement classes is a concern for the Oakton administration. The introduction of the course was surrounded by massive criticism when Florida rejected the curriculum, saying that it violated state law because it lacked “educational” value. In response to the criticism, the revised course frame framework includes required topics focusing on African Americans’ contributions to the arts and sports.

   Launching in fall 2024, students enrolled in the class will learn about the origins of the African diaspora, the practice of freedom, and more. This course at Oakton will give students a deeper insight into African American history beyond history classes. 

   The course timeline is as follows: in 2024-2025, schools can start offering AP African American history, and next spring, the exam will be available to all students.