“This feedback underscores that we share the same priorities: engaging students in the rich histories of civilizations across the globe and ensuring that such important content is given the time it deserves.”

Since the announcement about the 1450 timeline, which was meant “to alleviate that problem, we’ve received thoughtful, principled feedback from AP teachers, students and college faculty,” the board said. Students’ essay scores on the end-of-year AP exam have reflected that overwhelming challenge.” Because AP World History does not do so, a majority of AP World History teachers have told us that they were teaching too little about too much. In contrast, it said, “colleges manage the unique breadth of world history by spreading the content across multiple courses. “The current AP World History course and exam attempt to cover 10,000 years of human history - from the Paleolithic Era to the present,” the board said in its Wednesday announcement, summing up the problem. Not only would that be a loss for education, they said, but also for nonwhite students who saw themselves reflected in the study of diverse peoples.

Taking the concerns of that latter group into account, the board, which administers the AP program, said earlier this year that it would limit the exam to questions about content from 1450 onward.īut criticism followed, with educators charging that eliminating the study of ancient civilizations meant erasing the test’s - and therefore the AP World History course’s - non-European content. While some teachers like the scope of the exam, others say that it is simply too sweeping and that real learning suffers as a result. The board also committed to offering a second AP world history course focused on the ancient world, in another apparent compromise to those who said that a single world history course focused on the modern era risked being too Eurocentric.Ĭurrently, the single AP World History exam covers about 10,000 years. Responding to criticism of its earlier plan to begin the Advanced Placement World History exam around the year 1450, the College Board on Wednesday announced that it would begin the test with questions starting at about 1200.

Roman empire history timeline