NJ Republican Introduces Resolution Condemning ‘Negative’ AP History Exam

State Sen. Joe Kyrillos, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, gives his concession speech at his election night headquarters at Nanina's in the Park in Belleville, N.J., Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
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The controversy over the AP U.S. History exam seeped into New Jersey on Thursday when a Republican lawmaker introduced a resolution condemning the course as “biased” and “negative.”

State Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R) introduced a non-binding resolution in the state senate that calls on the College Board to revise the course framework and asks the state to consider alternatives to AP exams, The Auditor reported.

“It strikes me that there is an inordinate emphasis on political correctness and so-called balance that is designing potential curricula and guidelines,” Kyrillos told The Auditor. “And the AP test doesn’t properly portray our history, the beginnings of our country, its values and its unique role in the world, past and present.”

In the resolution, Kyrillos claims that the new AP history course “reflects a seemingly biased view of American history, overemphasizing the negative aspects of our nation’s history while omitting and minimizing many of the positive aspects.”

The resolution also claims that the course does not cover the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence, or religious influences on the country in enough depth, according to The Auditor.

Since the College Board introduced a new course framework for the AP U.S. History exam in 2012, backlash against the changes has grown into a conservative movement.

Last year, the Republican National Committee denounced the exam and the College Board’s “radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nation’s history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects.”

Legislatures and school boards in numerous states, including in Oklahoma, Georgia and Colorado, have followed suit in condemning the exam and proposing changes.

The College Board will release a new version of the AP U.S. History course framework this summer, according to Trevor Packer, College Board’s senior vice president for AP.

“This summer, the College Board will release a new edition of the course framework which will clarify and encourage a balanced approach to the teaching of American history, while remaining faithful to the requirements that colleges and universities set for academic credit,” Packer wrote in an April letter to the Wall Street Journal.

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