It's Time to Dump APUSH

Yes, while it’s true that I use the #APUSH hashtag on many of my social media posts, I’m not a fan of the course. Why? My primary criticism of Advanced Placement United States History is that the whole thing teaches to a single test. I’ve taught the course in the past and I use the hashtag so I can reach those kids out there who struggling through the material. And yeah, I know the College Board takes a swing at fostering critical thinking. But in my estimation, the course falls waaaaaaay short of providing a comprehensive take on U.S. History. Keep in mind, I am not dumping on APUSH teachers by any stretch - it’s a tough course to teach and I know many who have covered the material in fine style given the circumstances. And furthermore, I admire the students who take on the harder classes (more on this later) and really challenge themselves.

But…

For the most part - both students and teachers have to rush through the material to digest what’s covered on the test. Which means, they do not get the time or the latitude to stop and dig into a particular event or theme. They do not get to have the discussions of how history intersects with historical memory - and there is precious little time to really contextualize the historical record before the class has to move on to the next subject. There is little room in this environment to develop historical thinking and the examination of historical actors on their own terms.

There are a number of other issues I have with the course.

For example, following the course material makes it difficult to Integrate more diverse voices, narratives, and historical events and offer a nuanced understanding of American history.

The course tends to be U.S.-centric with little opportunity to place American history within a broader global context. This could show interconnectedness and the significance of international events on U.S. History. I mean, after all, the United States does not exist in a vacuum and it would be next to impossible to understand, for instance, the development of slavery in British North America and the United States without understanding the Atlantic system.

Though the test does ask students to analyze primary sources in context, the emphasis on memorization and recall is a concern, as it might only develop students' historical thinking skills at a surface level.

And, the course could do a LOT more to connect history with other disciplines such as literature, art, and science to provide a more holistic understanding of the historical context.

And finally, timed testing, in my estimation, is an outmoded method of assessment. We teachers need to seriously rethink how we assess our kids - giving them room to carefully consider the thinking process and how they might synthesize, contextualize, and analyze the historical record.

I’ll still use the hashtag and still discuss the course on social media, because I know that there are kids and teachers out there who might see it, which might inspire them to give historical thinking another look - and slow down to learn more. Really - sometimes I think of the the material as kinda secondary. My REAL focus is on the process of learning and thinking about historical events like a historian. This to me is that what matters - teaching kids how to look at things with different eyes - seeking to grasp and most importantly understand diverse perspectives. I have no need for them to memorize material or sweat it out over a single test that determines their grade. In my courses - all advanced and graded (and recorded) at the honors level, I seek to move beyond such antiquated testing methods and learning strategies.

Hey, it’s a work in progress - my life’s work really, and I’ve got lots left to accomplish. So I’ll be talking about it a lot more down the road. Stick around whether you’re a teacher or a student. You might pick up some useful tidbits.

With compliments,

Keith