OKLA state legislature thinking of banning AP history (1 Viewer)

[joffer]

what in the blue #### is wrong with these people?

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/oklahoma-legislative-committee-questions-legality-of-advanced-placement-courses-in/article_2b257556-b62c-5a92-862e-8e9821a29bbc.html

OKLAHOMA CITY — Some opponents of Common Core apparently have now turned their guns on Advanced Placement courses.The legality of teaching Advanced Placement courses in Oklahoma public schools was raised Monday during a House Common Education Committee hearing on a bill aimed at the AP U.S. history guidelines. That measure, House Bill 1380, by Rep. Dan Fisher, R-Yukon, would direct the state Board of Education to review those guidelines and bar the use of state funds for AP U.S. history courses.During discussion and debate, however, it was suggested that AP courses are similar to Common Core, in that they could be construed as an attempt to impose a national curriculum on American schools.

It was also suggested that AP courses violate the legislation approved last year that repealed Common Core, with state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, saying she has asked the state Attorney General’s Office for a ruling on the matter.
That legislation gives sole control of curriculum and assessment to the state, although it was not immediately clear whether the requirement applies to all courses or only to required courses.
Although HB 1380 specifically targets U.S. history, a ruling that it violates state law related to curriculum and assessment could apply to all AP courses.
Advanced Placement is a nationally recognized series of courses and tests developed by the College Board, a private entity, with the assistance of high school and college faculty, that allows high school students to earn college credit. It is not required for high school graduation, and public schools do not have to offer it.
Fisher, who has been active in a church-and-state organization called the Black Robe Regiment, said the AP U.S. history course framework emphasizes “what is bad about America.”
Larry Krieger, a teacher who spoke to the committee via conference call, implied that the AP framework was created by some of the same people responsible for Common Core.
Both said the framework omits the concept of “American exceptionalism.”
The framework has come under fire in several states, including Texas and South Carolina.
John Williamson, representing the College Board, said Fisher’s and Krieger’s objections are “mythology and not true.”
He said the course is intended for students who have already mastered “foundational” American history and are capable of university-level work.
He said the framework lays out seven pages of “thematic learning objectives” but gives individual teachers considerable leeway in arriving at those objectives.
Williamson read three of the learning objectives he said support the concept of American exceptionalism.
The framework and a sample test are available online at collegeboard.org.
The bill passed 11-4, with all Republican members in favor and all Democrats opposed.
HB 1380 was only one of several contentious issues tackled by the Common Education Committee during a three-hour, 10-minute meeting Monday.
The committee also discussed and debated at length HB 2003, by Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City. The bill would establish what are called “education savings accounts” but which essentially would be state-funded vouchers for low-income students to attend private schools.
The amount of the vouchers would vary according to household income but in no case would exceed 90 percent of state and local per-pupil funding.
But not even Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, casting a rare vote for the bill as an ex officio member of the committee, could get HB 2003 out of the committee. Five Republicans joined the four Democrats in voting against it to leave the bill one vote shy of advancing.
The bill could be heard again next week.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Shouldn't they be common, since US history was fairly uniform? The bombing of Pearl Harbor didn't happen differently for folks in Toledo than it did for people in New Orleans.

On a side note, don't they have bigger issues to deal with than HS courses?

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Shouldn't they be common, since US history was fairly uniform? The bombing of Pearl Harbor didn't happen differently for folks in Toledo than it did for people in New Orleans.

On a side note, don't they have bigger issues to deal with than HS courses?

Yes, but no.

 

[culdeus]

Isn't it Oklahoma that made a constitutional amendment banning sharia law? Too lazy to snopes it but I always just assumed it was true.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Shouldn't they be common, since US history was fairly uniform? The bombing of Pearl Harbor didn't happen differently for folks in Toledo than it did for people in New Orleans.

On a side note, don't they have bigger issues to deal with than HS courses?

Yes, but no.

Maybe certain events in history or periods may be viewed slightly differently, but in general they are the same. Explain how Pearl Harbor is different in OK.

 

[Ilov80s]

Shouldn't they be common, since US history was fairly uniform? The bombing of Pearl Harbor didn't happen differently for folks in Toledo than it did for people in New Orleans.

On a side note, don't they have bigger issues to deal with than HS courses?

Yes, but no.

Maybe certain events in history or periods may be viewed slightly differently, but in general they are the same. Explain how Pearl Harbor is different in OK.

The facts of history don't change, but deciding what facts to tell and which to leave out can supremely alter the understanding of history and the perception of players. Also, there is the presentation or spin out on things. The Scopes Monkey Trial, the New Deal, US involvement in WW1 of Spanish American War, robber barons vs captains of industry and so on. All these can be spun to tell different stories without lying. It's just choosing which facts to tell. A good history teacher would present both sides and ask the kids to judge for themselves. We know that there are many mediocre to poor history teachers.

 

[Limp Ditka]

No one likes history

 

[rascal]

People are nice in this state, but they sure are stupid.

 

[Ilov80s]

People are nice in this state, but they sure are stupid.

Yeah, it's doing an incredible disservice to their students by trying to remove AP classes.

 

[rascal]

People are nice in this state, but they sure are stupid.

Yeah, it's doing an incredible disservice to their students by trying to remove AP classes.

And parents having to pay for it in college.

 

[eoMMan]

Didn't know they even have/had AP History. In my day, AP was just for the sciences and math.

 

[Fennis]

Math, but now she's history

 

[Mr. Ected]

Shouldn't they be common, since US history was fairly uniform? The bombing of Pearl Harbor didn't happen differently for folks in Toledo than it did for people in New Orleans.

On a side note, don't they have bigger issues to deal with than HS courses?

Yes, but no.

Maybe certain events in history or periods may be viewed slightly differently, but in general they are the same. Explain how Pearl Harbor is different in OK.

The facts of history don't change, but deciding what facts to tell and which to leave out can supremely alter the understanding of history and the perception of players. Also, there is the presentation or spin out on things. The Scopes Monkey Trial, the New Deal, US involvement in WW1 of Spanish American War, robber barons vs captains of industry and so on. All these can be spun to tell different stories without lying. It's just choosing which facts to tell. A good history teacher would present both sides and ask the kids to judge for themselves. We know that there are many mediocre to poor history teachers.

I get all that, I just don't see what is possibly wrong about having a standard or even semi-standard curriculum for history. If the bonus (college credits) is national, than the basis should be standard.

 

[Ilov80s]

Shouldn't they be common, since US history was fairly uniform? The bombing of Pearl Harbor didn't happen differently for folks in Toledo than it did for people in New Orleans.

On a side note, don't they have bigger issues to deal with than HS courses?

Yes, but no.

Maybe certain events in history or periods may be viewed slightly differently, but in general they are the same. Explain how Pearl Harbor is different in OK.

The facts of history don't change, but deciding what facts to tell and which to leave out can supremely alter the understanding of history and the perception of players. Also, there is the presentation or spin out on things. The Scopes Monkey Trial, the New Deal, US involvement in WW1 of Spanish American War, robber barons vs captains of industry and so on. All these can be spun to tell different stories without lying. It's just choosing which facts to tell. A good history teacher would present both sides and ask the kids to judge for themselves. We know that there are many mediocre to poor history teachers.

I get all that, I just don't see what is possibly wrong about having a standard or even semi-standard curriculum for history. If the bonus (college credits) is national, than the basis should be standard.

Well, yeah. Oklahoma is nuts.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I thought this was going to be a thread about Adrain Peterson

 

[Mister CIA]

I'm probably the only one who opened this thread expecting to read something about Adrian Peterson.

Doh! A day late and a dollar short again.