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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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An Advanced Placement Calculus course definition at an Illinois High School is eliciting accusations of segregation.
The discussion of race in the classroom has divided many across the nation, with some parents and political leaders advocating to keep curricula like Critical Race Theory out of grade school classrooms. More restrictions regarding available books including explicit material or education around sexual identity and gender also have been banned in some public schools, such as in Florida. The legislation has prompted discussion nationwide about inclusion.
The discussion shifted to the Midwest on Monday after some people accused Evanston Township High School (ETHS) of segregation when a Twitter user posted a screenshot of the school's AP Calculus AB course description on social media. However, shortly after the claims surfaced, the course description changed.
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On Sunday, a screenshot of the course descriptions for several versions of the AP Calculus AB class were identical save for the last line and the registration code at the top of the course description.
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"This code for the course is restricted to students who identify as Black, all genders," one description said. The second said the course was restricted to students who identify as "Latinx, all genders."
"Neo-segregation is the absurdity of identitarianism taken to its logical end," Twitter user Dan Proft tweeted on Sunday with the screenshots.
However, on Monday, the descriptions appeared to be amended on the school's website.
On the school's course registration page, there were three options for AP Calculus AB. However, two of the descriptions included an extra line at the end of the course definition. One added "While open to all students, this optional section of the course is intended to support students who identify as Black" to the end of the description, and the other added, "While open to all students, this optional section of the course is intended to support students who identify as Latinx."
The archive page showed the descriptions identified the courses as only being for Black and Latinx students respectively on Sunday.
But a spokesperson for the school says otherwise.
"ETHS District 202 is a nationally renowned leader in increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) classes for all students, including students of color. We do not have (and never have had) a process that restricts students from taking AP classes based on race," an ETHS spokesperson told Newsweek in an email. "No ETHS student is restricted from taking an AP class based on identity or is required to take any class based on identity.
"ETHS course offerings provide additional opportunities for students to take designated AP classes. This aligns with our goal to increase access to AP-level coursework at ETHS and is supported by the research on how to effectively increase access and success in AP classes for all students," the spokesperson added. "As a result, access to AP classes for all students, including Black and Latinx students, has dramatically increased over the past decade. We are proud of our work.
"The language in the ETHS Course Request Guide has been updated to accurately reflect our goal and practice."
Replies to the tweet posted on Sunday called the descriptions "terrible" or speculated that perhaps the school was trying to track the demographics of students who register for AP courses. As of press time, the tweet had been viewed more than 680,000 times.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk joined the discussion and called the classes "segregated".
"At Evanston high school outside of Chicago, students who 'identify' as blacks get their own segregated AP calculus class, students who 'identify' as hispanics get their own segregated AP calculus class, and whites get their own AP class. Progress!" Kirk tweeted.
However, according to a January article by The Daily Northwestern, it appears the school's goal is not segregation but to improve minority participation in college-level courses after noticing disproportionate enrollment numbers between white and minority students.
The enrollment gaps were reported for at least the past five years. Black and Latinx student performance in AP courses also was reportedly much lower than that of white students.
A spokesperson from College Board, the organization that facilitates Advanced Placement courses, told Newsweek that "AP course recruitment and enrollment policies are a local school decision."
The spokesperson has not yet responded to a question about if the course structure or curriculum for the course specific to Black or Latinx students differs from the AP Calculus AB that is open to all students. However, each AP course undergoes an AP Course Audit to "ensure that each AP course meets curricular and resource requirements."
According to census data from 2020, more than 58 percent of Evanston's citizens are white, 16 percent are Black, 9 percent are Asian and 6 percent are Hispanic.
According to its website, ETHS offers 34 AP courses. The courses are designed by the College Board to introduce high school students to college-level courses.
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