Virginia\u2019s largest school system is removing a test question given to a college-level social studies class that equated liberals and conservatives with specific racial and gender demographics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question appeared on a test given to students of an AP Government class at Fairfax County Public Schools\u2019 Online Campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The multiple-choice question asked students, \u201cWhich of the following is an accurate comparison of liberals versus conservatives?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The potential answers for \u201cliberals\u201d included \u201cYoung, white males;\u201d \u201cMiddle aged, urban lesbian;\u201d \u201cCollege-educated black male professional\u201d and \u201cWhite, upper-middle class suburban male.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The potential answers for \u201cconservatives\u201d included \u201cEast Coast, Ivy League educated scientists;\u201d \u201cSouthern male migrant laborer;\u201d \u201cCatholic, midwestern middle-aged male\u201d and \u201cWest coast, Hispanic teacher. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rory Cooper, a Fairfax County parent and school system critic who posted the question on Twitter<\/a>, said it is offensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s one thing for adults to analyze demographic trends,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s another to tell students that their identity defines their political philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The school system said in a statement that the question will be removed from future tests because it \u201cdid not meet the division\u2019s high expectations.\u201d It also said all test questions administered to students in the AP Government Online Campus class will now be reviewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The statement said the question was \u201cdesigned to assess 12th graders\u2019 understanding of American political ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The test is part of an AP, or Advanced Placement, class that allows high-school students to earn college credit if they score well on a final exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the question was part of an AP class, it was not created by the College Board, which administers the AP program nationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a tweet, the College Board said the question \u201cis antithetical to the content and format of an AP question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears weighed in as well, criticizing the assumptions the question makes about who is liberal and who is conservative. She has frequently bristled at outsiders\u2019 political assumptions about Black women that are at odds with her stance as a conservative Republican and military veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTests like these create division, low morale, fights in our schools,\u201d she wrote in one tweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The question is just the latest in a series of critiques that have been levied against public educators. Conservative activists have questioned curricula that they say promote progressive ideology over education fundamentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The debate has been particularly intense in Virginia, where Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has made education reform<\/a> a priority and has sought to change how schools deal with transgender students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year, Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares announced an investigation<\/a> of the school system after reports that high schools withheld letters of commendation on standardized tests from some students on the theory that it would hurt the feelings of students who didn\u2019t receive them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n