For the first time in twenty years, Yeshiva's Jewish History department completely revamped its high school advanced placement (AP) curriculum. After an intensive eighteen-month restructuring program in which a specially designated committee met with Jewish day school teachers and noted Jewish History scholars, new courses were designed, and instituted for the first time last month in local Jewish high schools. The new requirements, although hailed by most as a tremendous step in Yeshiva high school Jewish History education, have nonetheless triggered a plethora of questions regarding Yeshiva's own Jewish History department and the future of the Jewish History AP.

Since the early 1980s, Yeshiva College Professors of Jewish History Drs. Bernard Rosensweig and Jacob Reiner have been writing and grading the Jewish History "AP," an equivalency test modeled after those of the national Educational Testing Service and meant to cap off a full year of college level Jewish History for high school students. According to the Director of Educational Services of the Max Stern Division of Communal Services Dr. Moshe Sokolow, in fact, university credit for a high score on the Jewish History AP was "accepted widely by many colleges, including Columbia, Harvard, and NYU," even though it was not administered by any official testing service.

In recent years, however, grievances against the test have soared. "The required material was out-of-date and focused on the most insignificant topics," complained the father of one of the students who took the exam two years ago. "And worst of all, everything about [the test] was arbitrary. The grading was random and hasty; [the graders] would not even explain to me why my son received the score he did." Additionally, despite Sokolow's affirmation that secular colleges recognized Jewish History AP credit, one student, now a senior in Columbia University, recalled, "When I tried to get my [Jewish History AP credit], Columbia immediately declined. They probably thought it was funny that I was trying to get college credit for an unofficial test."

It was partly as a result of these problems that Yeshiva College Dean Norman Adler inaugurated the curriculum overhaul two years ago. "I wanted the revision because I believe the study of Jewish History to be at the core of what our people need to know," Adler pointed out. "I wanted something which would intellectually sparkle." Sokolow alluded to another goal. "We wanted to convince the authorities in those schools that this AP course is up to the level of college level courses," he said. Added Rosensweig, "The new standards will help us gain universal acceptance in any institution of higher learning."

Upon Adler's initiative, Rosensweig, Reiner, Sokolow, and Dr. Yaacov Elman contacted Jewish History professors from other universities, who in turn agreed to construct a new curriculum. The committee included Dr. Lawrence Schiffman of NYU, an expert on the Classical Period, Dr. David Berger of the Bernard Revel Graduate School for Judaic Studies and Dr. Elisheva Carlebach of Queens College for the Medieval segment of the course, and Dr. Benny Kraut, Director of Jewish Studies at Queens College, for Modern Jewish History.

"By April, 2001, we'd concluded our labors, and we'd sent the curriculums out to various Yeshiva high school in the New York metropolitan area," Rosensweig said. Asked why no effort was made to extend the AP course structure to public schools or non-Jewish private schools, Rosensweig explained, "Our main goal was (and is) to provide an incentive for Yeshiva high schoolers to study the history of their heritage."

After the curriculum requirements were sent out to the high schools, the involved Yeshiva faculty organized formal meetings with the high school Jewish History teachers. "We wanted to involve them in the revision process because they'll be teaching the courses," Rosensweig pointed out. "We also wanted to give them an opportunity to have their questions answered by the outside professors who had drawn up the [syllabi]." The groups met on October 14th and 21st.

In general, the high school teachers seem enthusiastic about delving into the restructured course. "Without any doubts the suggested curriculum is a vast improvement on the old one," commented Rabbi A. Lieberman, Director of Judaic Studies at Shulamith High School in Brooklyn and AP Jewish History teacher for the past 21 years. "New readings and materials were integrated into the course, and students will now see first hand the high caliber of scholarship in Jewish History."

According to Sokolow, the first AP exam will be administered in May of 2002. Sokolow explained that the teachers, after using the summer to prepare, have already implemented these new curricula in their Jewish History courses. He acknowledged, however, that some finishing touches still need to be added, such as adjusting the length of certain readings. "By January, everything will be finalized," he promised. "Until then, teachers and students will work with what we already have. This'll be a transition year."

Certain key administrators view the new AP Jewish History material as a significant milestone for the future of Yeshiva College's Jewish History Department. Until now, many students appear unimpressed with some of the Jewish History courses they took in Yeshiva. "I've fulfilled my Jewish History requirement already [here at YC], and frankly, I did no outside reading - nor did I learn much in general - from those courses," a YC Senior noted. Rosensweig stressed, however, that as a result of the recent efforts regarding the AP curriculum, he and his colleagues will "try to incorporate some of [those] readings" into their courses. "Adjusting the material of our college courses is also a form of upgrading that we plan on doing along with these other initiatives," he pointed out.

Others consider the new efforts a major turning point for Yeshiva high school Judaic Studies education as well. "Besides for inspiring students, we hope to convince authorities in [other universities] that this course is up to the level of real college level courses," Sokolow explained. Rosensweig mentioned, in fact, that the administration hopes that as a result of the revision, the national testing service will soon officially accept AP Jewish History credit.