Now it’s conservatives in Utah who are complaining about the new AP framework

Recent changes to the exam for AP U.S. History have some parents in Utah and nationwide worried about a perceived push to teach revisionist history in schools.

But Robert Austin, a social studies specialist with the Utah State Office of Education, told lawmakers on Tuesday that no such effort exists and the new AP exam is designed to improve understanding of American government.

"What’s changing is the way students are going to be assessed and the deeper thinking that they’re going to be doing," he said.

Roughly 5,600 Utah students are currently enrolled in AP U.S. History classes, Austin said, compared to the 33,000 taking the comparable but less rigorous U.S. History 2.

AP U.S. History students can earn college credit by passing the exam, administered by the private company College Board, which also oversees the SAT.

Critics say the materials distributed by College Board to help teachers plan for this year’s test leave out important figures, such as Martin Luther King and America’s founding fathers, while emphasizing negative aspects of the nation’s history and injecting a political agenda into coursework...