I really love what you’ve written here, Maha. I’m thinking of this today because my students did not do as well as I had hoped on their Advanced Placement U.S. History exams (I started teaching AP this year). While AP test results are perhaps sometimes overemphasized, and there are also many reasons a student might score below their potential on a single exam, AP test scores are nevertheless a social justice issue in my context because a high AP score is an opportunity for my students – traditionally underserved students by nearly every measure of equity – to improve their chances into gaining access to higher education. I am disappointed and tempted to be defensive but I need to ask the questions you’ve posed here and figure out how I can improve my instruction.