ABSTRACT Students in the United States who wish to begin early enrollment in college-level coursework often turn to Advanced Placement (AP) secondary coursework such as AP Biology as an accelerated option. As such, it is expected that those teachers who are responsible for the AP Biology courses hold an advanced level of subject- area expertise that extends to topics that are often seen as controversial in K–12 classrooms, including evolution. We surveyed 71 AP Biology teachers in a state in the southeastern United States to see how their levels of evolution content knowledge, evolution acceptance, and understandings of the nature of science compared to results that have been found in similar studies in general biology teachers and preservice science teachers. Our results indicate that AP Biology teachers in the Southeast have understandings and levels of acceptance regarding evolution that are in line with or lower than those of fellow teachers. This suggests that in spite of the nationalized AP curriculum, there are still gaps in fundamental knowledge, understandings, and approach that need to be addressed. Key Words: Evolution; advanced placement; teacher perceptions. Introduction Over the past two decades, science education in the United States has seen a resurgence of focus on application, scientific thinking, and process skills in research and practice. Since the development of the National Science Edu- cation Standards (National Academy of Scien- ces, 1996) and today’s new focus on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a movement toward more uniform expecta- tions nationally for science teaching is clear (National Research Council, 2013). The NGSS emphasize a strong focus on cross- cutting concepts, integration of engineering practices, and vertical scaf- folding of content, whereby students begin learning complex concepts earlier and continue to build on them with practical applications in successive years of schooling (National Research Council, 2013). Topics deemed “controversial, ” such as evolution, are emphasized and included in the NGSS while continuing to be a source of conflict in the southeastern United States (Bowman, 2008; Glaze et al., 2015). In response to the NGSS, states in the Southeast that opposed the content and nature of the NGSS have refused to adopt the new standards, opting to have their respective departments of education reshape them, a right the states retain (Branch, 2015). As a result of changing leadership in some state departments of education, several states have, or will have, new science standards in the coming years, several of which contain a stronger evolutionary biology focus than previous courses of study approved by those states (Lerner, 2000, 2012). The new standards should bring the level and depth of secondary school classwork to a higher level that more closely mirrors what has been done in Advanced Placement (AP) courses; however, standards alone are not enough to ensure the accurate teaching of evolution in classrooms (Moore & Kraemer, 2005). As a result of standards exceeding those of general biology, expectations for teachers of AP Biology courses require them to teach biological concepts at a higher level than their non-AP counterparts (Evans, 2009; College Board, 2012). AP Biology teachers can and should represent the pinnacle of biology teaching and demonstrate expertise through their knowledge of content. Their understanding and acceptance of evolution should compare favorably to that of teachers not trained to teach AP Biology. Historically, AP courses have been indicative of high rigor and are often viewed as indicators of readiness and potential for success in college course- work (Walker, 2009; College Board, 2012). As a result, AP coursework is intentionally designed to be equivalent to university coursework (Education Commission of the States, 2006; Evans, 2009). AP Biology teachers are expected to have a level of expertise and understanding that is found in It is not uncommon for biology teachers to harbor the same misunderstandings, misconceptions, and feelings of conflict with evolution that are seen in the general public. The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 81, No. 2, pp. 71–76, ISSN 0002-7685, electronic ISSN 1938-4211. © 2019 National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Reprints and Permissions web page, www.ucpress.edu/journals.php?p=reprints. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2019.81.2.71. THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER ACCEPTANCE, UNDERSTANDING & EXPERIENCE 71 FEATURE ARTICLE Acceptance, Understanding & Experience: Exploring Obstacles to Evolution Education among Advanced Placement Teachers • AMANDA GLAZE, JENICE GOLDSTON