TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Another Advanced Placement (AP) course is at odds with Florida law and opponents of the state’s conservative policies are claiming the course has been banned.
The College Board, the national non-profit that administers AP and the SAT, published a lengthy statement on Thursday claiming the Florida Department of Education had “effectively banned” AP Psychology from being taught in public schools.
Florida prohibits teachers from instructing students about sexual preferences and gender confusion outside of health or reproductive courses.
“The state has said districts are free to teach AP Psychology only if it excludes any mention of these essential topics,” the statement said. “We advise Florida districts not to offer AP Psychology until Florida reverses their decision and allows parents and students to choose to take the full course.”
READ MORE: College Board Flip-flops Again After Report Shows They Scrubbed Website
AP COURSES AND AP EXAMS
In June, the College Board refused to modify the course because they claimed “colleges wouldn’t broadly accept that course for credit” if sex and gender topics were removed. But students don’t earn any college credit by taking the course – they earn it by passing the AP exam.
The assertion that teachers must instruct students about sexual preferences and gender confusion in order for them to pass the class can’t be true, since AP exams are offered to any high school student willing to pay for them – including homeschoolers. This is clearly stated on the College Board’s FAQ page.
Every year, many high school students pass AP exams without having ever taken the corresponding class. College Level Examination Programs (CLEP) work the same way.
AP courses help prepare students for the exam, but Florida teachers could simply notify students about certain subject matter on the test that was not discussed in the classroom. Thus, Florida schools could offer AP Psychology the course without violating the law or preventing students from earning college credit.
“I want to be clear: AP Psychology is and will remain […] available to students,” Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. wrote in a letter to Florida district superintendents on Friday. “In fact, the Department believes that AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate.”
“Just one week before school starts, the College Board is attempting to force school districts to prevent students from taking the AP Psychology Course,” the Florida Department of Education said in a statement Thursday. “The Department didn’t ‘ban’ the course. The course remains listed in Florida’s Course Code Directory for the 2023–24 school year.
“We encourage the College Board to stop playing games with Florida students and continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly.”
READ MORE: Can the College Board Survive the AP Course Fallout Amid Cries of “Racist” SAT Tests?
