According to The College Board, which manages the AP program, Florida superintendents were instructed by the state on Thursday to abandon their Advanced Placement Psychology classes unless they cover no material associated with gender or sexuality.
However, the College Board noted that such a change would prevent the courses from being referred to as Advanced Placement or used by students to obtain college credit. Any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will be in violation of both state law and college regulations, according to the group, which is encouraging Florida districts not to provide the subject until the state reverses its decision.
“We are sad to have learned that today the Florida Department of Education has effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law,” the College Board said. “The state has said districts are free to teach AP Psychology only if it excludes any mention of these essential topics.”
After the state requested that the College Board review all AP courses to determine whether any “need modification to ensure compliance” with a Florida law and state Board of Education rule targeting instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, the College Board responded in June that it would not change the popular AP Psychology course.
In a conference call on Thursday morning, the state education department’s decision was announced to Florida’s school administrators. The breaking news suggests that only days before the start of a new school year, school districts may need to hurriedly rearrange the schedules of many kids. According to the College Board, 30,000 students across the state have signed up to take the course this autumn.
“We have heard from teachers across Florida who are heartbroken that they are being forced to drop AP and instead teach alternatives that have been deemed legal because the courses exclude these topics,” said the nonprofit, which also administers the SAT.
The situation was described as “problematic” by Mark Rendell, the superintendent of Brevard County schools on Florida’s east coast, in an email to school board members that was obtained by the USA TODAY Network – Florida.
“Many of our students are enrolled in this course with the hopes of earning college credit,” he wrote. “Many are also seeking an AP Capstone designation, or AP Scholar designation, and would need this course to meet those goals.”
In his letter, Rendell stated that the district would consider alternative strategies and collaborate with high schools, students, and parents to decide “which path we take moving forward.”
Florida to College Board: ‘Stop playing games’
In a statement, the state education department attributed the last-minute move to the College Board’s failure to follow Florida law, claiming that the group was pressuring school districts to forbid kids from enrolling in the course.
“The Department didn’t ‘ban’ the course,” Deputy Director of Communications Cassie Palelis wrote. The class is still listed in Florida’s Course Code Directory for the 2023-2024 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,” she said. “The other advanced course providers (including the International Baccalaureate program) had no issue providing the college credit psychology course.”
Alternative to AP Psychology?
There may be other possibilities available for kids who desire to enroll in a college-level psychology course in high school, but The College Board has voiced its disapproval of those programs. According to the College Board, the International Baccalaureate and Cambridge AICE programs both include psychology courses, however, they made the decision to abide by Florida’s request to remove gender and sexuality from their college-level psychology courses.
The development committee for the College Board, a team of educators who design the exam, expressed surprise at their counterparts’ choice.
“No experienced educator or practitioner in our field would support the decision to make these topics off limits,” the statement reads. “We challenge IB and Cambridge to identify the experts whom they consulted prior to deciding that a fundamental component of psychological development would now be banished from the classroom instruction they seek to promote.”
Cambridge asserted that it had not altered its course and that all of its materials comply with Florida law.
In what ways does AP Psychology contravene Florida law?
According to The College Board, gender and sexual orientation have been covered in the AP Psychology curriculum for the past 30 years.
The Parental Rights in Education Act, sometimes known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, was officially signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year. DeSantis is vying to be the Republican nominee for president. Instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity was forbidden from kindergarten through third grade, according to the law. The law was extended to include students in grades 12 this spring.
Unit 6.7 of AP Psychology, which covers gender and sexuality and contains concepts of gender, sexuality, gender roles and stereotypes, and associated socialization aspects, is the section that is in doubt.
The Human Rights Campaign, the biggest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the country, denounced the state’s action and dubbed it a “disturbing” attempt to rewrite history.
“College Board’s AP Psychology curriculum is science-driven and endorsed by both educators and experts,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said. “Educational systems that reject the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people from their psychology courses are failing in their commitment to students.”
The American Psychological Association also expressed dissatisfaction, describing the cancellation of Florida’s courses as an “enormous disservice” to the students.
“Requiring what is effectively censored educational material does an enormous disservice to students across Florida, who will receive an incomplete picture of the psychological research into human development,” APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., said. “An Advanced Placement course that ignores the decades of science studying sexual orientation and gender identity would deprive students of knowledge they will need to succeed in their studies, in high school and beyond.”
Make sure you are staying up-to-date with the latest and most important Florida news with Florida Insider. Whether you are interested in business, education, government, history, sports, real estate, nature, weather, or travel: we have something for everyone. Follow along for the best stories in the Sunshine State.
Mike has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations. He once owned his own agency and has worked with some of the largest brands in the world.
