On the heels of a controversy over how to teach African American studies, another showdown over Advanced Placement courses could be brewing in Florida, this time over AP Psychology, as the nonprofit that runs the program faces pressure from state officials to remove or revise lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The conflict is another example of how Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to restrict how race and LGBTQ issues are taught is impacting Florida’s schools.
The Florida Department of Education sent a letter to the College Board, which runs the AP program, on May 19 asking the organization to review all AP courses to see if they “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 Thursday with a defiant letter stating that “we will not modify our courses to accommodate restrictions teaching essential, college-level topics.” That could set up a showdown between Florida and College Board officials.
The AP Psychology class is a potential point of conflict. The course has a unit dealing with developmental psychology that includes discussion of gender and sexual orientation.
The American Psychological Association issued a statement Thursday voicing “unqualified support” for the College Board. CEO Arthur Evans Jr. lambasted the state of Florida’s “unconscionable demand to censor an educational curriculum and test that were designed by college faculty and experienced AP teachers who ensure that the course and exam reflect the state of the science and college-level expectations.”
The Department of Education’s letter to the College Board does not specifically mention AP Psychology, but the organization is anticipating that the class could be targeted.
The College Board’s letter responding to state officials notes that some Florida school districts have asked about how the AP Psychology unit touching on gender and sexual orientation comports with the new state law and regulations.
“That learning objective must remain a required topic, just as it has been in Florida since the launch of AP Psychology more than 30 years ago,” College Board states.
A separate letter that College Board sent to “the AP community” notes that the American Psychological Association “has made clear that the topic of gender and sexual orientation is foundational for any college-level course in psychology.
The USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida has reached out to the DeSantis administration for comment.
The news comes at a time that high schools around the state are developing class schedules, including for classes like AP Psych, which students would have requested in the spring.
Last year DeSantis signed HB 1557, a measure officially known as the Parental Rights in Education act but derided by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The law outlawed instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
The law was expanded this year to cover more grades.
DeSantis’ administration pushed through a new Board of Education rule that outlaws teaching about about sexual orientation or gender identity through grade 12, unless such instruction is required by state education standards or for the teaching of reproductive health classes. Florida lawmakers also passed HB 1069, which puts some of the changes in statute.
Expanding the law to cover middle school and high school students means it directly impacts the AP program, which offers a range of classes for older students that also allow them to get college credit.
DeSantis earlier clashed with the College Board over a new AP African American Studies course.
DeSantis banned the new course from being taught in Florida based on an early version of the curriculum that generated a backlash among conservatives. DeSantis argued the course pushed an ideological agenda because it touched on subjects such as queer theory and abolishing prisons.
From USA TODAY:Gov. Ron DeSantis’ feud with the College Board over AP African American Studies, explained
The final version of the African American studies course stripped out much of the material that DeSantis and other conservatives had objected to, generating another backlash from those who believed College Board was censoring its content.
The firm position now being taken by College Board against revising its courses to conform with Florida law was informed by its earlier experience with the African American Studies course.
“We are resolute in this position, in part, because of what we learned from our mistakes in therecent rollout of AP African American Studies,” the College Board wrote. “In developing the framework for AP African American Studies, we tried to create a course that could be available in states across the country and accurately represent a college-level course on the subject.”
“We learned that both of those objectives could not be achieved if state policies prohibit content that is essential for a college-level course,” the letter continues.
