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On Thursday, August 3, Florida effectively banned the AP (Advanced Placement) Psychology course offered to high school students on the grounds that the subject violates the state’s brand-new law that prohibits curriculum based on s*xual orientation and gender identity. The news was confirmed by a non-profit that provides the courses to the state’s public schools and oversees SAT college admission tests.
As per an anonymous critic of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, it is a way to limit instruction about LGBTQ+ issues and racial awareness in the state, The Guardian reported. Interestingly, earlier this year, Florida banned a new AP African American Studies course, stating that the subject lacked “educational value and historical accuracy” while violating state law on how race should be taught in public classrooms.
This step comes in the wake of DeSantis’ effort to make the state’s education more conservative. In July, the Florida State Board of Education approved a new history syllabus for public schools that would teach students that African Americans not only benefitted from slavery but also were perpetrators of violence.
Following that, the board also approved content from the conservative far-right non-profit PragerU to be included in the curriculum of public schools. Both of these moves faced severe backlash online.
College Board has advised schools to pause teaching AP Psychology for now
As per the Florida State Board of Education, psychology can still be included in the high school curriculum as long as it complies with the state’s law. However, College Board, which offers AP classes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, has advised against it.
They have asked the school districts to refrain from teaching AP Psychology for the time being instead of presenting the subject half-heartedly, minus the content on s*xual orientation and gender identity. The organization stated on its official website:
“Any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will violate either Florida law or college requirements. Therefore, 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.”
College Board's statement also included how any AP Psychology course that excludes s*xual orientation and gender issues violates the guidelines of the American Psychological Association, disregarding credit for college admissions.
Besides, the organization also mentioned how Ted Mitchell, the President of the American Council of Education, instructed them that such a step “strains credulity to believe that our reviewers would certify for college credit a psychology course that didn’t include gender identity.”
The College Board further explained in its statement that the AP Psychology course was launched over three decades ago. Since then, it has included parts on s*xual orientation and gender, as it is important for students to understand “how s*x and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development.”
Interestingly, a spokesperson from DeSantis’ administration named Cassandra Palelis denied on Thursday that Florida had banned the course as hinted by the College Board. In fact, she gave quite a contradictory statement to The Guardian:
“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 department didn’t ‘ban’ the course. 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 also added how the course remains listed in the state’s Course Code Directory for the academic year 2023-2024.
As per The Guardian, the College Board and the state of Florida began discussing the course’s importance in the high school curriculum in May, as revealed from the former’s official website. In fact, the notice on the website clearly states that the state’s new law bans instruction on s*xual orientation and gender identity in all courses except health.
It also instructed that the College Board audits its course material and modifies any content that does not adhere to state law. In June, the College Board responded to the demands saying that modifying its courses would make students “ineligible for college credit and would also violate academic standards.” It reiterated the decision on Thursday, August 3.
As per CNN, over 28,000 Florida students opted for AP Psychology last year, and it is one of the most popular courses in the state.
