The nonprofit stated it will not change its curriculum to accommodate the state’s ban against K-12 instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity
Florida’s laws banning instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity could mean the state’s high schoolers will no longer be able to take AP Psychology. According to a statement released Thursday by the College Board, the nonprofit responsible for managing the SAT’s and Advanced Placement courses, Florida has “effectively banned AP Psychology in the state.”
“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 state has said districts are free to teach AP Psychology only if it excludes any mention of these essential topics,” the organization wrote.
The College board added that units on sex and gender had been present in the AP Psychology curriculum “since the course launched 30 years ago.”
“We cannot modify AP Psychology in response to regulations that would censor college-level standards for credit, placement, and career readiness. Our policy remains unchanged. Any course that censors required course content cannot be labeled ‘AP’ or ‘Advanced Placement,’ and the ‘AP Psychology’ designation cannot be utilized on student transcripts,” the College Board added.
Students who pass AP testing with high enough scores can earn college credits, potentially shaving significant time and expense off of their degrees. The organization further lamented that the state’s law “derails the college readiness and affordability plans of tens of thousands of Florida students currently registered for AP Psychology, one of the most popular AP classes in the state.”
This is not the first time the College Board has clashed with Florida’s increasingly restrictive education laws. In January, Florida blocked the College Board from testing a pilot Advanced Placement African American Studies (APAAS) curriculum, alleging it violated portions of Governor Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE” Act. The law implemented a widespread ban on teaching critical race theory (CRT) in K-12 classrooms.
In April, the College Board announced it would continue revising the proposed APAAS curriculum after receiving widespread backlash for allegedly watering down some of the course’s topics in order to satisfy conservative critics. It seems the organization will make no such concessions for AP Psychology.