Florida said it will allow sections of AP Psychology that address gender and sexual orientation, which a state law otherwise bans.
AP Psychology could be allowed in Florida after all.
A day after news broke that the state Department of Education was effectively banning the course by prohibiting instruction on gender and sexual orientation, the department is now clarifying it will allow school districts to teach the class in full, according to a letter sent to superintendents.
“In fact, the Department believes that AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate and the course remains listed in our course catalog,” Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. wrote in a letter dated Friday.
The letter comes a day after the state advised superintendents they could offer AP Psychology but were instructed to exclude topics related to gender and sexual orientation to comply with Florida law.
The College Board, which runs the AP program, said this exclusion would “effectively ban” the class because such an adjustment would mean it couldn’t be called Advanced Placement or used to earn college credit.
“To be clear, any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will violate either Florida law or college requirements,” the College Board said Thursday. “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.”
The nonprofit, which also administers the SAT, said Friday’s letter provided needed clarity for Florida educators. Nearly 30,000 Florida students were expecting to take the college-level course, and many school districts kick off the school year in just a few days.
“Today’s statement from the Florida Department of Education represents new guidance on AP Psychology,” the College Board said Friday. “While district superintendents continue to seek additional clarity from the department, we note the clear guidance that, ‘AP Psychology may be taught in its entirety.'”
Across Florida on Friday, districts were rushing to change student schedules and come up with alternative ways to teach college-level psychology classes just days before the 2023-2024 school year begins.
