South Florida public schools will teach AP psychology
On August 15, 2023; Updated August 16, 2023
Decision follows censorship dispute
Miami-Dade and Broward county public schools will offer Advanced Placement psychology courses during the upcoming school year, following a censorship spat over the college-level class.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Jose Dotres confirmed his district’s decision in a memo to the School Board last Wednesday. Broward County Public Schools, meanwhile, said the course will be treated as an elective requiring parental sign off.
“Recognizing the depth and breadth of topics covered in AP Psychology and in line with the importance of prioritizing student well-being and parental choice, we have decided to make enrollment for this elective an ‘opt-in’ process that expressly requires parental consent,” Broward Superintendent Peter Licata said in a statement.
The first day of public school in Miami-Dade is Aug. 17. The first day in Broward is Aug. 21. Classes for most Florida public schools began last Thursday.
Last week, state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. told superintendents they could offer the AP psychology class without breaking any laws.
The commissioner said in a letter that the course’s learning target related to sex and gender could be taught. That target sparked an argument between the Florida Department of Education and the College Board the previous week.
This newest announcement from Diaz came after district officials across the state voiced confusion about whether they could keep the course. As districts scrambled to find alternatives that would also give college credit to students, Diaz announced Aug. 4 that schools could offer the class in a manner that is “age and developmentally appropriate.”
The commissioner’s wording left administrators wondering whether they would have to alter the curriculum to meet that guidance.
“I believe I was clear in my previous letter, but I want to make sure there is no room for misinterpretation,” Diaz wrote last Wednesday.
Despite the confirmation, some schools decided to switch to the Cambridge AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) psychology course. Hillsborough County Public School students who signed up for the AP course will take the Cambridge course instead. Brevard County students will substitute the AICE course and International Baccalaureate Psychology course. Both courses would still allow students to earn college credit if they pass the respective exams.
Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Mike Burke last Wednesday announced the reversal of his decision to remove the AP course, opting to offer it after all, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Under an expanded Florida law, lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity are not allowed unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take. In the spring the state asked the College Board and other providers of college-level courses to review their offerings for potential violations.
The College Board refused to modify the psychology course to comply with Florida’s new legislation. The course asks students to describe how sex and gender influence a person’s development – topics that have been part of the curriculum since it launched 30 years ago.
The first time the College Board bumped up against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s efforts to inject conservative ideals into education standards, it ultimately revamped the AP course for African American studies, watering down curriculum on slavery reparations and the Black Lives Matter movement – and a nationwide backlash ensued.
This piece was republished from The Miami Times.