Inweekly spent most of yesterday trying to find out what was going on with Advancement Placement Psychology after receiving several text messages from parents of students signed up for the college credit course at Pensacola High School.
- Finally, the Orlando Sentinel around 2 p.m. published that the Florida Department of Education told school superintendents they could offer AP psychology only if lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity were omitted. The College Board, which develops the AP courses, refused to move from its position that it told FDOE in June.
“This element of the framework is not new: gender and sexual orientation have been part of AP Psychology since the course launched 30 years ago. As we shared in June, we cannot modify AP Psychology in response to regulations that would censor college-level standards for credit, placement, and career readiness,” the College Board said in a Thursday statement.
The problem is the new law passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity at any grade level in Florida public schools, even elective courses approved by parents.
- As of yesterday afternoon, Escambia County Public Schools is still seeking answers on whether to continue offering an AP psychology course or eliminate the class from its curriculum.
Escambia School Board member Patty Hightower spoke with Superintendent Keith Leonard and other school officials about next steps for the school district. The 2023-24 school year starts on Wednesday, leaving minimal time for students to find a replacement if the school district elects to cancel the elective AP psych course.
“Most students taking an AP psych course gain extra credits toward their college curriculum,” Hightower said. “So, what is there to take its place that will give the same step-up?”
School Board Chair Paul Fetsko said if the school district continues to offer the course, students and teachers will both potentially be put in unenviable positions.
“If the teacher teaches something they’re told specifically told not to, they can lose their certification,” Fetsko said. “But if the teacher doesn’t teach the entire curriculum, students won’t fare as well on the AP exam. The issue becomes are there alternative courses and that’s being looked at statewide.”
Fetsko said school districts are waiting for recommendations from FDOE on how to meet the commitment for the course and stay in compliance with the law. He said one possibility is for school districts to offer an online dual enrollment psychology course for students.
‘Not Our Fault’ Defense
FDOE is blaming the College Board for the state’s 28,000 students who signed up for AP Psychology being left without the class.
Department of Education spokeswoman Cassandra Palelis said in an email to The News Service of Florida:
“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. The course remains listed in Florida’s Course Code Directory for the 2023-24 school year. We encourage the College Board to stop playing games with Florida students and continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly.”
However, FDOE has known about the College Board’s position since June. Read more.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that FDOE had scheduled a conference call with school superintendents on Monday to offer guidance, but it was canceled.
Yesterday Cody Strother, coordinator of communications for the school district told us: “We are meeting to strategize an approach which will best meet the needs of our students.”
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Palelis said, “Other advanced course providers (including the International Baccalaureate program) had no issue providing the college credit psychology course.”
The Escambia County School District apparently doesn’t know this, or at least hasn’t figured out how to communicate it to IB students at Pensacola High.
DeSantis’ Abnormal Florida
The AP Psychology Development Committee also explained why sexual orientation and gender identity lessons have been included in the 40-lesson course since 1993.
We work to ensure the AP Psychology course is aligned with best practices for teaching and learning in introductory psychology and is developmentally appropriate for students and families choosing college-level work.
And
College-level introductory psychology students will encounter gender and sexual orientation as topics of study. Psychology graduates go on to pursue a range of careers and must be able to successfully navigate professional environments that will require familiarity with these concepts.
In other words, demanding the Florida public school teacher not to say gay doesn’t make gender and sexual orientation discussions disappear from the rest of the world.
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AP Psychology Development Committee Members:
- Kenneth Carter, PhD, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology, Oxford College of Emory University
- Elliott Hammer, PhD, John LaFarge Professor in Social Justice, Xavier University of Louisiana
- Gabriel Marquez, AP Psychology Teacher, Red Mountain High School (AZ)
- Daria Schaffeld, AP Psychology Teacher, Prospect High School (IL)
- Allison Shaver, AP Psychology Teacher, Plymouth High School (MA)
- Gabrielle Smith, PhD, Associate Professor, Texas Women’s University
- Maria Vita, AP Psychology Teacher, Penn Manor High School (PA)
- Jason Young, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Chair, Thomas Hunter Honors Program, CUNY – Hunter College