For the second time in one week, the College Board is criticizing Florida over its decision to reject a new AP course on African American studies.
After releasing one statement last week outlining its position, the College Board released another one Saturday regarding the state’s decision to not implement the course.
“We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander, magnified by the DeSantis administration’s subsequent comments, that African American Studies “lacks educational value.” Our failure to raise our voice betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field,” the board said in part.
Florida rejected the course last month, alleging it lacks educational value and stands against state law.
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The course, in development for more than a decade, has only so far launched as a pilot program in 60 U.S. schools, according to College Board. It bills itself as one that “reaches into a variety of fields — literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, and science — to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans.”
On Feb. 1, the College Board released the official curriculum for the course, which downplays some components that had drawn criticism from DeSantis and other conservatives. Topics including Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer life are not part of the exam. Instead, they are included only on a sample list states and school systems can choose from for student projects.
In a letter dated Jan. 12, FDOE’s Office of Articulation wrote to College Board that the content of the course “is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value,” formally rejecting its inclusion and suggesting FDOE would reopen the discussion “should College Board be willing to come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content.”
The Department of Education published a list of “concerns found within” the course and focused on five topics: “intersectionality and activism,” “Black queer studies,” “movements for Black lives,” “the reparations movement” and “Black study and Black struggle in the 21st Century.”
During a news conference in the days following, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the rejection, which has drawn national media coverage and criticism from the Biden administration.
“We believe in teaching kids facts and how to think, but we don’t believe they should have an agenda imposed on them. When you try to use Black history to shoehorn in queer theory, you are clearly trying to use that for political purposes,” DeSantis said.
The College Board said last week it was still waiting for specifics from Florida about how the course violates state law.
With the revised curriculum, a spokesperson for DeSantis said it was being reviewed for compliance with Florida law.
Click here to read the College Board’s full statement.
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