Washington — The American Psychological Association has voiced unqualified support for the College Board’s refusal to accede to a demand by Florida to delete content regarding sexual orientation and gender identity from its curriculum in Advanced Placement Psychology and the AP Psychology Exam.
“Understanding human sexuality is fundamental to psychology, and an advanced placement course that excludes the decades of science studying sexual orientation and gender identity would deprive students of knowledge they will need to succeed in their studies, in high school and beyond,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “We applaud the College Board for standing up to the state of Florida and its unconscionable demand to censor an educational curriculum and test that were designed by college faculty and experienced AP teachers who ensure that the course and exam reflect the state of the science and college-level expectations.”
The Florida Department of Education wrote to the College Board in May asking that it conduct a “thorough review” of all advanced placement and pre-advanced placement courses to ensure they comply with a new Florida law prohibiting classroom instruction in sexual orientation or gender identity in pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. In grades nine–12, the law says, “the instruction must be in a manner that is age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
“Educators cannot teach psychology and exclude an entire group of people from the curriculum,” Evans added. “Florida is proposing to remove an important body of science from the AP curriculum and test, which will leave students unprepared to continue studying psychology in college.
“This law is yet another attempt to erase LGBTQ+ people from public view based on biased thinking and irrational fear. Our youth need access to age-appropriate, evidence-based information regarding sexual orientation and gender identity so that they may grow up to be healthy, informed and well-adjusted citizens. This proposal strips parents’ choice and limits Florida students’ options to take an important college-level course and exam that is often a required college course.”
Just over 326,000 students—including nearly 28,000 in Florida—took the AP Psychology Exam in 2023, making it the sixth most popular AP course, according to the College Board.