Headline Roundup • February 13th, 2023
College Board Admits 'Mistakes' on AP African American Course, Accuses DeSantis of 'Misinformation'
Education,Critical Race Theory,Race And Racism,Ron DeSantis,The College Board,Schools,Misinformation And Disinformation
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Saturday, the College Board admitted it made mistakes in rolling out its new Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course, while criticizing the Florida Department of Education's reception.
Key Quotes: The education organization said it's "proud" of the course but "made mistakes in the rollout that are being exploited." It added that it "had no negotiations about the content of this course with Florida or any other state," and that debate over the course has "moved from healthy debate to misinformation." Florida's Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. has called the course "woke indoctrination masquerading as education."
For Context: Earlier this month, the College Board revised the course curriculum after Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) rejected it. The College Board claims that it had not been in frequent contact with the Florida Department of Education before making the revisions, as the Department claims. The board also stated that changes made to the course were made independently, and Florida should not be taking credit. DeSantis decided to block the course from high school curriculum on January 19, saying that parts of it are "inexplicably contrary to Florida law."
How the Media Covered it: The statement by the College Board was covered by sources across the political spectrum, with all sources noting the strong criticisms of the Florida Department of Education by the board.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Marta Lavandier/AP
The College Board is hitting back at top officials in Florida over the state's ban on a new AP African American Studies course that's being piloted in several states.
In a lengthy statement released Saturday, the national education nonprofit said it should have more quickly addressed claims by Florida's Department of Education that the course was indoctrinating students and lacked educational value, which the College Board called "slander."
Florida says AP class teaches critical race theory. Here's what's really in the course
The organization also said that Florida's public and private objections...
The College Board admitted on Saturday that it made mistakes in rolling out its new AP African American Studies course, while also accusing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his administration of “misinformation” and seeking a “political win.”
“There is always debate about the content of a new AP course. That is good and healthy; these courses matter. But the dialogue surrounding AP African American Studies has moved from healthy debate to misinformation,” College Board said in a statement.
“We are proud of this course. But we have made mistakes in the rollout...
The College Board said it should have denounced the DeSantis administration's comments that AP African American Studies "lacks educational value" sooner and reemphasized that there is still work to be done on the course's outline.
The academic organization said claims that Florida and the College Board were in "frequent dialogue" about the course is a "false and politically motivated charge." The College Board said the only interactions the organization had with the state included a rejection letter of the course and phone calls with the state Department of Education that were "absent of substance."
The DeSantis...
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