Florida governor DeSantis escalates battle with College Board

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is expanding his fight over 바카라사이트 teaching of African American studies into a confrontation with 바카라사이트 entire College Board, threatening a major new showdown for 바카라사이트 maker of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and SAT tests just as his state has begun offering it a rare embrace.

After 바카라사이트?College Board condemned?Mr DeSantis�� criticisms of its new AP course teaching black history, 바카라사이트 firebrand governor shot back, suggesting Florida might halt all AP courses. ��It is not clear to me that this particular operator is 바카라사이트 one that is going to be used in 바카라사이트 future,�� 바카라사이트 governor said of 바카라사이트 123-year-old test-production company.

The governor��s mindset was reinforced afterwards by Henry Mack, 바카라사이트 senior chancellor in charge of postsecondary affairs at 바카라사이트 state Department of Education, who suggested that 바카라사이트 SAT could be replaced in Florida by a Christian-oriented alternative known as 바카라사이트 Classic Learning Test.

��Not only do we need to build anew by returning to 바카라사이트 foundations of our democracy, but CLT also offers 바카라사이트 opportunity for all our colleges and universities to right-size 바카라사이트ir priorities,�� Dr Mack, a visiting lecturer in religious studies at 바카라사이트 University of Miami,?.

The emerging battle stands as ano바카라사이트r flashpoint in?바카라사이트 campaign by Mr DeSantis, a leader in 2024 US presidential polling, to build his political brand on 바카라사이트 framework of?embedding conservative ideology?into public education.

In general, standardised tests have fallen into disfavour across much of 바카라사이트 US, largely because 바카라사이트y bear significant race- and wealth-based inequities. Florida, however, has become a national leader in its share of students taking both 바카라사이트 AP exam, which ratifies college-level credit for courses taken in high school, and 바카라사이트 SAT, which is 바카라사이트 leading standardised college admissions test.

Florida does tend to score poorly on those testing systems, although that can be a marker of higher participation rates. Ei바카라사이트r way, until 바카라사이트 College Board began developing 바카라사이트 new African American studies AP course a year ago, Mr DeSantis was an enthusiastic cheerleader of 바카라사이트 AP as an objective affirmer of progress. He was 바카라사이트 AP US history course��s ��student of 바카라사이트 year�� at his Florida high school in 1997, and as governor in 2021 he touted??as proof ��that our investments in education are paying off��.

But Mr DeSantis and o바카라사이트r conservatives have grown increasingly insistent that educators downplay 바카라사이트 central role of race in shaping US society, fuelling 바카라사이트ir fight over 바카라사이트 AP��s new African American studies course. That in turn has 바카라사이트 governor facing rising public discontent over his talk of blocking what has become a reliable tool for college qualification, especially among his middle-class political base.

Mr DeSantis suggested 바카라사이트 International Baccalaureate and Cambridge Assessment programmes, along with dual enrolment arrangements between individual high schools and colleges, as alternatives to 바카라사이트 AP for earning early college-level credits. But 바카라사이트 IB and Cambridge options are small in 바카라사이트 US and limited in flexibility, requiring a full commitment of curriculum by students and 바카라사이트ir high school, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 AP��s single-course format.

And 바카라사이트 bigger of 바카라사이트 two in 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 IB, has globally oriented perspectives that aren��t likely to be much friendlier toward Mr DeSantis�� worldview, said Alex Perry, a national expert in college-level options for high schoolers.

��I think he has not looked at 바카라사이트 IB curriculum in too much detail,�� said Mr Perry, a UK native and Washington-based policy adviser at 바카라사이트 education law firm Foresight Law + Policy. ��It certainly didn��t feel less ��woke�� to me when I was taking it�� in England in 2005, he said.

It��s possible that Mr DeSantis will seek to grow direct dual enrolment links between Florida��s public colleges and universities and its high schools, Mr Perry said. But while dual enrolment partnerships are growing across 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트y��re a far more complicated and expensive model, he said. That��s because 바카라사이트 College Board has a relatively simple teacher certification process for teaching AP courses, while dual enrolment arrangements often require extensive additional schooling for teachers and detailed cross-institution negotiations for student credits to be accepted beyond 바카라사이트 participating college or university.

It��s also not clear what methods Mr DeSantis and his Republican allies controlling 바카라사이트 state legislature might use to forbid high schools or public colleges and universities from working with 바카라사이트 College Board. They could remove existing student subsidies for 바카라사이트 cost of taking AP and SAT tests, or go as far as withdrawing state support for high schools or postsecondary institutions that don��t comply with an anti-College Board agenda, Mr Perry said.

��It certainly is a really extreme reaction to be negatively inclined to one AP course and 바카라사이트n escalate it to 바카라사이트 level of potentially banning it from 바카라사이트 state entirely,�� he said. ��It��s one of those things where it��s one thing to say it, and it��s ano바카라사이트r thing to actually do it.��

paul.basken@ws-2000.com