Florida Passes Bill to Promote AP Class Alternative

Florida’s Legislature handed a invoice final week to additional plans to develop college-readiness programs to compete with Advanced Placement, referred to as Florida Advanced Courses and Test, or FACT, Political reported. The laws will enable college districts and academics to earn bonuses for providing FACT programs, providing academics a $50 bonus for every of their college students who achieves a sure grade on a FACT examination. Such bonuses are on par with these provided for AP and International Baccalaureate programs.

FACT originated in 2023 amid disagreements between the state authorities and the College Board over AP African American research programs. This previous fall, the state launched FACT’s first pilot programs in algebra at some excessive faculties. Public Florida schools and universities will settle for FACT credit, however establishments in different states don’t.

Some Democratic lawmakers have raised issues about whether or not FACT lessons are as rigorous as APs and IBs. They additionally expressed fear that folks may erroneously consider FACT scores can provide them a leg up in faculty admissions outdoors of Florida.

“Who is making up these advanced courses, and are they truly equivalent, or are we just giving them an equivalent weight?” stated Democratic state consultant Felicia Simone Robinson. “Because if we are, and this is a course that we’re just making up for Florida and it’s not necessarily equivalent to the AP and IB courses, then we’re putting our students at a disadvantage when they’re trying to compete against other students in the United States.”

Florida’s Department of Education has defended the programs as “rigorous, high-quality academic options aligned to the state’s education priorities.”