Reversing Course: Florida's AP Class Fight; State Looks to SAT Alternative

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Good morning,

It was the best of times and the worst of times for US women’s sports this weekend.

Triumph: Legendary gymnast Simone Biles made an inspiring comeback, winning her first competitive gymnastics event in two years and qualifying for the U.S. national championships. The last time Biles competed was in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when she stepped away from the sport to focus on mental health.

Tribulation: The U.S. women's soccer run in the 2023 World Cup came to a stunning early end in the Round of 16 for the first time in the team’s history. It ended with a dramatic penalty shootout, where Megan Rapinoe was one of three players to miss their penalty kicks. Sweden won the shootout 5-4.

Bring it on, Monday.

Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney

🗞 FLORIDA’S LATEST EDUCATION FIGHT

It was a weekend of whiplash for Florida students gearing up for their Advanced Placement (AP) courses this year. On Thursday, with just days to go until Florida students return to school, the College Board—the non-profit that administers the courses—banned AP Psychology over a dispute with the state government over what they can legally teach. But if you blinked, you may have missed the update: just hours later the decision was reversed after the state appeared to back down.

Students and teachers across Florida can now breathe a slight sigh of relief — but questions still remain over whether lessons will have to be changed to comply with Florida’s new education laws, and where the next fight may take place.

BACKGROUND ON FLORIDA EDUCATION RULES
Under Florida law, classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for students in pre-K through 8th grade is banned. In high school, instruction is allowed, but must be “according to state standards,” which now effectively ban all students from learning about sexual orientation or gender identity through 12th grade.

It follows a law Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed last year called Parental Rights in Education. Supporters say it allows parents to decide when and how to talk to their kids about gender orientation and LGBTQ+ topics, instead of their teachers. But critics call it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, arguing it exiles LGBTQ+ students and now prevents kids of high school age from getting important education.

HOW DOES AP PSYCH VIOLATE THAT LAW?
The College Board’s AP Psychology course, which is typically taken by about 30,000 Florida 11th and 12th graders, is split up into nine sections. One of them is developmental psychology, which includes lessons on gender and sexual orientation. That’s where the dispute between the College Board and Florida’s Department of Education lies: can this course be taught in Florida without breaking state laws?

HERE’S HOW THE FIGHT UNFOLDED
Earlier this summer, Florida’s Board of Education urged the College Board to conduct a thorough review of all of its courses to make sure they were compliant with Florida law.

On Thursday, the College Board effectively banned the course from Florida altogether — saying it could not be taught in its entirety and meet Florida’s education laws. The state Department of Education fired back, accusing the College Board of “playing games with Florida students” one week before school starts.

ONE DAY LATER…
Florida’s Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. put out a statement Friday evening appearing to back down, and said state authorities now assess AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in an age-appropriate way. The College Board then reversed previous guidance for school districts not to offer the course.

What, if any, adjustments will be needed to make it age-appropriate is unclear.

The potential dealbreaker: Commissioner Diaz Jr. said in his letter that the College Board suggested it might withhold the ‘AP’ designation from this course in Florida, which would hurt Florida students looking to get college credit.

THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR
This isn't the first time the Florida Board of Education has taken issue with the College Board’s curriculum for Advanced Placement classes — or any curriculum at all.

• In January, the College Board actually revised its curriculum for AP African American history after criticism from DeSantis over lessons on reparations, Black queer studies, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

• And last week we told you about Florida’s new set of guidelines for how Black history should be taught to 6th-8th graders, which includes instructions on “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨 NATION

📌 President Biden is expected to designate a vast area near the Grand Canyon National Park as a national monument to protect it from new drilling this week during his trip to Arizona (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 'The American people have a right to know': House Democrats write letter asking for Trump federal trials to be televised (USA TODAY)

📌 Fort Lauderdale International Airport evacuated over a security-related law enforcement investigation regarding a suspicious bag (SUN SENTINEL)

📌 The Mega Millions jackpot is expected to rise to $1.55 billion in Tuesday’s drawing, the highest-ever pot for the lottery (ABC)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Approaching 18 months of war in Ukraine: Three killed in revenge attacks as Putin retaliates after drone strikes (THE INDEPENDENT)

📌 Pope says Catholic Church is open to everyone, including women and LGBT community, but still has “rules” (REUTERS)

📌 New search for mythical Loch Ness monster needs volunteers (ABC)

📌 New photos show North Korea’s Kim touring arms factories… and taking aim (CNN)

💵 BUSINESS & TECH

📌 The end of an era: Zoom tells employees to return to the office for work (NEW YORK POST)

📌 Barometer on Bidenomics: Hiring hits the brakes while the unemployment rate falls to 3.5%, near a half-century low, and wage growth holds steady at elevated level… could a summer of slow hiring take some heat off the Fed? (WSJ)

📌 ‘Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde’ plead guilty in ‘spy novel’-like laundering case (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Back-to-school shoppers encounter inflation as they prepare for the 2023-2024 school year (AXIOS)

🎥 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Elon Musk says his cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg will be live streamed on ‘X’ and all proceeds will go to charity for veterans (THE VERGE)

📌 Barbie movie surpasses $1 billion in box office revenue (VARIETY)

📌 Gwyneth Paltrow wants you to stay in her Montecito guesthouse for a night (CBS)

📌 After years of growth, twin births are on the decline (AXIOS)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 7

• 1782: George Washington creates first US military decoration, which becomes known as the “Purple Heart.”

• 1974: Philippe Petit performed a high wire act between the Twin Towers in New York City, walking 131 feet between the 110-feet high towers with no net underneath him. Petit spent six years studying the Twin Towers, their construction, and wind conditions in preparation.

• 1976: ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ by Elton John and Kiki Dee reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100

• 1988: Nike launches its ‘Just Do It’ ad campaign

• 2007: Barry Bonds hit his 756th career home run, breaking the record set by Hank Aaron.