4 things to know about Ron DeSantis' idea to slash AP courses in Florida

[LetMyPeopleVote]

This is sad. You qualify for National Merit Scholarships on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT. Florida has some very low SAT scores and so it may not matter if Florida students are not eligible for National Merit Scholarships. National Merit Scholarships are hard to get but are nice on a resume.

In addition, AP scores can get you placed out of classes. They did not offer AP courses at my school a long long time ago but my kids each got over 20 hours of AP credit. One child used these hours to do three majors since that child had a full scholarship and another child graduated in 3 years. AP credits are very valuable to many students.

The test that DeathSantis wants to use as a replacement for the SAT is a test used mainly by home schoolers.

Link to tweet

https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/02/18/4-things-know-about-ron-desantis-idea-slash-ap-courses-florida/

As DeSantis noted in 2021, the College Board is a major player in providing accelerated academic courses to high school students.

In 2021, the state had 199,428 teens sit for 366,150 AP exams, with 50.9% scoring a 3 or better on the 5-point scale. Many universities across the nation offer students credit for those scores — a critical factor for families looking to lower tuition.....

In addition to its AP courses, the College Board administers the SAT college entrance exam. Just over 190,000 Florida high schoolers took the test in 2022, representing 87% of possible students. Its average score was among the lowest 10 in the nation.

The ACT college entrance exam, administered by a separate nonprofit, is also available but has much lower participation

I am not surprised to see that the test that DeathSantis wants to use in place of the SAT is a test being used by home schoolers.

High-ranking Department of Education officials have hinted in social media that an organization called Classic Learning Test, or CLT, is a potential option to fill in for SAT.

Primarily used by home-schooling families, Classic Learning Test is touted by supporters as an alternative “that orients people to the perennial truths of the great classical and Christian tradition.”

DeathSantis may end up pissing off some parents who have high performing students who would benefit from AP credits and scholarships

[Timeflyer]

1. Part of his larger plan to destroy PUBLIC Ed. in FL and let billionaire donors PRIVATIZE schools &

suck up our sweet, sweet tax dollars. Then they can purchase more conservative politicians. Check out HB 1/Senate Bill 202 right now--clearly they will bankrupt public school districts.