Florida Launches Rival to ‘Woke’ AP US History

The Florida Department of Education launched a new framework Monday to explicitly compete with “woke” Advanced Placement U.S. history courses, following criticism that the College Board embeds racist bias and “diversity, equity, and inclusion” into such courses.

The department will launch the Florida Advanced Courses and Tests framework for U.S. history as a pilot program in the fall.

“The FACT U.S. history framework underscores our commitment to instruction grounded in the full scope of our nation’s history, while ensuring materials are free from ideological bias or indoctrination,” Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said.

“The FACT U.S. history framework provides a thorough and balanced study of our nation’s past, grounded in primary sources and factual accuracy,” Ryan Petty, chair of the State Board of Education, added. “It represents an important step toward restoring academic integrity in the classroom after years of uneven and, at times, ideologically driven instruction.”

‘War on Woke’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, established the framework when he signed House Bill 1537 into law in 2023. The law establishes alternatives to existing options like Advanced Placement, following criticism that AP courses embed critical race theory (a lens claiming that America is systemically racist and requires fundamental reform) and “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (a movement advancing racial quotas in the name of diversity) into curriculum materials.

DeSantis has launched a “war on woke,” opposing CRT and promoting classical education.

In his keynote address on Friday, DeSantis said education in the Sunshine State will not impose political indoctrination on children but will follow the classical model. 

“We believe in the traditional, classical mission of education,” DeSantis said in 2023. “We want to be able to pursue truth. We want to be able to promote rigor, and we want to give students the foundation so that they can think for themselves and be citizens of our republic.”

The left-wing agenda has no place in public education, DeSantis said. 

“Woke ideology is a form of cultural Marxism that seeks to divide our society on the basis of identity politics,” he warned. “It is an attack on merit and an attack on achievement. It represents a war on truth.”

DeSantis heavily criticized The College Board’s AP course in African American studies, and the company announced that it would alter the course following his criticism.

The College Board defended the AP U.S. history course in a statement responding to the FACT course launch.

“AP U.S. history gives students the opportunity to analyze evidence, build critical thinking skills, and engage deeply with required sources like the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and Washington’s Farewell Address,” the College Board told the public radio station WUWF 88.1 FM. “We are committed to providing access to high-quality coursework in Florida and ensuring students across the state are ready for college and career.”

The FACT Course

FACT courses allow students to earn high school credit upon course completion and college credit upon passing the corresponding assessment and enrolling in a Florida College System institution or state university. Florida piloted the first FACT course, College Algebra, across 32 traditional and charter schools this year, and it will be fully implemented statewide in the upcoming school year.

The course framework recommends Wilfred M. McClay’s “Land of Hope: An Invitation to the American Story” as the textbook. McClay serves as the Victor Davis Hanson chair in classical history and Western civilization at Hillsdale College.