Florida’s Legislature last week passed a bill to expand and incentivize participation in Florida Advanced Courses and Test, or FACT, a state-developed alternative to Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

The legislation allows school districts and teachers to earn bonuses for offering FACT courses, including a $50 bonus per student who achieves a qualifying score on a FACT exam, on par with bonuses already offered for AP and IB courses.

FACT originated in 2023 amid disagreements between the state government and the College Board over AP African American Studies courses. The program launched its first pilot algebra courses at some high schools last fall. Credits earned through FACT are accepted at Florida’s public colleges and universities, but not at institutions in other states.

The bill has drawn criticism from some Democratic lawmakers, who question whether FACT courses are as academically rigorous as AP or IB offerings and worry that students and parents may not fully understand the program’s limitations outside Florida. State Rep. Felicia Simone Robinson asked whether the courses are “truly equivalent, or are we just giving them an equivalent weight,” warning that students could be put at a disadvantage competing against peers from other states.

Florida’s Department of Education has defended the courses as rigorous and high-quality, and aligned with the state’s education priorities.

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