Florida Department of Education unveils FACT U.S. History framework, a Florida-developed alternative to Advanced Placement
Press release from the Florida Department of Education
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Education announced the release of the framework for the Florida Advanced Courses and Tests (FACT) U.S. History course, a Florida-developed alternative to Advanced Placement. The FACT U.S. History course delivers a rigorous, comprehensive exploration of American history and represents a significant step forward in expanding high-quality acceleration opportunities for Florida students.
“Florida continues to lead the way in expanding access to rigorous, high-quality advanced coursework for all students,” said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. “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.”
“The FACT courses ensure Florida students have access to academically rigorous, transparent, and high-quality advanced pathways,” said Ryan Petty, Chair of the State Board of Education. “The FACT U.S. History framework provides a thorough and balanced study of our nation’s past, grounded in primary sources and factual accuracy. It represents an important step toward restoring academic integrity in the classroom after years of uneven and, at times, ideologically driven instruction. Our goal is simple: equip students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills they need to succeed in college, careers, and civic life. I encourage districts and charter schools to participate in the pilot of this course.”
FACT courses were established through House Bill 1537, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2023, to create an additional acceleration pathway for students. These courses are designed to provide alternatives to existing options like Advanced Placement that consistently embed Critical Race Theory and DEI into materials.
As a result of the State Board of Education’s unanimous approval, FACT courses and assessments have been added to Florida’s list of acceleration options, allowing students to earn high school credit upon successful course completion and college credit upon passing the corresponding assessment and enrolling in a Florida College System institution or state university.
The first FACT course, College Algebra, was piloted this year across 32 traditional and charter schools and will be fully implemented statewide in the upcoming school year. Building on this success, the FACT U.S. History course will launch as a pilot program in the upcoming school year. Districts and charter schools across the state are currently being invited to participate.
The framework for the pilot course is available at FACT U.S. History Pilot Course Framework. Districts and charter schools are invited to participate in the pilot program during the upcoming school year and may register by filling out the FACT US History Pilot Application. The deadline to register for the pilot program has been extended until May 18th.
This could be added as Adult Education as well.
How about a Civics course too. Then the kids won’t have to chant from ‘the river to the sea’ and think they are talking about the Mississippi to the Pacific. Or raise acceptable reading levels back to 75%. Good start.
Will our students be able to opt for the AP history as most colleges accept the passing of the AP test? Will colleges accept the credit from this class?
Reinventing the wheel…costly political intervention that hurts students. Serious about education, do the AP classes not FACT version.
How it differs from AP:
Florida officials state these courses are designed as alternatives to AP, which they say “consistently embeds Critical Race Theory and DEI into materials.” The College Board, for its part, issued a statement defending AP U.S. History, saying it gives students the opportunity to analyze evidence, build critical thinking skills, and engage with primary sources like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Curriculum development:
According to the framework, the course was developed by faculty and scholars who reviewed college syllabi and high school standards, but the identities of those who developed it are not publicly disclosed.
Key limitation: Unlike AP, college credit from FACT is currently only accepted at Florida public colleges and universities — it doesn’t carry the national portability of an AP exam score.
Since it is a new class- do we know that Florida colleges and Universities will be accepting this as credit? I figure it would not be accepted at out of state colleges/universities