Florida poised to become first state to adopt conservative standardized entrance exam program
Rachel Schilke
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Florida could become the first state to accept a new standardized test that is popular among Christians and conservatives for its public universities. The latest move as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) continues to battle educational organizations over instructional material.
The Florida Board of Governors, with support from the DeSantis administration, is set to vote at its August meeting on whether to approve the Classic Learning Test scores for admissions, in addition to SAT and ACT scores.
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The Classic Learning Test, created in 2015, is favored among conservative groups and Christian private schools as an alternative to tests like the SAT and ACT, which some think promote a progressive agenda. The CLT emphasizes teaching the humanities, morality, and classical literature and is implemented in over 200 private predominately universities.
If accepted, this could be a significant win for DeSantis, who has launched a campaign against Florida’s educational system to eliminate critical race theory and LGBT-related topics from the curriculum.
DeSantis recently engaged in a lengthy battle with the College Board, which administers the SAT and Advanced Placement courses, over the layout of the AP African American history course. The Florida governor and conservatives heavily criticized the course, arguing that the framework promoted critical race theory and other left-leaning policies.
At one point, DeSantis threatened to remove all AP high school classes during the battle with the College Board. The organization updated its African American history framework in response to conservative accusations, but it then announced in April it would revise the course again after left-leaning groups accused the College Board of caving to DeSantis.
Following the AP battle, the state has accelerated its implementation in classical education and the CLT. DeSantis signed a bill this year that opened a college scholarship program to accept CLT scores as well as ACT and SAT scores.
Jeremy Tate, the founder of the CLT, told NBC News that what’s happening in Florida is the next step in a broader movement among education groups that are frustrated with the level of progressive influence in programs.
“It’s certainly a lot bigger than just the test itself,” Tate said. “I think everybody knows there’s something deeply, deeply wrong in mainstream education right now.”
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The CLT is designed to eschew Common Core curriculum and intentionally favors Aristotle, Benjamin Franklin, and Jane Austen over 20th-century progressive authors, Tate said.
The College Board released an analysis this month criticizing the CLT’s methodology and rigor. In a statement to NBC News, the organization said, “It’s critical that those tests are well researched and carefully developed to ensure fairness” due to standardized tests’ impact on students’ collegiate and professional careers.