Charter school network files First Amendment lawsuit after state blocks AP scores from US News

Success Academy has filed a federal lawsuit against the New York State Education Department (NYSED), alleging a First Amendment violation for preventing the release of AP exam results to U.S. News & World Report. NYSED’s refusal to authorize the College Board to share this data caused Success Academy’s ranking to drop significantly, as they were excluded from metrics related to AP courses. The charter network claims this action suppresses academic performance data and benefits traditional public schools, while NYSED cites student data privacy.

• Success Academy, a large charter school network in NYC, is suing NYSED over alleged First Amendment violations.
• The lawsuit challenges NYSED’s refusal to allow the College Board to release AP exam results to U.S. News & World Report for high school rankings.
• This decision caused Success Academy’s ranking to fall from 11th to 196th, as it received no credit for AP course performance.
• Success Academy argues that the state is suppressing truthful academic data and that NYSED is influenced by traditional public school interests and teachers unions.
• NYSED defends its position by citing student data privacy laws, but Success Academy contends this sets a dangerous precedent for reporting on educational data.