Troubled Advanced Placement Courses?

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Byline: THE WASHINGTON TIMES

There is a troubling trend in public schools to enroll more students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

It is believed having average and below-average students enroll in harder classes will cause them to learn more and become better prepared for college. The College Board (the folks who also control the Scholastic Aptitude Test) push to expand its once exclusive AP programs has succeeded in numbers: they have more than doubled in the past 10 years.

However, there are many problems. AP has always had an aura. Students who get into AP classes are known for hard work and intellect. Being accepted into these classes provides students a sense of accomplishment. If all students take AP classes and no one is denied access, that sense of accomplishment vanishes. The very thing that makes AP so special will no longer be special, and AP itself will stand for Average Placement. …