The College Board is auditing all AP courses to make sure they are what they claim to be.
An explosion in AP study – participation in the program has nearly doubled this decade – has bred worry, particularly among college leaders, of a decline in the rigor for which the courses are known. Once the exclusive province of elite students at select high schools, AP study or its equivalent is now more or less expected of any student who aspires to attend even a marginally selective college.
Beginning with the 2007-08 academic year, only teachers whose syllabuses have been approved by the College Board may call their courses AP. Each teacher must submit an audit form, along with a syllabus for the course.
I think that AP courses should be offered to all students that can meet the demands of those classes. The courses should not be watered down just to make them available for anyone wanting to attend college. However, there are students who rise to the occasion when offered tougher work. What about the "I think I can" mentality? All students need to be challenged, and if they can make the grade in AP classes, kudos to them.