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<p>At a few elite high schools, a course specifically geared toward the AP test may well be a downgrade from the “normal” courses that they would teach at that level. Of course, students in the “better than AP” courses at the elite high schools could still take and probably ace the AP tests anyway without test-specific preparation.</p>
<p>However, for a more typical high school, AP courses (and their honors / pre-AP prerequisites) would likely be a major upgrade compared to the “normal” courses (and the existence of AP may be the only reason that typical high schools even offer courses at that level – e.g. calculus). Elite high schools and their students comprise only a tiny percentage of the total number of high schools and their students (and many top students go to non-elite high schools), so policy decisions with respect to AP need to consider the needs of students at typical high schools.</p>
<p>Of course, the AP course syllabi could use significant improvement over what they are now, and the “worthless” ones should be dropped.</p>