A couple of weeks ago, I posted a quick link to an article in the New York Times that reported that Darmouth College had stopped accepting the credits for high school AP classes. I added a quick "good," after the link. A friend has been grilling me about my reaction to the article, and we've had an interesting back and forth about the benefits of AP classes. I thought I would open up the debate on the blog. 

I have no direct experience with AP classes. My kids are too young for them, and my high school only offerred AP Biology when I was in school. My reaction came from the perspective of a former college professor.

I am skeptical whether a high school class would have the same rigor and expectations of a college class. Elite high schools might provide the equivilent of a college class, but there is too much variation in high schools across the country. I also thought that these classes did not benefit the student, who would skip necessary introductory classes in college and be unprepared for the requirements of upper level college classes. 

My friend thought that AP classes helped students control college costs. His own experiences with AP classes were very positive, and he felt that they were the equivilent of an introductory college class. 

Curious what the Apt. 11D gang thinks about this.