<p>The problem with AP in a lot of public schools is that they are throwing kids into a rigorous class very often without many of the tools they need for that level of study. At our local public, AP is the very first time the students are expected to write anything analytical. So the problem isn’t so much the workload as it is that they haven’t been prepared with their previous coursework. It’s like going from 3rd grade to 7th. Because the curriculum in grades 7 - 10 is so weak, the AP teachers don’t just fill in the blanks to take it to the higher level; they have to start from scratch. Then grade inflation kicks in and we end up with kids getting a 98 in an AP and a 2 on the actual exam.</p>
<p>A good English and History curriculum starting in 9th grade should be more than enough to prepare kids for those AP exams. But if a student gets to 11th grade and takes AP English Lit and has only read 4 works of classic literature (2 for each previous HS class), how could they possibly make it? And if they were only ever expected to know the basic plot, even that is worthless. If they’ve never had to organize their thoughts on paper prior to AP, it is impossible to succeed without being a grind.</p>
<p>Just my two cents. It’s a reflection of poor preparation more than anything. The rigor has to start sooner.</p>