I will freely admit that my freshman AP course in NO way resembles an actual college classroom… but I don’t think it SHOULD. My kids get mountains of support as we go through the course, learning how to take in lots of information, how to present a written argument with evidence, delving into complex understandings and nuances of topics etc. Learning those things in HS (whether or not you get college credit for doing it) will help kids be more prepared when they get to college - THAT is what I like about AP. And though the tests can be the bane of my existence…in general kids take things more seriously when there is a potential reward.
@gwnorth - does your school offer AP classes before grade 12? Statistically, kids test scores improve significantly based on the number of tests taken. Not all of my freshman score, but the vast majority of my sophomores, and ALL of my juniors/seniors do. (to be fair - my junior/senior class is an elective, so I get kids who are enthusiastic rather than taking it b/c they have to get the credit in some way)