No. An “A” is an “A” is an “A” – and it doesn’t matter whether a student received the “A” in a regular, honors or AP class.
And, “A’s” are what Admissions looks for, or more precisely: College’s first compare you to your peers at your high school. If the top score in any class at your high school was a “B” then YOU’RE a top student with a “B.” However, if an applicant scored a “B” while his or her classmates received an "A’ in the same class, that will be noted by Admissions Directors – and it will not move your application forward.
However, rigor DOES matter. An “A” in an AP class is thought to be more highly looked upon, but a “B” in honors does not equal an “A” in regular class – that’s not how college admissions works. Your “B” in whatever class you received it in will be directly compared to other students at your school who received an “A” in the same class. This is done by looking at a high school’s profile, which depicts in words and graphs, what an “A” student or “BB” student at your high school looks like, and by noting the rigor and grades of your classmates that apply to the same college.
Still confused? I posted this before, but my daughter is a Yale and Princeton reject, and a Harvard admit. You would think that all tippy-top colleges look for the same qualities in a student, but that is not what happens in reality, which is why all students need to cast a wide-net. That said, notice there wasn’t one “B” on her transcript, yet she was rejected by 2 out of 3 top colleges: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1619966-ivy-standards-for-rigor-of-highschool-curriculum-p1.html