<p>
[quote]
the alternative could be that we retain the rigorous course, but we give the less prepared students support to succeed.
[/quote]
even if a child is willing to do the extra work to succeed in a course they are not well-prepared for (a big "if"), the "support they need to succeed" may not be possible in an institutional school setting. They may need to take the subject alone, as their only course. Or they may need 2 years instead of 1, or they may need some odd amount of time that has no relationship to the school year at all. Homeschoolers can make those sort of adjustments easily if they want their child to have some subject that is going to be a reach for them. But that sort of support doesn't fit into a traditional school schedule and would require a much bigger shift in the way schools operate than simply whether or not to offer APs.</p>