Lewis said she did not know why her school gave fewer AP tests than Virginia schools with similar college-oriented student bodies, but thought her disadvantaged student population was much higher than the free lunch figures indicated. She said she wanted to be sure that students were ready for AP, and not just lured in by a college credit. In Anne Arundel County, budget problems may have been a factor in its below-average AP numbers, said Tom Rhoades, director of program planning for the county schools. Up until 1986, the school system paid AP fees and required students to take the tests. Most American schools still give very few AP or IB tests, and 42 percent give none at all.
Most schools still exclude many eager or capable students from such courses.
Many AP teachers, like Lancos's English instructor, do not require much of their students and do not encourage them to take the college-level examinations. A significant number of educators, particularly in suburban and private schools with good reputations, see AP, like the SAT, as one more marketing ploy by a power-mad College Board. The more AP grows, the more it becomes a target for complaints. Yet those private schools that have put AP or IB at the center of their curricula say it works for them with no unnecessary strain on students or teachers, despite the extraordinary number of tests taken each year. The Washington International School requires every student to complete six IB courses for graduation, with final examinations sometimes stretching over two days.