Many of the APs at my high school effectively taught out of AP prep books that had to be bought separately. Add on the costs of the tests, which were optional but still highly encouraged, and many essentially saw the classes as costing an extra $120 or so each. They technically could take the class for nothing extra, but the implication was clear that they wouldn't do as well. Not a huge amount, but enough to break the bank for some who already had to pay for ACT/SAT tests, college applications, etc.Not sure about where you went to school but in my small town AP classes weren't extra cost except maybe taking the AP test at the end of the quarter which in no way effected your grade. But along the whole point I agree, Halfway through my highschool we switched from 7 to 10 point scale and honors being on the 5.0 along with AP. No adjustments were made for kids already on the scale so it was fair except for a grade against grade comparison. However I know of a kid that was obsessed with grades being qa year ahead in math with me cheating by fixing his answers after the teacher graded it and claiming it they were grading wrong. The teacher quickly caught on cause while there were the occasional error brought to her attention over the year by the students. His was supposedly wrong every test. Someone more savvy could have gotten away with it once or twice in the year and effected their place in the standings. Plus the system encourages kids to play teachers pets to gain a few points in the more subjective subjects where essays and graded projects are a big deal. Plus finally it encourages those who don't need EC to grovel for it and get opportunists to gain a few points just for the sake of the prize.