The author of this article, published in gifted child quarterly, discusses the six realities of Advanced Placement (AP) classes in secondary education and if they are truly meeting the needs of gifted student. He references various studies in his articles. The first reality Gallagher discusses is that AP classes are hard for gifted students to avoid because they are expected, by most universities, as prerequisites. Another reality is that the advanced placement program was never intended for gifted students. Due to the college bound population changing, AP classes are open to all students. Reality number three discusses how AP is now the only option for high school gifted students and entices them because principles have given these classes higher GPA weighting. Another reality for gifted students in AP is that the open enrollment is giving mixed results, while the number of students enrolled is increasing; the proportion of students to passing scores is decreasing. Reality number five is that because these classes are not meant for gifted students, it makes it hard to differentiate for them. This is because these courses are set up as a traditional college class and provide acceleration but lack enrichment. The final reality discussed in the article is AP is taking over gifted programs at the secondary level and becoming the only option for high school gifted students. While it does challenge students, it does not meet all the needs of gifted learners.

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Reference 

Gallagher, S. A. (2009). Myth 19: Is advanced placement an adequate program for gifted students? The Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(4), 286-288.