Twisted beyond reality.

Everyone knows what an "AP" class is. It's a class where an A is worth 5 rather than 4, because the class content is more rigorous. Asserting that's some kind of aristocratic mechanism is the same as:

People who work hard already tend to be more wealthy than the population at large, and compensating them at a level beyond that of people who watch TV all day is the crucial power of evil in the class war, making the rich richer and the poor poorer

Everyone knows what an "AP" class is.

Really.

Do you know of any other university that accounts for AP classes the same way, rather than as a class that is eligible for college credit, as in NY?

Agreed, I was thinking in a narrow context. I almost went back and changed that, because I realized I couldn't claim it works like that everywhere. Universities, particularly universities which are not funded by the state granting the AP credit, are generally free to treat them as they choose, and pick a range of treatments.

None the less, it is not in any sense aristocratic beyond various jealous minds. The LA Times agrees that AP credits are useful for predicting success, which is exactly the kind of criterion one should be using to select students.

The LA Times agrees that AP credits are useful for predicting success

Since we're quoting the L.A Times, it goes on to say:

But AP students who take the courses but don't take the exams, or score poorly, fare no better in college than non-AP students. Yet UC continues to give them the grade boost.

Hm. Apparently merely appearing in the class gets you the extra consideration.

None the less, it is not in any sense aristocratic beyond various jealous minds.

No one says it's aristocratic (quite the opposite, in fact).

The report further notes that despite attempts to bring more AP courses to all high schools, middle-class students still have far more access to these advanced classes.

What it is, is an unfair advantage to already advantaged students.

By "aristocratic", I meant insular of a privileged class, which is what I took the editorial to be asserting.

Since we're quoting the L.A Times, it goes on to say:

But AP students who take the courses but don't take the exams, or score poorly, fare no better in college than non-AP students. Yet UC continues to give them the grade boost.

What they don't say is that such students are granted admission in preference to students which score high on the exam.