Honors/Advance Placement grades get bonuses, so an “A” is not worth just the standard 4 points. In High Schools, you have the elite kids who basically all take honors courses all day long with others like them and then you have the average and below-average Joes and Janes. It’s very segregated.
The more honors/advanced placement students a school can gather, the more dollars the school can collect from federal programs.
If those students make Ds and Fs in those weighted classes, no matter.
They will have fullfilled their financial function for the school staff, and the extra points in taking advanced classes make up for any below average students mediocre performances in them, so it all works out for the best total combined “averages” for the entire school.
And thus ensure employee bonuses.
My county had a really good program for the minority of exceptionally bright students, based on merit.
It is now being dismantled.
The best and brightest students had the opportunity to take free “dual enrollment classes” during high school, at our local community college.
They graduated from High School, and also acquired an Associates degree at the same time, based soley upon superior academic performance.
No race, income, religion or other “minority” set asides were involved by individual students qualifying for dual track enrollment.
So of course, it had to be stopped!