This article discusses the continuing growth of student participation in the Advanced Placement program and how schools increasingly recast the program as being within reach of any student willing to do the work, regardless of academic standing. The Advanced Placement program was established in 1955 to give high-achieving students access to college-level coursework. Since then, participation has expanded from just 1,200 students to more than 1.1 million in 2003. About 70 percent of those enrolled in the courses take the AP tests each year, with about 61 percent earning a score of 3, a benchmark many colleges consider acceptable. On the heels of a new plan to expand AP participation, the College Board, which sponsors the AP courses, has itself been trying to recast the program. However, the new direction has drawn praise from many observers, who say the trend could challenge students to stretch their academic pursuits and bridge the academic gap between lower-achieving black and Hispanic students--who traditionally have been underrepresented in the program--and their white and Asian-American classmates. The shift in thinking has also raised concerns that more students will struggle to meet the standards and fail, and that ultimately, the quality of the program will be watered down to prevent that from happening. (Contains 1 chart.)