Grades Vs. Learning

At Princeton High School, there are two levels of classes for students. They are known as regular classes and accelerated classes/AP classes.

By CentralJesrey.com Guest Column
At Princeton High School, there are two levels of classes for students. They are known as regular classes and accelerated classes/AP classes. However, in order to be recommended for them, a student must have a certain grade in their previous class. This grade is usually a B/B+ for science and math courses.
Although grades do give the viewer a general idea of the level of work the student can do, they are very subjective. They often have to do with the teacher and his/her idea of what is good work. Having taken many advanced classes, myself, I can honestly say that a B in one class can be another teacher’s equivalent of a grade even as low as a C.
This in turn, is not fair when deciding a course schedule for next year. Someone who is just as intelligent as a person accepted into the advanced classes, may be told to take regular classes again. In my opinion, all levels of courses should be open to people regardless of their previous grades. If someone wants to learn and challenge themselves with harder material, then they should be able to.
The whole point of education should not always be to earn that perfect A, but it should be to learn.
What’s your opinion on this? Comments would be greatly appreciated.