My student wants to take the basic chemistry class in high school. She wants to get the best grades possible. As her parent, I see how the AP version of the class could help her develop her independent learning skills but I have heard that it is very difficult We want to maintain a very high GPA for her. What should we do?

As with any learning protocol, if the student is not committed to doing the required work and sees the value of the additional work, it is unlikely that forcing the student will result in a positive outcome. An AP class will most certainly teach a student how to think outside of the box. With an experienced AP teacher, students often experience a level of confidence they never would have experienced before.