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\"Fewer and fewer colleges are actually giving credit anymore,\" Jones said on ABC News' daily podcast, \"Start Here.\" \"The whole AP program has changed significantly from its original purpose, which was to provide advanced credit to a fairly small group of students. And now there are millions of students who take those classes and, as a result of that, colleges aren't treating them with the same weight that they used to.\"

She said the decision was also based on communicating with colleges about what they're looking for from advanced students.

\"The second thing is the getting into college piece and we have surveyed hundreds of colleges and we have been reassured by college admissions officers that what's important to them is that students are taking the most rigorous program that's appropriate for them, that's offered by the school they are attending,\" Jones said. \"If there are no AP courses, then they're taking whatever those advanced courses are that are not AP courses.\"

The eight elite schools proposing the change are well-recognized and have the resources to create a new, equally challenging curriculum; Sidwell Friends is one of the schools, the alma mater of former President Barack Obama's daughters Malia and Sasha Obama.

While these schools have the means to restructure lesson plans, course material and tests accordingly, some less affluent schools may still need to rely on the AP program to set forth a higher course plan. Jones said every school will be different.

\"That is a far-larger question that gets at a whole host of issues related to our educational system and I don't feel qualified fully to answer that question because I think it varies from school to school,\" she said.

If a student at one of the eight schools eliminating the AP program still wishes to pursue college credit through scores, they can still take the AP tests.

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STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images
PHOTO: In this undated stock photo is a close-up shot of a young man writing on a note pad.
>

\"If a student wants to take the exam in a subject, [the student] can do that. We're not saying we won't offer the tests, what we're saying is we're not going to teach classes that directly prepare you for the test,\" Jones explained. \"Very, very few of our students use those credits that they have to go through school faster than four years. It's very rare.\"

\"Start Here\" is a daily ABC News podcast hosted by Brad Mielke featuring original reporting on stories that are driving the national conversation. Listen for FREE on the ABC News app, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio -- or ask Alexa: \"Play 'Start Here.'\"

Follow @StartHereABC on social for exclusive content, show updates and more: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

ABC News' Brad Mielke and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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