Every day, students walk into civics and econ, and every day, students are held back from pursuing their interests.
To better prepare students for college, the school should offer AP Economics and AP Government electives. The Advanced Placement Program allows high school the opportunity students to take college-level courses and to earn college credit, advanced placement or both.
Both econ and government courses are broken down into two subjects, each traditionally receiving its own semester. AP Econ is separated into macro and micro economics while AP Gov is split into US Government and Politics, and Comparative Government and Politics. All four are separate exams with separate scores.
Out of the 443 total AP exams returned from PHS last May, seven were Macroeconomics, five were Microeconomics and two were US Government and Politics. None took the
Comparative Government and Politics exam. Compared to the fifty students who took the US History exam, these fields are severely lacking.
Unfortunately for those students who are pursuing economics or political science interests, Piedmont does not offer any of these AP courses.
If they wish to prepare for the AP exams, students must take an online or summer course.
Economics teacher Gabrielle Kashani has stated that by not offering AP Economics and AP Government, the school is benefitting the students. They do not want to add more pressure for students who might feel compelled to take those courses solely to improve their academic resume.
Instead of forcing students into a certain track by limiting their academic options, the school should enable students to excel in college like it does for many other subjects.
For example, Claremont McKenna College requires scores of 5 on both the AP Macro and Microeconomics tests, which are covered under a traditional AP Econ course. As a student with no previous background or knowledge in economics but a genuine interest in the subject, the task of scoring a 5 with no school preparation is daunting.
As a school in which students are expected to excel academically, Piedmont should support their efforts by offering these courses. Elective AP classes are already offered in ten subjects, but students are forced to study independently for any others.
According to the school website, “There is a steady priority to maintain educational programs and services.” If the school offered the corresponding AP classes, more students would feel prepared take these exams, strengthening Piedmont’s reputation and students’ academic ability.