AP Microeconomics added to course options
BSM adds AP Microeconomics to give students more AP choices.
Mr. Jeff Fix will teach AP Microeconomics
January 26, 2018
BSM often adds new classes to prepare students for college. An expansive course of studies allows students to do well and be challenged in their schedule. AP Microeconomics is being reintroduced this upcoming semester to seniors.
Taught by social studies teacher Mr. Jeff Fix, AP Microeconomics was put on hold years ago, but this semester, there will be two periods with close to 60 kids taking the new class. “This is a class that [BSM] offered a few years ago. The teacher who taught it left, so we put the class on hold for a little bit. It wasn’t a class that a lot of people took. [It was] then brought back in the interest of adding more AP offerings for students. So far, we’ve had a very strong interest,” Fix said.
This class is very different from other AP classes offered. “It’s a bit different than your traditional AP class, in that it’s more application-based than it is reading [and] learning a bunch of facts. It’s more learning how to do things and how to apply them in situations,” Fix said.
The new class will also have many different topics. “It has a focus on supply and demand, how that impacts people, [and] how people impact businesses regarding supply and demand. There’s different graph work that kids will be doing, calculating different things,” Fix said.
This course, while being an AP class, is going to be a more hands-on learning experience for students. “I’m most excited about the application aspect of it. There will be a lot more work in groups, there’s different simulations we do to understand the concepts [and] I’ve done them in my regular [economics] class, so I know how they work. I’m excited for those pieces. It’s just a class that lends itself to a lot more discussion because it’s stuff that impacts us on a daily basis that we might not always catch. It’s stuff we get to work through together,” Fix said.
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BSM offers one regular economics class in addition to AP Microeconomics. Not only do these classes differ in difficulty but also in what can be covered. “AP classes typically don’t have freedom for the curriculum. It’s pretty set in stone: this is what you need to cover and this is how long you have to cover it. You have freedom in how you deliver the information, but you really don’t have freedom in terms of what you cover,” Fix said.
Being a college prep school, AP Microeconomics not only offers potential college credit, it also gives students a head start for any possible economics classes they might take later on. “If you talk to college students…a lot of kids will tell you [economics is] one of their more challenging courses just because it’s different. If you haven’t been exposed to it once before, it just seems like the concepts are different and for whatever reason, kids tend to struggle. My hope would be one: take the AP exam, get a score, get credit for it. If you don’t, you’ve at least been exposed to the different topics [and] you’ll be much more at ease than someone who had no exposure to this,” Fix said.
AP Microeconomics is recommended to seniors who meet prerequisites outlined in the Program of Studies. However, not meeting all of those requirements does not mean a student couldn’t take the class. “If a kid really loves economics or they think they do and they really want to take the AP… I’m pretty flexible in letting people try new things, [even] if they don’t meet those requirements,” Fix said.
