Over the past two years, Paint Branch High School has offered four new AP courses: AP Calculus AB taught by Ms. McGrath, AB European History taught by Ms. Blakely, AP Microeconomics taught by Mr. Diamond, and AP Comparative Government that was taught by Mr. Miller last year but is now taught by Mr. Bailey.

This year is the first year that students have the option to choose AP Calculus AB as a subject. If students wanted to pursue an AP Calculus course after Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus BC was the students’ only option. AP Calculus BC includes two calculus courses in one year; AP Calculus AB the first semester and AP Calculus BC the second semester. This means that there is little time for review or to stay on one lesson because there are so many lessons yet to be taught. AP Calculus AB allows students who want to pursue an AP Calculus course after Pre-Calculus without being overwhelmed in AP Calculus BC.

This is the first year that AP European History is available to students: It teaches students the history of the European region. Before AP European History was available to students, the only class where students were taught the history of a region was AP U.S. History. AP European History give the students a greater variety of AP courses and also helps the students to see if the European history is a course of study they would like to pursue further in college.

Last year, AP Microeconomics was the first AP business course that Paint Branch High School had provided. AP Microeconomics is only a second-semester course that teaches students college-level business. Most students who take AP Microeconomics are members of the Academy of Finance because this course is required of the Academy of Finance to receive a diploma or acknowledgement that the student was a member of the Academy of Finance.

AP Comparative Government was a new subject last year that taught students the differences or similarities between governments of different regions. AP Comparative Government allows students to have a further understanding of their government and of the governments of different countries.

As the years pass, more and more AP courses will be offered for students of Paint Branch High School and, therefore, more possibilities and opportunities to figure out what they want to do in college will present themselves to the students.