Business 12th Grade

COMMUNICATIONS (051) / (039)

Grades 8-/9-12: Level 2

(Semester) .50 credits (9th-12th only)

The course's primary goal is to help each student become a more effective speaker and listener. Emphasis will be placed on face-to-face communication skills, the importance of eye contact and body language, and ethical communication practices. The principles of the course are based on the theory of the communication model. Units studied include communication theories, demonstration, argumentation and persuasion, and interview techniques. Written work such as outlines, note-cards, and graphic organizers will accompany units where appropriate. The student will learn to use audio visual components to complement their presentations. Instructional methods will include individual presentations, small and large group discussions, and lectures.

Introduction to Business & Marketing

Grades 9-12

(Semester) .50 credit

Introduction to Business and Marketing is recommended as a foundation course to a Business & Information Technology sequence. Students learn the functions of American and international business organizations in the global economy. Activities emphasize the roles of the consumer, marketer, and producer. Students learn the basics of the private enterprise system and are introduced to careers in business, including the opportunities of entrepreneurship and world trade.

FINANCIAL ALGEBRA (239)

Grades 11 -12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) 0.75 credits

Level 2 Prerequisite: Successful completion of or enrollment in Integrated Algebra II & Trigonometry

Honors Prerequisite: Completion of Integrated Algebra II & Trigonometry

This course combines algebraic and graphical approaches with personal finance applications. The course uses basic algebraic formulas with variables, equations, linear and exponential functions. The algebra found in finance related topics translates into powerful real world problems. Instructional time will focus on the areas of knowledge and understanding that are fundamental to personal finance (1) Income and Expenses (2) Saving (3) Credit (4) Loans (5) Financial Investing (6) Protecting and Insuring.

Students will explore each topic algebraically, performing calculations and making mathematical connections. A student who masters the knowledge embodied in the standards should be able to avoid making poor financial decisions, understand the economic reasons behind the trade-offs between financial choices, and know the basis for their own decisions.

Honors Option: For students who have met the prerequisites and desire to learn the mathematics of Finance. Students will use algebraic skills to calculate loan repayment, including credit cards and student loans. Financial applications include linear, exponential, logarithmic functions, and systems of equations. A student who masters the knowledge embodied in the standards should be able to avoid making poor financial decisions, understand the economic reasons behind the trade-offs between financial choices, and know the basis for their own decisions. A graphing calculator is required.

ACCOUNTING (059)

Grades 11-12: Level 2

(Semester) 0.5 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Geometry

Accounting is the language of business. After completing this course, students will possess the skills necessary for entry-level accounting and bookkeeping. This course will also prepare students for more advanced accounting courses in college. Throughout the semester, students will use a Quickbooks simulation to create a business. Then students will learn to prepare financial records, develop financial reports, and learn payroll and taxes. Students will also learn the basic principles of accounting and understand the career connections of accounting in the business field.

ECONOMICS (139/146)

Grades 10-12: Level 2 and Honors

(Semester) .75 credit

Contemporary Economics introduces students to key concepts and principles of the American economic system and relates these concepts and principles to students’ future economic roles. Content includes the following: a survey of economic systems as societies decide what to produce, how and for whom; a study of the role of supply and demand, prices and profits in a market economy; and understanding of the organization and role of business firms in terms of how decisions are made as they respond to market structures. Further topics studied in this course are an understanding of economic performance indicators, along with fiscal (taxation) and monetary (money and banking) responses to market failures and what these mean in terms of poverty, employment, and other quality of life indicators. World trade, exchange rates and Third World development are additional topics for study.

Instructional methods include class discussion, inquiry, lectures, and audio-visual materials. Skill development concentrates upon critical analysis and application of concepts to assignments and activities. Course materials include an assigned textbook, and reprints from contemporary economics journals as well as other readings.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT MACROECONOMICS

Grades 11-12

(Year) 1.5 credits

As part of the Advanced Placement Program, this course makes demands on students “equivalent to those of an introductory year in economics at the college freshman level.” Students enrolled in this will focus on a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole.

This course explores the general scope of economics. It explores the American enterprise system, economic principles, economics of supply/demand, labor and industry, the Federal Reserve System, governmental fiscal policies, and the comparison of economic systems of major countries and economics philosophies to develop an understanding of the impact of global trade.