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Niskayuna director outlines business program review; AP Personal Finance course launched with strong demand
Summary
Director Ashley Rickert told the Academic Programs Committee that a yearlong program review found strong experiential learning, common assessments gaps and student demand for personal finance; one AP Personal Finance section is running and was reported approved by the board, with expansion proposals for grades 7–8 and new semester electives.
Ashley Rickert, the district’s director of math, computer science and business, told the Academic Programs Committee on June 8 that a yearlong program review of the business department found deep experiential learning opportunities and strong student interest in new courses.
“I've been in this role for 18 months, and the business teachers hadn't really had a formal director before,” Rickert said, praising the four teachers who built an 8–12 scope and sequence and a range of dual‑credit offerings. She said the review highlighted mock trial, youth court, CEIP internships, DECA’s national qualification and multiple field trips as strengths.
The committee discussed assessments and student feedback. Rickert said project rubrics and opportunities to revise work revealed students’ growth and engagement, and reported that “339 students answered the survey” asking which new business courses they would like. Personal finance was the top request; social media marketing, entrepreneurship and hospitality/retail followed; Microsoft Office ranked lowest.
Rickert described curriculum changes driven by those responses: expanding accounting with embedded Excel/Google Sheets work, strengthening social‑media and retail merchandising within marketing, and proposing new offerings including entrepreneurship and a rebranded full‑year sports and entertainment marketing course. She said the district will try to balance low‑enrollment electives by alternating offerings across years so the catalog remains broad but sustainable.
On AP coursework, Rickert recounted that the committee pursued College Board’s AP Kickstart for AP Business Personal Finance, designed to enable AP access for students on a CTE pathway. “We have one section running, and it's full with a wait list,” she said, and added that the course “was brought to the board, and we were approved.” The transcript records staff reporting that approval occurred; no roll‑call vote or mover/second was recorded in the meeting transcript.
Rickert and committee members also discussed earlier exposure to business: proposals include making grade 8 a full‑year credit opportunity (currently a 10‑week class) and offering a 10‑week grade‑7 introductory unit to help students decide whether to pursue business electives in high school. They framed those steps as a way to inform elective choices and strengthen the CTE pathway.
The presentation noted community partnerships (examples include CEIP mentors and local banks) that support internships and work‑based learning. Rickert recommended professional learning for teachers and occasional national conference attendance so staff can report back practices to the department.
The committee closed the discussion by asking staff to proceed with proposed curriculum updates and course proposals; Rickert said several class proposals will be presented in October for formal consideration.
The Academic Programs Committee did not record additional formal actions connected to the presentation in the transcript beyond staff statements that the AP Business Personal Finance course has a running section and was approved by the board.
