Missouri - 2017

Final Grade

A

Graduation Requirements

Is a high school course with personal finance concepts required to be taken as a graduation requirement? Yes, high school students in Missouri are required to take either a half-year course in personal finance or a half-year of personal finance instruction embedded in a full-year course of social studies or practical arts. See: Missouri Graduation Handbook (page 5). However, we are unable to confirm that all full-year courses allocate half of their content to personal finance instruction.

High School Education Standards

The standards for the personal finance course were updated and approved in September 2017. See: Missouri Personal Finance (click on link to "personal finance competencies").

Extra Credit

Personal finance assessment requirements, as well as teaching resources, are available. See: Missouri Personal Finance Assessments Details.

Caveat

It is not clear how Missouri monitors school district implementation of these personal finance education requirements.

Assessments

Missouri created an assessment on financial literacy at no cost to its school districts. Students who take their personal finance embedded in either social studies or practical arts are required to take the assessments, and the local district determines the pass rate. The assessment is optional for students who choose to take personal finance as a stand-alone elective. Students are also given the option of "testing out" of the personal finance course requirement if they obtain a score of 90% or higher on the assessment exam. However, we are unable to determine if the assessment provides Missouri with an accurate and meaningful measurement of the quality and quantity of the personal finance education being delivered to students.