Is a high school course with personal finance concepts required to be taken as a graduation requirement? Yes, beginning with the high school graduating Class of 2013, Tennessee students have had to complete a half-semester class (a half-year course) on personal financial education as a graduation requirement. Three years of JROTC may be substituted for a half-credit of Personal Finance if the JROTC instructor attends the Personal Finance training conducted by the Department of Education (DOE).
No policy change is pending that would change Tennessee's grade.
The DOE's website includes standards for the personal finance course. The state has identified a list of teacher endorsements that automatically allow educators with these endorsements to teach the high school course. Only educators without these endorsements are required to attend state-approved training in personal finance prior to teaching the course. The personal finance course may also be offered as a dual enrollment course with a local college.
The Tennessee Treasurer's website includes free resources and training information for educators. The University of Tennessee offers a 14-hour asynchronous, on-demand course for educators on how to teach personal finance. The state has created the Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission, a tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation that operates primarily through donations from businesses and individuals dedicated to improving the financial culture in Tennessee. In April 2023, the governor signed into law a bill that requires local districts to offer information about financial literacy education provided to public elementary and middle school students during the school year to the Commission, upon its request. The Department of Education's website includes work-based learning resources that can be used by educators when teaching personal finance.
It is not clear how Tennessee measures student achievement in financial literacy.
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