Frequently Asked Questions about Financial Education in Pennsylvania
Does Pennsylvania require all students to take a course in personal finance before they graduate?
No. Whether or not a student is required to take a course depends on the graduation requirements set forth by the local school district. These requirements can vary greatly from one school district to another. The requirements can be changed, but the process for changing them can vary greatly also. Some school districts have required a course in personal finance for graduation for many years. Other school districts recently changed their personal finance requirements. Changes can be driven by teachers, administrators, parents, students, board members, or community members.
How do I find out if personal finance is offered and/or required in my local school district?
There are several places where you can access information on the status of personal finance in your local school district. The data may be different as each organization uses different methodology and collects information at separate times.
- Pennsylvania’s Making Cents Project — a cooperative effort of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Penn State University
- Next Gen Personal Finance
- Check Your School
Who can teach personal finance in Pennsylvania?
Personal finance can be taught by educators with any of the following at the certifications:
- CSPG 33 – Business, Computer and Information Technology
- CSPG 35 – Citizenship Education
- CSPG 44 – Family & Consumer Sciences
- CSPG 49 – Marketing/Distributive Education
- CSPG 50 – Mathematics
- CSPG 52 – Middle Level Social Studies
- CSPG 53 – Middle Level Mathematics
- CSPG 59 – Social Studies
- CSPG 69 – Grades PK-4
- CSPG 70 – Grades 4-8
What organizations are involved in financial education in Pennsylvania?
Check out our list of partner organizations to see some of the organizations involved in financial education in Pennsylvania.
Has legislation ever passed that relates to financial education?
To date, Act 104 of 2010 has been the most significant piece of legislation regarding financial education in Pennsylvania. This legislation did a number of things:
- It established a Task Force to meet and issue recommendations. Most of the members of the Task Force were members of the Pennsylvania Jump$tart Coalition. The recommendations of the task force are available here.
- It required the Department of Education (PDE) to dedicate resources to financial education. Since 2011, PDE has partnered with Penn State University in a cooperative financial education effort called The Making Cents Project, which provides professional development, curriculum resources, and more in accordance with Act 104 of 2010.