NAEP and Personal Finance Education
TimeMAPS meets Social Studies and Math Standards in New Hampshire
New Hampshire students have a better chance of success in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) with a new personal finance education curriculum from Realityworks. NAEP is often called “the nation’s report card” and states can compare their students with the performance of students around the country. NAEP is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Testing includes mathematics, economics and civics among many other core curriculum. Like other states across the nation, New Hampshire is working to improve financial literacy. By participating in NAEP and incorporating required financial literacy education into economics classes, New Hampshire gives its students a better chance of success in personal finance matters.
The need to promote widespread personal financial literacy was realized after the US economy entered into a recession last year. Numerous surveys confirmed that adults have been living in a state of financial instability for years, and their ability to pass on critical information about money management to their children has come into question. One way to ensure that more Americans become responsible and financial savvy consumers, savers and investors is to require that personal finance be a required course in core subjects, such as social studies, economics or math, and that tests like NAEP set standards and goals for performance. In some schools, such education is provided in elective courses, such as family and consumer sciences or business courses.
It is indeed alarming that most Americans face financial troubles even before they enter college. A recent survey conducted by USA TODAY and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) found that about 60% of the surveyed teenagers admitted to facing some degree of financial pressures. Alarmingly, about 30% of those young respondents said that they are losing sleep over accumulated debt.
It is indeed alarming that most Americans face financial troubles even before they enter college. A recent survey conducted by USA TODAY and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) found that about 60% of the surveyed teenagers admitted to facing some degree of financial pressures. Alarmingly, about 30% of those young respondents said that they are losing sleep over accumulated debt.
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Therefore, there is an urgent need to look into the possible ways by which young Americans can be encouraged to manage their finances in a better way. Many states are already taking action to make financial literacy a key component of their grades 9-12 school curriculum.
Changes to NAEP require testing for economics coursework
New Hampshire state standards do not indicate testing requirements for personal finance. However, the New Hampshire Department of Education has chosen to make personal finance education part of the graduation requirements, to be covered in high school economics classes. This is a commendable step which will boost NAEP results.
New Hampshire has undertaken several commendable measures to upgrade its standards to ensure that the NAEP testing would be relevant to the instruction provided in school. Today, New Hampshire is a model for implementing an effective social studies framework and providing a means to ensure that students receive proper personal finance preparation in economics courses. Using NAEP, New Hampshire schools can assess the performance of their high school students.
New Hampshire has undertaken several commendable measures to upgrade its standards to ensure that the NAEP testing would be relevant to the instruction provided in school. Today, New Hampshire is a model for implementing an effective social studies framework and providing a means to ensure that students receive proper personal finance preparation in economics courses. Using NAEP, New Hampshire schools can assess the performance of their high school students.
Find the best curriculum to improve NAEP results
The next step to making the standards relevant and get to the heart of this action is to find curricula that covers critical information to achieve the goal of financial literacy and fiscally responsible citizens. If we’re not preparing students for the long haul we are merely preparing them for a test and falling short.
Realityworks has introduced a new software and curriculum that meets New Hampshire learning standards and NAEP requirements, and helps students learn concepts they will need for the rest of their lives. Beyond their ability to score well on required tests is our collective need for them to do well in their daily money management and financial decisions.
TimeMAPS Money Management & Life Skills Program takes advantage of the flexibility and depth of software programming to deliver key financial concepts in a comprehensive manner while still making it easy for the student to digest. Furthermore, the teacher does not have to be a financial expert to facilitate learning and NAEP competency. An extremely interactive and user-friendly software program, TimeMAPS provides all of the curriculum materials an educator needs to cover a semester of personal finance education, and engages students in a subject that can be challenging to master.
TimeMAPS is short for Time Management for Achieving Personal Success. As a component of social studies curriculum, TimeMAPS gives students hands-on experience with the many aspects of personal finance and money management they will encounter in their lives beyond high school. It also has an extensive career exploration unit and a life simulator which allows time to practice the many concepts they’ve learned. The life simulator takes students through the process of choosing a level of education, a desired career, a geographic location to live and setting up a budget. Ultimately, after buying a home, paying for transportation and making choices about saving, spending and investing, the student finds out if they can retire based on their lifetime of financial decisions. TimeMAPS encourages long term planning, beginning with the need to stay in school in order to increase their income potential and improve their quality of life.
Realityworks has introduced a new software and curriculum that meets New Hampshire learning standards and NAEP requirements, and helps students learn concepts they will need for the rest of their lives. Beyond their ability to score well on required tests is our collective need for them to do well in their daily money management and financial decisions.
TimeMAPS Money Management & Life Skills Program takes advantage of the flexibility and depth of software programming to deliver key financial concepts in a comprehensive manner while still making it easy for the student to digest. Furthermore, the teacher does not have to be a financial expert to facilitate learning and NAEP competency. An extremely interactive and user-friendly software program, TimeMAPS provides all of the curriculum materials an educator needs to cover a semester of personal finance education, and engages students in a subject that can be challenging to master.
TimeMAPS is short for Time Management for Achieving Personal Success. As a component of social studies curriculum, TimeMAPS gives students hands-on experience with the many aspects of personal finance and money management they will encounter in their lives beyond high school. It also has an extensive career exploration unit and a life simulator which allows time to practice the many concepts they’ve learned. The life simulator takes students through the process of choosing a level of education, a desired career, a geographic location to live and setting up a budget. Ultimately, after buying a home, paying for transportation and making choices about saving, spending and investing, the student finds out if they can retire based on their lifetime of financial decisions. TimeMAPS encourages long term planning, beginning with the need to stay in school in order to increase their income potential and improve their quality of life.
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TimeMAPS cover 13 financial themes with 54 lessons, a library of more than 700 financial terms and more than 140 interactive exercises and examples to illustrate concepts and allow practice in applying them to real life situations. The mathematical formulas behind the financial terms and processes are covered in the text and charts, graphs and other illustrations help explain their relevance. This makes personal finance education both enjoyable and substantive, which is a combination for NAEP and life success!
In addition, the statistical data is upgraded each year, so all the numbers, cost of living information, tax tables, etc. are current, accurate and localized for New Hampshire as well as the rest of the country.
We can help you find funding sources with documents showing how TimeMAPS aligns to state standards. As well as some national funding, the WK Kellogg Foundation money may be used to “strengthen the four dimensions of community life” including family income and assets, education and learning, under which personal finance might fall.
For this and other information, please contact a Realityworks Product Consultant at 800.830.1416 or information@realityworks.com.
In addition, the statistical data is upgraded each year, so all the numbers, cost of living information, tax tables, etc. are current, accurate and localized for New Hampshire as well as the rest of the country.
We can help you find funding sources with documents showing how TimeMAPS aligns to state standards. As well as some national funding, the WK Kellogg Foundation money may be used to “strengthen the four dimensions of community life” including family income and assets, education and learning, under which personal finance might fall.
For this and other information, please contact a Realityworks Product Consultant at 800.830.1416 or information@realityworks.com.
