Thinking about where to start when it comes to implementing the personal finance course guaranteed through recent regulations from the South Carolina State Board of Education? With more than 70,000 teachers using NGPF curriculum and more than 15,000 participating in NGPF professional learning, NGPF has become the trusted partner to ensure a successful implementation. 

Details about the bill: Great news! A state budget bill signed into law earlier this year included this language guaranteeing a personal personal course for high schoolers in South Carolina:

"The Department of Education, through the State Board of Education, is directed to promulgate regulations to update the current graduation requirements to include within the existing credits a required half credit in personal finance. The regulation shall be submitted to the State Board of Education for first reading by September 30th."

Why is this important? As of October 2022, South Carolina is one of 15 states that now are in the process of implementing or have implemented this guaranteed one semester personal finance course.

Research has found that financial education has many beneficial impacts including: 

• Managing credit better with credit scores going up and delinquency rates falling. 
• Making better early decisions about debt, including shifting from high- to low-interest student loans, avoiding credit card debt, and avoiding expensive private student loans.
• Reducing the likelihood of taking out expensive payday loans.
• Increasing savings from teachers, and positive spillover effects with parents too! 

How can teachers prepare to teach this course at no cost? 

• Earn professional learning hours through: 
• Certification Courses: Build your confidence in challenging content areas by investing only 2 hours per week; 11 different courses available, including Consumer Skills, Investing and Insurance
• On-Demand: Work at your own pace and on your own schedule with NGPF On-Demand with more than 40 one-hour modules available. 
• Live Virtual PD: Find resources you can use immediately with your students, collaborate with educators or attend a speaker series event every Thursday; five live events held weekly. 
• Review NGPF Curriculum, which is listed on South Carolina Dept. of Education website: 
  • Used by 1,277 South Carolina teachers as of October 2022,
  • NGPF's turnkey Semester Course, recently updated in the summer of 2022, makes lesson planning a cinch with each lesson including:
    • Discussion prompts
    • Engaging activities and Arcade games
    • Exit tickets
  • Already have a curriculum you enjoy? Check out these bite-sized resources that will engage your students:
    • FinCap Friday: weekly current events video + quiz with 3 million plays to date
    • Arcade Games: More than 7 million game plays annually with 10 games currently available!
    • Questions of the Day: More than 700 bell ringers to choose from

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): 

What are the standards that will be taught in the course? 

We will include guidance from the SC Dept. of Education when it is available. 

When do South Carolina students need to complete this guaranteed course in personal finance? 

We will include guidance from the SC Dept. of Education when it is available. 

My district leaders are interested in learning more about implementation strategies. Do you have any tips? 

Dr. Carly Urban from Montana State University interviewed states that have been through the experience of implementing this course at scale. Her findings have been delivered in this report, Best Practices Implementing Financial Education in High Schools. 

What guidance has the South Carolina Dept. of Education provided on the implementation of this course? 

The South Carolina Department of Education currently has a webpage with a list of instructional materials for personal finance

Is NGPF PD approved in the state of South Carolina? 

As of November 2022, 288 South Carolina teachers have completed more than 7,000 hours of NGPF professional development which which is approved in the state of South Carolina. 

Are there schools in our state already guaranteeing a personal finance course? 
The Got Finance? map provides insights on how hundreds of schools in your state are currently providing access to financial education. The Gold Standard schools are already guaranteeing that every high school student takes a one semester personal finance and may be useful thought partners as you implement at your school.

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.