EverFi Financial Education Certified Teacher Educators have the knowledge and skills needed to facilitate online financial literacy education in their classrooms. Created by EverFi Micro-credential Overview Objective Educators gain a deeper understanding of why school-based financial education is critical for students, learn how to facilitate a high-quality blended learning student experience, implement financial education instruction in the classroom through EverFi’s tools, and become financial education advocates in their school and district. Framework Reference Teaching Competencies: iNACOL ​Blended Learning Teacher Competency Framework​: Domain 1 - Competency 1 - Standard A​: Shift from teacher-led instruction to student-centered learning for the purposes of meeting individual needs and fostering engagement and motivation. ● Domain 3 - Competency 3 - Standard A​: Connect learning to sources of information beyond the classroom teacher and textbook. ● Domain 4 - Competency 1 - Standard A​: Use qualitative and quantitative data to understand individual skills, gaps, strengths, weaknesses, interests, and aspirations of each student, and use that information to personalize learning experiences. Student Standards: ●
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Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Finance Education - National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education ●
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) - Youth Financial Education Review Tool ●
Council for Economic Education - National Standards for Financial Literacy Rationale Young people are being asked to make more -- and more complex -- financial decisions as they move into young adulthood, but many of them are under-prepared to make the best decisions for their financial futures. The research suggests that school-based financial education matters. One recent study found that students whose schools offered robust financial education reaped the benefit through higher savings -- and in turn higher net worth -- later in life.​1 1
A nationwide movement of teachers are integrating financial education into their classrooms at all grade levels in subjects like Social Studies, Math, Career & Technical Education, Economics, and Guidance. Blended learning instruction allows teachers to engage their students in real-world scenarios, and help them connect the dots between what they’re learning in the classroom with life outside its walls. The earlier students learn to save and budget, the better prepared they’ll be to pay for college, avoid credit card debt, secure housing, get a jumpstart on retirement savings, and be financially independent and productive members of society. By including high-quality financial education in the classroom, teachers are equipping their students with the skills they need to be successful in life. This micro-credential prepares teachers to be advocates and leaders in their school communities on the issue of financial education for students. Participants will: ● Learn about the importance of school-based financial education ● Complete at least three modules of an EverFi course through a sample student account ● Create an Implementation Plan ● Implement at least one EverFi financial education course with students ● Complete a reflection on their implementation ● Train a colleague 1 United States Department of the Treasury, “Integrating Financial Education into School Curricula.” (2002) ADVANCING K-12 FINANCIAL EDUCATION: A GUIDE FOR POLICYMAKERS Optional Micro-credential Steps The following steps are optional. Utilize these as needed to learn and earn this micro-credential.
If you have not used EverFi’s Financial Education resources in your classroom before, we suggest you
spend extra time in this section. Part 1: Overview A. Check out this​ Introduction to the EverFi Certified Teacher Program ​video to hear from other teachers who have earned this micro-credential and learn what the program entails. Part 2: Why Financial Education? A. Journal your thoughts on financial education prior to watching the video and reading the article. After watching and reading, did anything change? Did you generate new ideas, or do you still have unanswered questions? ● Video: ​“Financial Education: Beyond the Buzz” ● Article: ​Ten Reasons Schools Should be Teaching Financial Literacy to Our Kids Part 3: The Resources ●
Watch​ ​this video​ ​to learn more about the resources. Then, select the financial education tool you’d like to implement in your classroom. 2
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Click ​View Course​ on the tile for the resource you’ve selected (Vault, FutureSmart or EverFi). If you do not see your chosen course, click “​+ Additional Courses​” and add it to your account. *Note​:​ FutureSmart is available only in select areas. Complete at least three modules, making notes on how you could integrate these topics into your classroom. Part 4: Implementation ●
Watch ​this video ​to learn best practices for implementation directly from other teachers, and then click here ​for additional implementation ideas. Required Micro-credential Steps The following steps are required to earn this micro-credential.
A. Create Your Teacher Account (If you have not done so already) a. Watch ​this video ​and follow along with the steps b. Be sure to create your teacher account and student classes c. Note the name and email address of your local Schools Manager in the bottom right of your account. This is the person you should reach out to with questions. B. Complete Section I of your ​implementation plan​! (Click the link and download a copy of the template. You can then write over the italicized examples with your own answers.) C. Student Registration a. To have students ​self-register​, use this ​Student Registration Deck​ to walk your students through the signup process. Make sure you give each class their unique code so that they show up in the right place in your teacher center gradebook. OR b. To ​register your whole class at once​, ​watch this short video​ for step-by-step instructions. D. Have students complete the program according to your implementation plan. a. If you are implementing ​Vault​ or ​FutureSmart​ in your classroom, make sure your students complete and pass the entire program, so that they earn certification in financial education. This should take between 3-5 hours of class time. b. If you are implementing ​EverFi Financial Literacy, make sure your students complete and pass at least four lessons from the program. This should take between 2-4 hours of class time. E. As part of your implementation plan, you listed ways you could share these resources with other teachers at your school and district. Now’s the time to make that happen. Reach out to your Principal or Grade-level Chair to schedule a time to train other teachers. Or, connect with the Curriculum Director in your district to see if there’s an upcoming PD session where you can present. You must train at least one other teacher on an EverFi critical skills course, and help that teacher set up their account.​ ​Enter what you accomplished in Section II in your Implementation Plan. F. After completing all requirements, revisit your implementation plan and complete Section II. 3
G. Have your students reflect on their experiences by answering at least one of the following questions: a. What are the three most important topics or skills that you learned from this course (Vault, FutureSmart or EverFi)? How will knowing each of these things help you in your life now and when you are an adult? b. What are your dreams for the future (college, travel, dream job, dream life)? Explain how what you learned in (Vault/FutureSmart/EverFi) will help you reach those goals. H. Upload your completed Implementation Plan and two student reflections. Collection “Why” and “How” to Incorporate Financial Education into Your Classroom https://bloomboard.com/orgs/everfi/collections/why-and-how-to-incorporate-financial-education-into-your
-classroom/e46be024-9fda-4de1-8616-49c56040dd75 Guide to Submissions and Evaluation The following section outlines the items that must be submitted to earn this micro-credential, and the criteria by which they will be evaluated. To earn the micro-credential, ​EverFi Financial Education Certified Teacher​, the applicant must receive a passing score on evidence 1 & 2. Evidence 1: Implementation Plan Complete this ​Implementation plan​ by downloading a copy and writing over the italicized example text. Passing​ - Answers are thoughtful, thorough, and adapted for the teacher’s own standards, classroom, and student population. All questions in the Implementation Plan are complete. Evidence 2: Student Reflections Upload two or more reflections from students. Students reflect on their experiences by answering at least one of the following questions: ● What are the three most important topics or skills that you learned from this course (Vault, FutureSmart or EverFi)? ● How will knowing each of these things help you in your life now and when you are an adult? ● What are your dreams for the future (college, travel, dream job, dream life)? Explain how what you learned in (Vault/FutureSmart/EverFi) will help you reach those goals. Passing​ - Applicant provides at least two ​student reflections that share examples of financial knowledge/skills the student has learned through this program, and how that will help them now and in the future. 4