Financial Education STARS Guidance

New York City Public Schools is committed to providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to develop healthy mindsets and strong habits around personal finance in order to build economic security. We are working to ensure that all students receive meaningful, high-quality education to prepare them with the skills they will need to become financially independent. Through Financial Education, students will learn about earning income, spending, saving, investing, managing credit, managing risk, saving for college/postsecondary, opportunities, and behavioral economics.

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Identifying Financial Education Instruction in STARS

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Financial instruction can be identified as schools are setting up their schedule in STARS. Elementary schools can use their subject properties in STARS Classroom on either Official Class Programming or Individual Student Programming. Middle and High Schools can use their section properties after their schedule has been finalized.

• Teachers: Identify the teachers teaching the financial education topics in collaboration with or instead of the subject/course-section’s teacher.
• Meaningful Financial Education Lessons: Determine if a meaningful financial education course, unit or lesson is being taught within the class by one of the assigned teachers. Identify the course, unit/lesson as financial education if:
• the subject includes either a full semester of personal finance topics or meaningful integration of those topics into core content, which are grounded in the national standards for personal finance; and
• upon completion of the full course or selected units, students will be equipped with foundational personal finance skills, such as: how to earn and save money; manage money by being a wise consumer and creating and using a budget, manage bank accounts, investments, and credit; assess risks and use insurance; and address financial problems like identity theft and debt.
• Financial Education Topics: Please type the topic(s) in the provided text box. If multiple topics are entered, separate them with a semi-colon (;).
• Hours of Instruction: Once a subject/course-section is entered, identify the financial education instructional time (hours) in the term.

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STARS Admin Section Properties (Middle and High Schools)

STARS Admin Section Properties functions are found on STARS Admin webpages (https://ats.nycboe.net/STARS) and are available to middle and high schools scheduling in STARS Admin.

The data displayed in Section Properties is informed by the year/term's master schedule after the school's schedule is finalized for the term and should be repeated in every term. To identify the financial literacy topic, locate the course-section using the search window or page navigation.

STARS Admin Section Properties (Middle and High Schools)

STARS Admin Section Properties (Middle and High Schools)

Press the ‘Edit’ option to identify properties for the class such as:

• Teachers: Identify the teachers instructing the financial literacy topics in collaboration with, or instead of, the subject/course-section’s teacher.
• Meaningful Unit/Lesson of Financial Literacy: For all subjects, indicate if a meaningful financial literacy unit/lesson will be taught within the term. If not, select "No". If yes, select "Yes" and identify the additional information related to the financial literacy course-section, unit/lesson.
• Class Model: Select Integrated or Standalone.

Integrated: Refers to financial education instruction that is embedded into other subjects, such as, the humanities, math, science, or the arts.

Standalone: A financial education course or unit taught independently of other subject areas.

• Financial Education Topics: Enter the name of all financial education topic(s) being covered in the course-section. If multiple topics are entered, separate them with a semi-colon (;).

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STARS Admin Section Properties (Middle and High Schools)

• Hours Taught: Select the number of hours the topic is being taught within the term from the drop-down menu.

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Financial Education Topics (Middle and High School)

For Implementation Recommendations, see this High School Financial Education Implementation and STARS Guidance

Pre-populated financial education topics include:

• Earning Income
• Spending
• Saving
• Investing
• Managing Credit
• Managing Risk
• Paying for College/Post Secondary Opportunities
• Behavioral Economics

Schools can also enter their own topic. Topics should be separated by semi-colon.

How To Capture STARS Admin Subject Properties for Financial Education

STARS Admin Section Properties: Middle and high schools should take the following steps to capture financial education course section properties:

• When logging in, schools should navigate to the School Scheduling tab on the menu bar. From there you will select "Section Properties" from the Master Schedule option

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How To Capture STARS Admin Subject Properties for Financial Education

• The section properties will appear below, and schools can edit/view section properties by selecting the pencil icon next to the courses listed below.

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How To Capture STARS Admin Subject Properties for Financial Education

• Under the Financial Education section property, schools should determine if financial education instruction is included in the course.

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How To Capture STARS Admin Subject Properties for Financial Education

• They will select either "Yes" or "No" from the drop down If "No" is selected, then you will be able to save the course with no further requirements. If "Yes" is selected, you will be guided to enter further information." �

How To Capture STARS Admin Subject Properties for Financial Education

• Next schools should select the number of hours per term that the financial education instruction is provided.
• In the text box, enter financial education topics covered during the course. Schools can identify topics from the following list or enter their own topic.
• Earning Income
• Spending
• Saving
• Investing
• Managing Credit
• Managing Risk
• Paying for College/Post-Secondary Opportunities
• Behavioral Economics�
• NOTE: All topics must be separated with a semicolon.

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CRYMA Schools:

To help programmers for CTE schools, this crosswalk has been created:

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CFM/Personal Finance Standards Crosswalk