Thinking about where to start when it comes to implementing the personal finance course guaranteed by the New Hampshire Department of Education's technical advisory? With over 75,000 teachers using NGPF curriculum and more than 15,000 participating in NGPF professional development, NGPF has become the nation's trusted partner to ensure a successful implementation of this life-changing course. 

Details about the technical advisory: Great news! After HB1671 was signed into law making personal finance part of an adequate education in the state, New Hampshire's Department of Education made personal finance a new standalone, 1/2 credit graduation requirement, which becomes applicable for the 2023-2024 academic year. This New Hampshire Department of Education financial literacy technical advisory was released on September 15th, 2022.

Why is this important? As of October, New Hampshire became one of 17 states that are in the process of implementing (or have already implemented) this guaranteed one semester personal finance course for all high schoolers.

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 decisions about student debt including shifting to lower interest loans, avoiding credit card debt, and limiting private loans,
• Reducing the likelihood of taking out expensive payday loans,
• Increasing savings rates among teachers,
• and positive spillover effects on parents too! 

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

• Earn professional development hours aligned to the semester course 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; 3-5 live events held weekly. 

• Review NGPF curriculum, which is used by over 400 New Hampshire teachers today.
  • Lessons with discussion prompts, engaging activities, interactive games, and Exit tickets included
  • 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
• NGPF's turnkey Semester Course - updated summer of 2022 - makes lesson planning a cinch.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): 

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

Prior to this update, financial literacy minimum standards were embedded within New Hampshire's social studies (primarily economics) courses. This will no longer be the case in the new framework, because personal finance will be its own standalone course with its own standards.

• Refer to the New Hampshire DOE, which notes that "Minimum Standards, Ed 306, [will be brought] into compliance with the new requirements of HB 1671. Therefore, districts should have guidance on what constitutes a personal finance literacy course prior to the start of the 2023-2024 academic school year."

When does this guaranteed course take effect?

The 2023-2024 school year and thereafter. Research and large-scale surveys have found that this course is best taught in the 11th or 12th grade when students are closer to major life decisions including life after high school, opening a bank account, obtaining a part-time job and starting to drive a car, to name just a few. 

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 new guidance has the New Hampshire Department of Education provided on the implementation of this course? 

We will include their new guidance once it has been released before the 2023-2024 school year. In the meantime, contact information has been provided for Dr. Nate Greene, Bureau Administrator, Educational Opportunities at the NH DOE. (Tel: 603-271-5252 and email: Nathaniel.T.Greene@doe.nh.gov)

Is NGPF PD approved in the state of New Hmapshire? 

No. However, as of October 2022, 101 New Hampshire teachers have completed over 3,000 hours of NGPF professional development.

Are there schools in New Hampshire 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 course, and may be useful thought partners as you implement the course in your school.

About the Author

Christian Sherrill

Former teacher, forever financial education nerd. As NGPF's Director of Growth & Advocacy, Christian is laser-focused on our mission to guarantee all students a rigorous personal finance course before crossing the high school graduation stage. Having paid down over $40k in student loans in the span of 3 years - while living in the Bay Area on an entry level teacher's salary - he's eager to help the next generation avoid financial pitfalls one semester at a time.

More posts by Christian