First-of-its-kind AP course brings real-world financial literacy to high school classrooms nationwide
Intuit Inc. , the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and Intuit Enterprise Suite, announced a partnership with College Board to launch a free set of supplemental real-world tools and resources aligned to Advanced Placement (AP®) Business with Personal Finance. The first-of-its-kind AP course will be available to high school students nationwide starting this fall. Leveraging Intuit for Education, the company’s free financial literacy initiative, Intuit has designed digital, activity-based lessons that serve as an optional personal finance resource for educators teaching the course.
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“Financial literacy is one of the most critical, and overlooked life skills students need to be successful both personally and professionally,” said Dave Zasada, Vice President, Intuit for Education.
AP Business with Personal Finance is a yearlong high school course aligned with an introductory, college-level business course. Students will explore the business disciplines of entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, accounting, and management, and also learn and apply all the National Standards for Personal Finance education created by the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. Intuit for Education’s provided resources include 24 interactive exercises, in addition to a comprehensive financial-planning project, all leveraging Intuit’s suite of tools, including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and Credit Karma. From filing a tax return and understanding credit, to managing a small business, these offerings immerse students in simulations that mirror real-world financial decisions they will actually face throughout their lives. Intuit for Education’s interactive resources help students build essential money management and entrepreneurship skills through realistic, relevant practice.
While 30 states now require a personal finance course for high school graduation, most Americans still reach adulthood without the money skills and knowledge needed to build financial security and access opportunity. The burden of closing this gap often falls on parents and educators, who rarely have the time or resources to provide this crucial education. Data from a recent Intuit survey underscores this anxiety: 88% of parents believe financial literacy should be treated as a core subject like math and science, and 59% worry about their child’s future financial capabilities more than their academic or career performance. Additionally, an MDR study shows that teachers spend seven hours per week searching for instructional resources and another five hours creating their own classroom materials.
“Financial literacy is one of the most critical, and overlooked life skills students need to be successful both personally and professionally,” said Dave Zasada, Vice President, Intuit for Education. “Our partnership with College Board represents a real opportunity to change that, at scale and help more students achieve their goals. When students practice making financial decisions in the classroom before the stakes are high, future financial confidence and greater opportunity follows.”
To support educators teaching the new course, Intuit’s two free supplemental resources include:
- Practical Applications: This collection of short, flexible activities complements the topics covered throughout the AP course. Educators can use these activities to reinforce key concepts through hands-on practice with Intuit’s real-world financial tools, which include TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and Credit Karma. These activities complement all five of the course’s units and are available now to all educators.
- Financial Advisor Project: Through a comprehensive, project-based learning course, students build a strategic financial plan for a fictional family and make recommendations for covering education, housing, retirement, and charitable giving. The Financial Advisor Project, which will supplement Unit 5 of the AP course, will be available soon.
“Intuit for Education and College Board share a commitment to removing barriers to high-quality financial education,” said Jennifer Mulhern, Vice President of AP Program Access, College Board. “Intuit’s innovative activities can help AP teachers bring personal finance concepts to life in their classrooms, giving students meaningful opportunities to apply what they learn in authentic, real-world contexts and gain the financial literacy skills that are essential to prosper in today’s world.”
The new AP Business with Personal Finance course is available to high schools nationwide beginning this upcoming school year. Students who complete the course will also be eligible to earn college credit and an employer-endorsed credential that opens doors for students interested in two- and four-year colleges, technical schools, apprenticeships, the military, or direct entry into the workforce.
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