Next Generation Personal Finance (NGPF) Awards Beloit Memorial High School with Gold Standard School Award

Beloit, Wisconsin, October 25, 2021 – Next Generation Personal Finance (NGPF), has awarded Beloit Memorial High School its Gold Standard School award.

Montana State University researchers teamed up with NGPF to evaluate thousands of high school course catalogs and graduation requirements on the following scale:

Gold Standard Schools ensure all students take at least one standalone semester course in personal finance before graduation.

Silver Standard Schools offer at least one semester of personal finance as a standalone elective OR offer a standalone personal finance course as one option among multiple that can fulfill a one semester graduation requirement.

Bronze Standard Schools offer some personal finance instruction in less than one continuous semester, often by embedding it into other courses (e.g., Economics).

“We recognize the impact of having our students take a personal finance course,” said Anthony Capozziello, Professional Educator and Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator at Beloit Memorial High School. “Allowing our students the opportunity to learn about personal finances has many benefits for them including, maintaining good credit scores, understanding the importance of establishing a budget, knowing the value of short term and long-term savings goals, and giving them the skills and knowledge to make smart decisions when it comes to their money.”

Financial education from Kindergarten through 12th grade has recently found the spotlight, with 26 state legislatures introducing bills to expand access to financial education in public schools in 2021. “With our comprehensive and innovative programs, course offerings, and curriculum, the School District of Beloit is ahead of many districts nationally,” said Superintendence Dan Keyser. “This Gold Standard recognition spotlights our commitment to offering our students the best, well-rounded education to ensure they graduate college, career, and community ready.”

NGPF Co-Founder Tim Ranzetta said, “Gold Standard Schools show remarkable leadership, surging ahead of state progress on financial education instead of waiting for a mandate. The teachers, parents, students, administrators, and community leaders in these schools show what can happen when a coalition commits to building the financial capability of the next generation.”

Outside the six states (AL, MO, UT, MS, TN and VA) that currently guarantee every high school student will take a personal finance course, researchers identified 1,591 Gold Standard Schools, Beloit Memorial High
School among them.

About NGPF
Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) is on a mission to ensure all high school students get guaranteed access to a full semester class in personal finance. NGPF.org has become the "one-stop shop" for more than 52,000 financial educators looking for high-quality, engaging curriculum to build the financial capability of their students. NGPF's curriculum, teacher professional development, and advocacy tools are provided at no cost to schools.