Syllabus 2025-2026
Program: Finance Course Title: Personal Finance
Instructor: Emma Constant
Stanhope Elmore High School
4300 Main Street ~ Millbrook, AL 36054
Phone: (334) 285-4263 Fax: (334)285-4575
E-mail address: emma.constant@elmoreco.com
Course Fee: $15
Personal Finance is a foundational course that introduces students to the principles of financial literacy for achieving personal goals. This course is designed to inform students about how the choices they make directly influence their occupational goals, future earning potential, and long-term financial well-being. Content provides opportunities for students to explore consumer behavior, legislation, consumer protection, consumer rights and responsibilities, financial decision-making, advertising and promotional techniques, individual and family money management, banking services, use of credit, income tax, and technology.
Course Goals
Upon completion of this course, proficient students will be knowledgeable about how their decisions will impact their future and financial well-being in a global workforce and society.
Career and Technical Education Student Organizations: Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) is a co-curricular component of the business program. This student organization enhances classroom instruction, develops leadership skills, and provides opportunities for professional growth and service. Business Technology students are strongly encouraged to be active FBLA members in order to participate in district, state, and national competitions and conferences. Professional Membership is available. Receive perks for such as hotel, restaurant and rental discounts.
A membership fee of $30.00 is required (National Dues $10, State Dues - $4, Local $6, T-Shirt $10).
Curriculum Materials: The curriculum materials/software to be used in this course include:
Grable, Introduction to Personal Finance, First Edition, 2019 Student Edition
The Stock Market Game - www.stockmarketgame.org
http://financeintheclassroom.org/
http://nextgenpersonalfinance.org/curriculum/
https://frbatlanta.org/education/lessons/high-school.aspx
https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/student/simulations.jsp
http://www.mymoney.gov/Pages/default.aspx
https://login.icevonline.com/Loginonetonline.org
Communication/Cloud Resources:
Remind.com Dropbox.com Google Classroom elmoreco.com(email)
Supplies needed:· Headphones/Earbuds
· Charged Chromebooks/charger
· Blue/black pen or PENCIL
· Calculator
Culminating Product/Professional Credentials:
The Alabama State Department of Education requires all Career and Technical programs to provide students with an opportunity to receive a business and industry recognized credential.
· Microsoft Office Specialist 2019-365 –Must have two of the following (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
· A.S.K. Institute—Concepts of Finance
· IC3 Global Standard 6 (or higher)
· Intuit QuickBooks Certified User
· Microsoft Office Expert 2019-365 Word
· Microsoft Office Expert 2019-365 Excel
Procedures/Requirements: Students enrolled in Personal Finance are required to:
Organize and manage classroom handouts, notes, study questions, projects and tests.
Bring materials need for daily class activity completion.
Maintain classroom behavior that provides themselves and other students with an environment in which optimum learning can take place.
Arrive to class on time. Class will start when the tardy bell rings.
Assessment/Student Evaluation: Periodic class discussions will be held to emphasize key points, check student understanding, and prevent gaps in overall progress. Students will be evaluated throughout the semester using course activities, quizzes/tests, and production projects. This is a weighted average evaluation system and will measure summative as well as formative aspects of student performance.
Grading Guidelines:
All grades earned during the 9-week grading period will be added and averaged according to the percentages earned. Progress reports will be sent home after the 4th week of each grading period. Grades will be determined by the following guidelines:
Points for assignments: · Tests/Projects – 65% · Daily assignments – 35%
Grading Scale:
A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = Below 60
Makeup Policy – There will be a class assignment every day or a project to complete. If a student is absent an assignment will be missed. The student will have 5 school days from the day he/she returned to school to make up this missed assignment. It is the student’s responsibility to ask for make-up work. It is the student’s responsibility to make this request within 3 days after the absence.
Course Outline:
Personal Finance students will complete the following study/skill development units: Economics; Marketing; Accounting Procedures; Career Exploration; Paycheck, Benefits, and Income Taxes; Resource Management; Risk Management; Banking; Credit Management; Budgeting; Financial Security; and consumer Rights and Responsibilities. These topics will be presented to the class by using lecture/demonstration of each concept. As students work on these assignments, they will have individual monitoring and instruction, providing immediate feedback to reinforce correct procedure.
Unit 1- Consumer Decision Behavior Unit 2- Money Management
Unit 3 – Consumer Spending Unit 4 Technology and Career
Embedded Literacy
Students will complete technical reading in the form of articles, projects, or presentations related to unit as a real-world connection to “When am I ever going to use this?” Projects will be outlined throughout the course and graded by accompanying rubric and directions. Students will conduct research, write reports, article summaries, complete problems involving taxes, write case studies, write business letters, resumes and cover letters, and create a portfolio for the stock market project.
Embedded Numeracy
Students will complete several mathematic calculations for completing budgets, calculating earnings, complete tax forms, evaluate stocks, read and calculate credit balances, determine better buy, calculate costs of owning versus renting, calculate interest payments on a loan, compare insurance needs/costs and make informed purchasing decisions based on research of products and services.
ANCHOR ASSIGMENT
Students will use knowledge gained from completing course content to complete a family finance simulation Perez Family Case Study The Perez Family Case Study.pdf . Students will calculate gross and net pay, calculate deductions, evaluate needs and wants to determine expenses (housing, food, transportation, insurance needs, and miscellaneous expense and report them on a budget form. Students will adjust budget based on scenario incident and write short answer essay questions to how they adjusted the budget to fit the family’s economic situation.
DISCIPLINE POLICY
Students are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct and School Safety Guidelines. Offenses will be result in a step on the Classroom management form or a referral to administrator.
Classroom Management Steps
First Offense ………………………… Warning
Second Offense ……………….……. Parental Contact/Detention
Third Offense …………………………Discipline Referral
CTE PROGRAM COMPLETERS
Students are eligible to receive an endorsement on their diploma by completing three CTE courses in any ONE pathway. This is called the CTE Program Completer. For example, in Finance, you must complete three courses offered in the Finance pathway. It is recommended to complete Personal Finance as a pre-requisite course. CTE Concentrators are students who complete two courses in a pathway. There is not endorsement on the diploma for concentrator status.
Sample Pathway for Accounting/Finance
Year 1—Personal Finance
Year 2—Business Communications or Economics and Financial Services
Year 3—Accounting