learnfinancewithNew Jersey
HIGH SCHOOL: at least 2.5 credits in financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy within the 120-credit program (N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1(a)1v — REGULATION, not statute; scope broader than personal finance, so Economics can satisfy it). GRADES 6–8: statutory instructional mandate, N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.34. K–12: NJSLS 9.1 standards checkpoints at grades 2, 5, 8, 12.
The HS credit requirement is effective with the 2010–11 grade-nine class (class of 2014 by derivation — NJDOE names the cohort, not a class year); the 6–8 mandate from 2019–20. The 2025 readoption of N.J.A.C. 6A:8 carried the 2.5-credit provision forward unchanged (operative Oct 9, 2025; expires Oct 9, 2032).
In force — first bound the class of 2014.
- How it may be delivered
- EITHER — three NJDOE-authorized routes for the 2.5 HS credits: (1) a stand-alone half-year course built on Standard 9.1; (2) 'Option Two' individualized learning under 6A:8-5.1(a)2 (independent study, online, structured learning experiences, competency assessment, work-based learning, dual enrollment); (3) EMBEDDED into electives or other courses taught by appropriately certified staff (typical hosts: Economics, Personal Finance, Intro to Business, Consumer Math, Accounting, FCS, Social Studies electives). Districts must still assess and PUBLICLY REPORT progress on financial-literacy competencies 'no matter how learned' (6A:8-3.1).
Source: NJDOE financial literacy (9.1) guidance; N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1(a)2, 6A:8-3.1
- Credit value
- 2.5 credits (high school) — the equivalent of a half-year/one-semester course under N.J.A.C. 6A:8-1.3’s credit definition (≈40 minutes weekly for a year per credit). The grades 6–8 mandate carries NO credit value.
Source: N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1(a)1v; 6A:8-1.3 (credit definition)
- Instructional-hour rule
- Not yet verified to a primary source — we publish only what we can cite.
- Below high school
- YES — the centerpiece of NJ's structure: N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.34 requires financial-literacy instruction in GRADES 6-8 (from 2019-20), age-appropriate, covering budgeting, savings, credit, debt, insurance, investment, and related topics; no credit value or minimum hours. NJSLS 9.1 checkpoints sit at the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12, so K-5 coverage is a statewide standards expectation even though only 6-8 is statutory.
- State-mandated assessment
- NONE at state level — NJ administers no financial-literacy test or EOC (2025-26 assessments: NJGPA, NJSLA, NJSLA-S, DLM, ACCESS, NAEP). But LOCAL assessment IS required: N.J.A.C. 6A:8-3.1 obliges districts to assess and PUBLICLY REPORT student progress on financial-literacy knowledge and skills 'no matter how learned' — a district accountability obligation with no state instrument attached, and a natural fit for platform-produced evidence.
- Who may teach it
- Per NJDOE's 9.1 FAQ, financial literacy may be taught by staff holding any of: Social Studies; Business: Finance, Economics, and Law; Comprehensive Business; Comprehensive FCS; General Business (legacy); Math (for consumer-math programs); elementary-certified teachers within their grades. NO dedicated NJ financial-literacy certificate exists. FORWARD WATCH: pending A3123/S3462 would RESTRICT instruction to specific endorsements and bar courses principally addressing economic/business/entrepreneurial literacy from satisfying the requirement. Informational only.
Source: NJDOE 9.1 financial literacy FAQ
- State course codes
- Not yet verified to a primary source — we publish only what we can cite.
- Standards framework
- NJSLS — Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills (June 2020), Standard 9.1 Personal Financial Literacy: 8 disciplinary concepts under 3 groupings (Financial Health; Financial Landscape; Money Management), with codified PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS (e.g. 9.1.12.CDM.4) at grade-band checkpoints 2/5/8/12 — districts align to performance expectations, not “standards” generically.
- Funding a district may cite
- (1) Perkins V entitlement funds (NJDOE Office of Grants Management / Office of Career Readiness, via NJGMS). (2) Office of Career Readiness discretionary grants (Building Capacity for Career Pathways; Expanding Career Pathways in AI). (3) NJ FinLit — the Treasury's free financial-wellness platform, with NJDOE educator webinars. (4) Title II-A for PD. NO dedicated NJ financial-literacy grant exists.
- State agency contact
- FinLit@doe.nj.gov — NJDOE Office of Standards (named on the March 19, 2025 FinLit educator-resources broadcast). Secondary: CTE@doe.nj.gov, Office of Career Readiness, (609) 376-3500. Standards revision comments: njslsreview@doe.nj.gov. No individual staff name published.
Source: NJDOE FinLit educator resources broadcast (March 19, 2025)
Facts on this page last verified 2026-08-09; every pack is re-verified on a six-month cadence, and anything we cannot cite is marked rather than guessed.
The district awards the credit — no platform can. Ours is designed to align with the state’s learning standards, and it produces the documentation a district needs to award credit: the course object with its federal course code, a pass determination that shows its arithmetic, an hour ledger that counts only observed instructional minutes, and a verified record of demonstrated mastery for every student.