The National Financial Capability Challenge is an awards program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education. It’s designed to increase the financial knowledge and capability of high school youth across the United States so they can take control over their financial futures. This year’s Challenge is from March 12 – April 13.
The Challenge is a free, voluntary, online series of financial questions for high school students to check their knowledge of earning, spending, saving, borrowing, risk protection, and more. The top two scorers at each school, plus all students scoring in the top 20 percent, will receive National Financial Capability Challenge Award Certificates. All participating educators will receive an official certificate as well.
Last year, nearly 85,000 students participated, and Iowa scored the 10th highest participation rate. Help Iowa make the top 10 again by participating in the Challenge. (View more 2011 results here)
Follow these simple steps to get started in the Challenge:
- Contact a local high school and ask if it would like to participate in the Challenge. Materials can be found online to help you market the Challenge and spread the word.
- Register online at www.challenge.treas.gov.
- Use the free lesson plans provided online or use your own lesson plans to teach the students about money management. Be sure to cover financial aspects such as earning, spending, saving, borrowing, risk protection and much more.
- Administer the online test between March 12 – April 13. The online test will take the students about 30 minutes to finish, but the lessons they learn will last a lifetime!
To learn more about the National Financial Capability Challenge, go to http://www.challenge.treas.gov/about.aspx.
