For Connecticut Teachers · Standards Alignment
Connecticut’s Personal Financial Management Standards, Mapped to a Ready-to-Teach Course
Connecticut requires students to complete a personal financial management course to graduate. This page sets out what the law asks for, lists all 34 of the state’s grades 9–12 personal financial management performance indicators, and shows for each one whether our 10 classroom-ready units cover it fully, in part, or not at all — with the partial rows naming exactly what is missing.
The Requirement
What Connecticut actually requires
Public Act 23-21, codified at C.G.S. § 10-221a, requires every Connecticut board of education to give all students the chance to earn one-half credit in personal financial management and financial literacy, commencing with the graduating class of 2027. ⭐ it may count as a humanities credit or as an elective, so it does not add to the credits a student already has to earn.
The content is set by CSDE’s Connecticut Standards for Personal Financial Management and Financial Literacy, adopted by the State Board of Education in May 2022: 34 performance indicators grouped under eight performance elements, with 220 lettered objectives between them. Those 34 are what this page maps, one at a time.
⚠ The indicators are MBA Research’s, not Connecticut’s own — the state adopted an existing career-and-technical framework, and the standards are also aligned to the Jump$tart national standards. That is why the codes read FI:058 rather than 1 to 34, and why several of them ask for a professional layer alongside the personal finance core. The page keeps each indicator’s career-level marking so you can see which is which.
Check every detail against Connecticut’s own sources: CSDE’s personal finance page, the Connecticut Standards for Personal Financial Management and Financial Literacy themselves, and Public Act 23-21 as passed. Districts choose which course carries the half credit, so confirm your own building’s plan before you build a syllabus around it.
The Course
10 units, 50 days, written to be taught in order
10 five-day units, 50 class periods of core instruction. How much of a semester that is depends on your building: on an every-other-day block, where a semester is roughly 45 to 50 meetings, the units fill it; on a traditional daily period, where a semester runs nearer 90, they are the spine and the course tests and the gap material below fill the rest. Plan the schedule against your own calendar rather than against this figure.
Every unit ships a free pacing guide, pre-quiz and vocabulary sheet that need no account, so you can read the objectives this crosswalk is built from before deciding anything. The full teacher kit — teacher guide, student packet, quizzes, unit project, final assessment, editable slides and the complete ZIP — comes with Full Membership.
Each card shows how many Connecticut performance indicators that unit carries, fully or in part. A standard taught by two units is counted on both, so these add to 39 rather than to the 23 standards the course addresses.
The Crosswalk
All 34 performance indicators, and how far the course covers each one
23 of the 34 performance indicators are addressed by a unit — 7 fully and 16 in part. Of the 11 that are not, 11 are served elsewhere on this site and are linked in the table. Standard codes and wording below are reproduced from Connecticut Standards for Personal Financial Management and Financial Literacy: Standards, Performance Elements, Performance Indicators and Objectives, Connecticut State Department of Education.
How to read the third column. A unit is listed against a standard only where its published pacing-guide objectives support it, so every row here is one you can check yourself against a free PDF. Fully means those objectives support the standard’s main clause and every requirement it names outside its “e.g.” examples. Partly means they support the main clause but not one or more named requirements — and the row says which, so you know exactly what to supplement. It is a strict rule, applied the same way in all eight performance elements; the member materials in each unit go further than the free guide advertises, so treat this as the floor, not the ceiling.
The misses are not spread evenly. Manage personal finances to achieve financial goals. (3) is where the course leaves the most to supplement — 4 of its 17 performance indicators are carried by no unit — so plan for that performance element first. The table names every performance element.
One thing to know before the table: these are not codes Connecticut invented. The state adopted MBA Research performance indicators, which is why they read FI:058 and PD:154 rather than 1 to 34, and why the numbering jumps. Each carries a career level — (PQ) prerequisite, (CS) career-sustaining, (SP) specialist — and each is judged here against its own lettered objectives, 220 of them in total. ⭐ Because they were written for business programs, they ask for three things a one-semester personal finance course is not built to deliver: the economics of money (fiat currency, the functions of money), the consumer-protection statutes by name (Truth in Lending, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the agencies that enforce them), and specialist practitioner tasks — both (SP) indicators, applying for a consumer loan and determining insurance needs, are uncovered here. Those are the blocks to supplement, and they are named row by row rather than averaged into a score.
| Performance Element | Performance indicators | Fully | Partly | Not by a unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Understand the fundamental principles of money needed to make financial exchanges. | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 Analyze financial needs and goals to determine financial requirements. | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 Manage personal finances to achieve financial goals. | 17 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| 4 Understand the use of financial-services providers to aid in financial-goal achievement. | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 Use investment strategies to ensure financial well-being. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 Use risk management products to protect a business's financial well-being. | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 Identify potential threats and opportunities to protect financial well-being. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 Acquire knowledge of banking processes and services to facilitate workplace activities. | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| All eight performance elements | 34 | 7 | 16 | 11 |
1 · Understand the fundamental principles of money needed to make financial exchanges.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| FI:058 PQ · prerequisite |
Explain forms of financial exchange (cash, credit, debit, electronic funds transfer, etc.) | PartlyModern Payments, Scams & Fraud · Credit & Borrowing · Banking & CheckingNot covered here: The legal vocabulary in this indicator’s objectives is absent: negotiable instruments, promissory notes and holder in due course. These units teach what each way of paying does to your money rather than what it is called in contract law. |
| FI:059 PQ · prerequisite |
Identify types of currency (paper money, coins, banknotes, government bonds, treasury notes, etc.) | No unit — see Economics lessons & worksheets · Politics & Economy articles |
| FI:060 PQ · prerequisite |
Describe functions of money (medium of exchange, unit of measure, store of value) | No unit — see Economics lessons & worksheets · Politics & Economy articles |
| FI:061 CS · career-sustaining |
Describe sources of income and compensation | PartlyCareers & Paying for Education · Budgeting & First Paycheck · Taxes & First FilingNot covered here: Unearned income is the gap: interest, rent, dividends and transfer payments as sources, the earned-against-unearned distinction, and the risk of relying on an inheritance. No published objective names any of them. |
| FI:062 CS · career-sustaining |
Explain the time value of money | PartlySaving & Emergency FundsNot covered here: Two named terms are not taught: inflation and its effect on the value of money, and present value. The units print no inflation rate by design, so the arithmetic of discounting a future amount sits outside them. |
| FI:002 CS · career-sustaining |
Explain the purposes and importance of credit | PartlyCredit & BorrowingNot covered here: Three objectives are outside the units: fixed against adjustable-rate credit, why businesses extend credit and what it costs them, and legislation affecting the extension of credit — these units print no statute by design, so that they do not go out of date. |
| FI:063 CS · career-sustaining |
Explain legal responsibilities associated with consumer financial products and services | No unit — see Legal Basics articles · Credit lessons & worksheets · Credit & Debt articles |
2 · Analyze financial needs and goals to determine financial requirements.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| FI:270 CS · career-sustaining |
Explain the need to save and invest | FullySaving & Emergency Funds · Investing & Long-Term Growth |
| FI:065 CS · career-sustaining |
Set financial goals | FullyBudgeting & First Paycheck · Saving & Emergency Funds |
| FI:066 CS · career-sustaining |
Develop personal budget | FullyBudgeting & First Paycheck |
| FI:562 CS · career-sustaining |
Determine personal net worth | No unit — see Money skills lessons & worksheets · Money Basics articles |
3 · Manage personal finances to achieve financial goals.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| FI:067 PQ · prerequisite |
Explain the nature of tax liabilities | PartlyTaxes & First Filing · Budgeting & First PaycheckNot covered here: The indicator asks for the whole tax system and the units teach the paycheck end of it: sales, property and excise taxes and which level of government collects which appear in no published objective. |
| FI:068 PQ · prerequisite |
Interpret a pay stub | FullyBudgeting & First Paycheck · Taxes & First Filing |
| FI:560 PQ · prerequisite |
Write checks | PartlyBanking & CheckingNot covered here: Two objectives are not published: endorsing a check and placing a stop payment on one. |
| FI:069 PQ · prerequisite |
Maintain financial records | FullyBanking & Checking · Budgeting & First Paycheck |
| FI:070 PQ · prerequisite |
Balance a bank account | PartlyBanking & CheckingNot covered here: Reconciling an actual bank statement — and what to do when it is wrong — is not a published objective, and neither is overdraft protection as a product. The site’s check-register and balancing worksheets carry that practice; the unit day does not. |
| FI:567 PQ · prerequisite |
Explain the nature of charitable giving | No unit — see Donating & charities lessons · Scams & Fraud articles |
| FI:782 CS · career-sustaining |
Calculate the cost of credit | PartlyCredit & BorrowingNot covered here: The indicator asks students to calculate it, and the arithmetic it names — periodic interest rate and average daily balance — is in the site’s credit worksheets rather than in a published unit objective. |
| FI:071 CS · career-sustaining |
Demonstrate the wise use of credit | PartlyCredit & BorrowingNot covered here: Two objectives are not reached: monitoring credit reports (as distinct from knowing what a score is) and methods for selecting a source of credit. |
| FI:072 CS · career-sustaining |
Validate credit history | No unit — see Credit lessons & worksheets · Credit & Debt articles |
| FI:783 CS · career-sustaining |
Make responsible financial decisions | PartlyRenting & Major Purchases · Modern Payments, Scams & Fraud · Budgeting & First PaycheckNot covered here: Impulse spending and the benefits of comparison shopping as a habit are named objectives that no published unit objective teaches directly. |
| FI:073 CS · career-sustaining |
Protect against identity theft | PartlyModern Payments, Scams & FraudNot covered here: What a victim should do to limit losses and restore their identity is a named objective and is not a published one here — the unit prints no statutory deadline or liability cap, by design. |
| FI:565 CS · career-sustaining |
Pay bills | FullyModern Payments, Scams & Fraud · Renting & Major Purchases · Credit & Borrowing |
| FI:625 SP · specialist |
Apply for a consumer loan | No unit — see Credit lessons & worksheets · Credit & Debt articles |
| FI:568 CS · career-sustaining |
Control debt | No unit — see Debt Relief articles · Credit lessons & worksheets |
| FI:074 CS · career-sustaining |
Prepare personal income tax forms | FullyTaxes & First Filing |
| FI:831 CS · career-sustaining |
Discuss options for financing a college education | PartlyCareers & Paying for EducationNot covered here: Two objectives sit outside the unit: saving for college through 529 plans or mutual funds, and the mechanics of the federal aid application and student loan repayment process. |
| FI:569 CS · career-sustaining |
Discuss the nature of retirement planning | PartlyInvesting & Long-Term Growth · Saving & Emergency FundsNot covered here: This is the document’s longest indicator, twelve objectives, and most are not taught: defined benefit against defined contribution plans, IRA against Roth IRA, Social Security benefits and how they are determined, asset allocation and vesting. The unit prints no contribution limit or tax figure by design. |
4 · Understand the use of financial-services providers to aid in financial-goal achievement.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| FI:075 CS · career-sustaining |
Describe types of financial-services providers | PartlyBanking & CheckingNot covered here: The indicator is a survey of the whole industry and the unit covers one part of it: comparing types of banking institution (a bank against a credit union), investment services, insurance companies as providers and brokers or advisers are each named and taught by no published objective. |
| FI:076 CS · career-sustaining |
Discuss considerations in selecting a financial-services provider | No unit — see Banking lessons & worksheets · Banking articles · Investing articles |
5 · Use investment strategies to ensure financial well-being.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| FI:077 CS · career-sustaining |
Explain types of investments | No unit — see Investing lessons & worksheets · Investing articles · MI Brokerage Simulator |
6 · Use risk management products to protect a business's financial well-being.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| FI:081 CS · career-sustaining |
Describe the concept of insurance | PartlyInsurance & RiskNot covered here: Two named things are missing: liability as a defined term — the half of a policy that pays somebody else — and how insurance needs change at different stages of life. |
7 · Identify potential threats and opportunities to protect financial well-being.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| FI:571 SP · specialist |
Determine insurance needs | No unit — see Insurance lessons & worksheets · Insurance articles |
8 · Acquire knowledge of banking processes and services to facilitate workplace activities.
| Indicator | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| PD:154 CS · career-sustaining |
Describe types of personal banking products and services | PartlyBanking & Checking · Saving & Emergency Funds · Modern Payments, Scams & FraudNot covered here: Two families are absent: lending products (mortgages, vehicle loans, lines of credit, cash advances) and asset-management and miscellaneous services — trust services, safety deposit boxes, cashier’s and certified checks, money orders, notary services. |
The Gaps
The 11 standards these units do not teach
No single course covers 34 standards to the same depth, and a crosswalk that claimed otherwise would not be much use to you in a curriculum review. These are the ones the 10 units do not carry, each with the reason. Most are served by something else on this site; where nothing is, it says so. Links marked lessons, worksheets or by a printable’s name are classroom material; links marked articles are background reading rather than something you can hand to a class.
- FI:059 Identify types of currency (paper money, coins, banknotes, government bonds, treasury notes, etc.)Types of currency — fiat, commodity and representative money, banknotes, specie. This is monetary economics rather than personal finance, and no published objective covers it. Elsewhere on this site: Economics lessons & worksheets, Politics & Economy articles.
- FI:060 Describe functions of money (medium of exchange, unit of measure, store of value)The functions of money: medium of exchange, unit of measure, store of value, incentive. Economics again, and taught nowhere in these ten units. Elsewhere on this site: Economics lessons & worksheets, Politics & Economy articles.
- FI:063 Explain legal responsibilities associated with consumer financial products and servicesThe legal frame around consumer financial products: the Truth in Lending Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the FDIC, SEC, CFPB and NCUA as the agencies that enforce them. The units teach the reasoning and deliberately print no statute. Elsewhere on this site: Legal Basics articles, Credit lessons & worksheets, Credit & Debt articles.
- FI:562 Determine personal net worthPersonal net worth: assets against liabilities, the calculation, and preparing a net worth statement. No published objective covers it. Elsewhere on this site: Money skills lessons & worksheets, Money Basics articles.
- FI:567 Explain the nature of charitable givingCharitable giving: tax-exempt against tax-deductible, ways to give, evaluating a charity and the scams that imitate one. The Payments unit teaches scam recognition generally, but giving itself is taught by no unit. Elsewhere on this site: Donating & charities lessons, Scams & Fraud articles.
- FI:072 Validate credit historyValidating a credit history: obtaining the report, reading what is in it, and disputing an entry that is wrong. The unit teaches the score; the report and the dispute are taught by the site’s credit resources rather than by a unit. Elsewhere on this site: Credit lessons & worksheets, Credit & Debt articles.
- FI:625 Apply for a consumer loanApplying for a consumer loan: character, capacity and collateral, cosigners, the documentation, and completing the application. This is one of the two specialist-level (SP) indicators, and no published objective covers it. Elsewhere on this site: Credit lessons & worksheets, Credit & Debt articles.
- FI:568 Control debtControlling debt: insolvency, forbearance, loan modification, debt consolidation, garnishment, repossession and bankruptcy. The units teach how debt gets expensive rather than how it is unwound. Elsewhere on this site: Debt Relief articles, Credit lessons & worksheets.
- FI:076 Discuss considerations in selecting a financial-services providerChoosing a financial-services provider: how they are paid, what that does to their advice, and how to evaluate one. No published objective covers it. Elsewhere on this site: Banking lessons & worksheets, Banking articles, Investing articles.
- FI:077 Explain types of investmentsThe types of investments themselves — savings accounts, money market accounts, CDs and bonds as lending investments; stocks, funds, collectibles and real estate as ownership investments — and the risk and return of each. The Investing unit teaches the money before it reaches the market and prints no product list or rate of return, by design, so this is the single largest block for a Connecticut course to supplement. Elsewhere on this site: Investing lessons & worksheets, Investing articles, MI Brokerage Simulator.
- FI:571 Determine insurance needsDetermining how much insurance a person needs, and why life cover is calculated differently from the rest. The second of the two specialist-level (SP) indicators; the units teach whether to insure, not how much to buy. Elsewhere on this site: Insurance lessons & worksheets, Insurance articles.
For Your Documentation
Using this in a curriculum map
Copy the standard codes straight from the table into your planning documents. Each unit’s own page lists its five daily objectives, and the free pacing guide prints them in a one-page table you can attach to a curriculum map or hand to a department head.
If you also report against the national frameworks, the Jump$tart and CEE crosswalk maps the same library to those. For placement and end-of-course evidence, the assessments hub lists the free course diagnostic and the unit and course tests.
Teach the whole course
The pacing guides, pre-quizzes and vocabulary sheets are free and need no account. Full Membership adds every teacher guide, student packet, quiz, unit project, final assessment and editable slide deck across all 10 units, plus the worksheet generators and printables the units point to.
See membership options →Keep Planning