For Tennessee Teachers · Standards Alignment
Tennessee’s Personal Finance Standards, Mapped to a Ready-to-Teach Course
Tennessee requires students to complete a personal finance course to graduate. This page sets out what the law asks for, lists all 21 of the state’s grades 9–12 personal finance standards, 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 Tennessee actually requires
Under State Board Rule 0520-01-03-.06, part of the Rules of the Tennessee State Board of Education, Tennessee students must earn one-half credit in Personal Finance to graduate. The requirement is long established and in force now — this is not a mandate arriving in a future year.
One substitution is written into the rule itself, and it is worth knowing before you plan staffing: “One JROTC course may be substituted for the one-half credit of Personal Finance if the JROTC instructor attends the Personal Finance training conducted by the Department.”
The content is set by the Department of Education’s Personal Finance course standards (course code G04H36), dated May 2025. There are 21 standards across six areas.
Check every detail against Tennessee’s own sources: the graduation-requirements rule, and the course standards from TDOE’s personal finance page. Districts differ in how they schedule the half credit and which course carries it, 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 Tennessee standards that unit carries, fully or in part. A standard taught by two units is counted on both, so these add to 31 rather than to the 18 standards the course addresses.
The Crosswalk
All 21 standards, and how far the course covers each one
18 of the 21 standards are addressed by a unit — 2 fully and 16 in part. Of the 3 that are not, 3 are served elsewhere on this site and are linked in the table. Standard codes and wording below are reproduced from Tennessee Personal Finance course standards, Tennessee Department of Education, May 2025.
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 six areas; 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. Planning, Housing, and Money Management (3) is where the course leaves the most to supplement — 2 of its 6 standards are carried by no unit — so plan for that area first. The table names every area.
One thing to expect as you read the third column. Tennessee writes its standards as assignments more often than as topics — an argumentative essay on student loan debt, an annotated chart of career research, a completed FAFSA, a personal balance sheet, a designed investment plan. Our units teach the content underneath those and produce their own artifacts, which are usually different ones. So on this state the gap named in a partial row is often the deliverable rather than the concept, and that is a different kind of supplementing: you may already have what a student needs to know, and still need to set the task.
| Area | Standards | Fully | Partly | Not by a unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Financial Responsibility and Personal Decision Making | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 Education, Careers, and Income | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 Planning, Housing, and Money Management | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 Credit and Debt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 Risk Management | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 Saving and Investing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| All six areas | 21 | 2 | 16 | 3 |
1 · Financial Responsibility and Personal Decision Making
| Standard | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Personal Finance |
Define the concept of personal finance. Consider how personal finance concepts fit into key life events or stages and explain the importance of personal financial planning using information sources such as instructional materials, news articles, blogs from reputable sources, personal narratives, and industry publications. | PartlyBudgeting & First Paycheck · Saving & Emergency FundsNot covered here: Two named demands are missing: fitting personal finance to key life events or stages, and drawing on outside information sources — news articles, industry publications, personal narratives — which is a research task no objective sets. |
| 1.2 Goals |
Write short-term (a year or less), mid-term (1 – 5 years), and long- term (over 5 years), personal financial goals defining desired education, career, and earning milestones, and saving and spending plans. Evaluate factors that may influence the goals, including family responsibilities, individual values, financial factors, and economic conditions. | PartlyBudgeting & First Paycheck · Saving & Emergency Funds · Careers & Paying for EducationNot covered here: Tennessee asks for all three horizons written together — short, mid (1-5 years) and long — and no objective sets the mid-term band. Nor does any objective have students evaluate the factors that shape a goal: family responsibilities, individual values, economic conditions. |
| 1.3 Decision Making |
Students will demonstrate the ability to apply decision- making models and principles to evaluate financial choices, considering factors such as risk, opportunity cost, and personal values, to make informed and responsible financial decisions aligned with their goals. | PartlyInsurance & Risk · Renting & Major Purchases · Careers & Paying for EducationNot covered here: No published objective applies a named decision-making model, and neither opportunity cost nor personal values appears by name — both of which this sub-standard requires the model to weigh. |
| 1.4 Emerging Technologies |
Explore emerging technologies such as cryptocurrency and the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in personal finance, examining their potential benefits and risks, and critically evaluating their role in financial decision-making processes to make informed choices aligned with ethical principles and long-term financial well- being. | No unit — see Investing articles · Scams & Fraud articles |
2 · Education, Careers, and Income
| Standard | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 Aptitudes, Strengths, and Interests |
Complete one or more career aptitude surveys, analyze the results, and relate how the identified career aptitudes align with the student's strengths and interests. Evaluate education and training path options to prepare for identified jobs or careers of interest. | PartlyCareers & Paying for EducationNot covered here: The self-assessment half is missing: no objective has students complete a career aptitude survey, analyze the results, or relate them to their own strengths and interests. |
| 2.2 Career Research |
Using the career focus identified, create an annotated chart, table, or graphic to evaluate the following: a. education and training including admission requirements and tuition requirements; b. available positions; c. salaries; d. cost vs. benefits of educational/training; e. potential lifetime earning; f. employer benefits; and g. possible need for relocation to advance. | PartlyCareers & Paying for EducationNot covered here: Three of the seven items Tennessee lists are not covered: admission requirements, potential lifetime earnings, and the possible need to relocate to advance. Nor does any objective ask for the annotated chart the standard specifies as the deliverable. |
| 2.3 Postsecondary Financing |
Explore and evaluate options for financing postsecondary education. Demonstrate an understanding of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) requirements to apply for postsecondary education financial aid by completing an application. Identify strategies for reducing the overall cost of postsecondary education, including the impact of scholarships, grants, work-study, and other assistance and the application process. | PartlyCareers & Paying for EducationNot covered here: Tennessee requires students to demonstrate FAFSA understanding by completing an application, and no published objective does that. The unit begins one step later, at the award letter the application produces. |
| 2.4 Financing Post-Secondary Education |
Explain the impact borrowing money to finance different post-secondary options could have on future financial stability and security. Research multiple viewpoints that support or question the use of student loan debt in paying for postsecondary education. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence presented support the author's claim. Citing specific textual evidence, craft an argumentative essay that either supports or opposes the use of student loan debt, developing both claim(s) and counterclaim(s) fairly. | PartlyCareers & Paying for EducationNot covered here: The deliverable is missing entirely: this sub-standard is built around researching multiple viewpoints on student loan debt, assessing the reasoning and evidence, and writing an argumentative essay with claims and counterclaims. No objective sets that task. |
| 2.5 Take Home Pay |
Describe factors affecting take-home pay such as tax withholdings, benefits (e.g., insurance, 401k), and plan payroll deductions. Complete a 1040 and a W-4 Employee's Withholding Allowance paperwork and analyze the W-2 Wage and Tax Statement for federal income tax purposes. | FullyTaxes & First Filing · Budgeting & First Paycheck · Careers & Paying for Education |
3 · Planning, Housing, and Money Management
| Standard | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 Net Worth |
Using money management tools such as online computer-based budgeting tools or hardcopy forms, create a personal balance sheet, determine assets and liabilities, and calculate net worth for an identified career. | No unit — see Money Basics articles |
| 3.2 Monthly Budget |
Using research from local sources (e.g., as cost of living calculators, newspapers, chambers of commerce, local government, and company websites), create a monthly personal budget that reflects household living expenses, taxes, potential savings, and an emergency fund. Develop a saving/spending plan for a week and track actual spending for comparison. | PartlyBudgeting & First Paycheck · Saving & Emergency Funds · Renting & Major PurchasesNot covered here: The research step is missing: no objective has students pull local cost-of-living data from local sources — cost-of-living calculators, chambers of commerce, local government or company sites — to build the budget on. |
| 3.3 Renting a Home |
Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of renting a home, including factors such as lease terms, rental costs, and flexibility to make informed decisions about whether renting aligns with their current financial situation and lifestyle preferences. | FullyRenting & Major Purchases |
| 3.4 Purchasing a Home |
Evaluate the process of buying a home, including steps such as saving for a down payment, understanding mortgage options, and assessing housing affordability to make informed decisions about homeownership and its long-term financial implications. | No unit — see Housing lessons & worksheets · Housing articles |
| 3.5 Consumer Protection |
Understand the availability of consumer protection laws, agencies, and resources. Investigate the availability and reliability of resources to assist consumers in making buying decisions. Include national, state, and local resources, as appropriate. | PartlyModern Payments, Scams & FraudNot covered here: The laws, agencies and resources themselves are not named. The unit deliberately prints no liability cap, dispute deadline or reporting route so that it stays accurate without annual revision, and no objective covers state or local consumer-protection resources at all. |
| 3.6 Financial Institutions |
Research a variety of financial institutions, including banks and credit unions including digital financial services. Compare and contrast services and products between the institutions such as checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposits, etc. Identify one service that best supports the student's personal financial goals and craft an argumentative essay supporting the choice. Using a banking transaction scenario, demonstrate an ability to do the following: a. reconcile an account both via a traditional register and tracking online transactions; b. write a check; and c. verify account accuracy via statements and online access. | PartlyBanking & CheckingNot covered here: Two demands are missing: comparing services and products across two or more different institutions — the objectives compare account TYPES, not providers — and the argumentative essay defending the choice. |
4 · Credit and Debt
| Standard | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 Consumer Credit |
Evaluate the various sources and types of consumer credit, such as student loans, auto loans, store credit cards, flex loans, consumer installment loans, title loans, and payday loans. Draw conclusions about the types of credit best suited for financing and/or purchasing various goods and services defending claims with specific textual evidence. Explain how taking on debt early in life may affect financial stability and security later in life. | PartlyCredit & BorrowingNot covered here: The named high-cost sources are absent: no published objective covers title loans, payday loans, flex loans or consumer installment loans, and none has students match a type of credit to a particular purchase and defend the choice. |
| 4.2 Credit Reporting |
Examine information from sources such as major credit reporting agencies, federal agencies, or other credible organizations to describe credit reports and credit scores. Describe the relationship between consumers and credit reports/credit scores discussing their importance and citing specific textual evidence from research. Analyze a sample credit report and interpret how the contents may affect the credit score. Explain how the credit score may impact borrowing opportunities and the cost of credit. Summarize specific activities used to maintain a good credit score. | PartlyCredit & BorrowingNot covered here: Reading an actual credit report is not covered by any objective, nor is the link this sub-standard draws between a score and what borrowing then costs. |
| 4.3 Cost of Borrowing |
Citing evidence found in credit applications, compare and contrast various types of credit, and calculate the real cost of borrowing. Explain factors that can affect the approval process associated with each type. Identify typical information and procedures required in the credit application process. Analyze factors associated with the purchase of an automobile and defend a specific buying decision, including the following: a. Define and understand factors most often included in negotiations (e.g., as cash vs. financing, inclusion of trade-in, etc.). b. Evaluate costs and benefits of different service contracts and/or warranty options. c. Compare and contrast available financing options based on consumer characteristics and the size of the down payment. d. Discuss the differences in owning vs. leasing a car (e.g., down payment, terms, and contracts). | PartlyCredit & Borrowing · Renting & Major PurchasesNot covered here: This is the widest gap on the page. No published objective calculates the real cost of borrowing on a loan, works through a credit application or its approval factors, or covers the four car-buying items the standard names — negotiation, service contracts and warranties, comparing financing offers, and owning versus leasing. |
5 · Risk Management
| Standard | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 5.1 Insurance |
Differentiate the benefits and costs associated with various types of insurance, such as health, life, property, and auto. Describe the risks associated with a lack of appropriate coverage in specific situations. Determine the role of insurance in personal financial planning to preserve and build wealth with financial stability and security. | PartlyInsurance & Risk · Renting & Major PurchasesNot covered here: Two of the four types this names are not covered specifically: health insurance and life insurance. The unit teaches the framework on a generic policy, which applies to both, but a reviewer looking for a health-insurance day will not find one. |
| 5.2 Identity Theft |
Conduct assessments of various types of identity theft situations and scams; then determine strategies and present a plan to safeguard and protect against identity theft. Design and present a plan to significantly lower and protect against risks. Determine steps that should be taken by a victim of identity theft to report the incident and re-establish identity. | PartlyModern Payments, Scams & Fraud · Banking & CheckingNot covered here: The recovery half is missing: no published objective covers the steps a victim takes to report identity theft and re-establish their identity, and none asks for the safeguarding plan this sub-standard sets as the deliverable. |
6 · Saving and Investing
| Standard | What it asks for | Where the course covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 6.1 Saving and Investing |
Explain how saving and investing contribute to financial well-being, building wealth, and helping meet personal financial goals. Compare and contrast saving and investment strategies, such as savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, employer-sponsored savings plans, physical assets, and commodities. Design a diversified saving and investment plan that includes strategies compatible with personal goals. Include the time value of money and compound interest calculations in the analysis. | PartlySaving & Emergency Funds · Investing & Long-Term GrowthNot covered here: The comparison is missing. Tennessee names eight vehicles — savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, employer-sponsored plans, physical assets and commodities — and no published objective compares them; nor does any cover diversification or ask for the designed investment plan this sub-standard sets as the deliverable. |
The Gaps
The 3 standards these units do not teach
No single course covers 21 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.
- 1.4 Explore emerging technologies such as cryptocurrency and the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in personal finance, examining their potential benefits and risks, and critically evaluating their role in financial decision-making processes to make informed choices aligned with ethical principles and long-term financial well- being.No published objective covers cryptocurrency or the ethical use of artificial intelligence in personal finance. This is the newest content in Tennessee’s standards and the course does not teach it. Elsewhere on this site: Investing articles, Scams & Fraud articles.
- 3.1 Using money management tools such as online computer-based budgeting tools or hardcopy forms, create a personal balance sheet, determine assets and liabilities, and calculate net worth for an identified career.No published objective builds a personal balance sheet or calculates net worth. The Budgeting unit works in income and expenses, not assets and liabilities. Elsewhere on this site: Money Basics articles.
- 3.4 Evaluate the process of buying a home, including steps such as saving for a down payment, understanding mortgage options, and assessing housing affordability to make informed decisions about homeownership and its long-term financial implications.No published objective covers buying a home. The Renting unit’s published scope stops before mortgages and down payments — one of its four stated boundaries. Elsewhere on this site: Housing lessons & worksheets, Housing 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.
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