Assigned to ED FOR COMMITTEE ARIZONA STATE SENATE Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1058 schools; academic standards; personal finance Purpose Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to include a half-credit course on personal finance in the social studies high school competency requirements and to adopt rules that establish a voluntary personal finance endorsement for certificated high school teachers. Background The SBE must prescribe a minimum course of study, academic standards and competency requirements for common schools and high schools. High school social studies standards must include American civics and a comparative discussion of political ideologies as outlined and competency requirements must include: 1) receiving a specified score on a test that is identical to the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test; 2) a requirement that students be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between grades 7 and 12; and 3) the completion of at least a half-credit course in economics that includes financial literacy and management. The SBE may consider establishing a separate required personal finance course as a competency requirement for high school graduation (A.R.S. §§ 15-701 – 15-701.02). The SBE supervises and controls the certification of persons engaged in instructional work directly as classroom teachers and other school personnel by adopting rules for the issuance of teaching certificates, including standard teaching certificates and subject-matter expert teaching certificates (A.R.S. § 15-203). There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation. Provisions 1. Requires, beginning with the graduating class of 2028, the SBE to include in the social studies competency requirements that to graduate from high school or obtain a high school equivalency diploma, a pupil must successfully complete a personal finance course that is at least one-half of a course credit and includes personal finance: a) activities, including banking, paying bills, investing, managing credit, paying for college, budgeting, retirement planning, financing home ownership, financing transportation costs and other consumer skills; and b) subjects, including behavioral economics, insurance, types of credit, taxes and tax-advantaged retirement plans. 2. Requires the SBE to adopt rules that establish a voluntary personal finance endorsement for certificated teachers who provide personal finance instruction to students in grades 9 through 12. FACT SHEET S.B. 1087 Page 2 3. Makes technical and conforming changes. 4. Becomes effective on the general effective date. Prepared by Senate Research January 12, 2024 MH/LB/slp