LCO No. 2452 1 of 12
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5434
February Session, 2020
LCO No. 2452
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(ED)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E TREASURER'S RECOMM ENDATIONS
FOR THE INCLUSION OF FINANCIAL LITERACY IN THE PUBLIC
SCHOOL CURRICULUM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-16b of the 2020 supplement to the general 1
statutes, as amended by section 1 of public act 19-12, is repealed and the 2
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 3
(a) In the public schools the program of instruction offered shall 4
include at least the following subject matter, as taught by legally 5
qualified teachers, the arts; career education; consumer education, 6
which shall include personal financial management in accordance with 7
the provisions of section 2 of this act; health and safety, including, but 8
not limited to, human growth and development, nutrition, first aid, 9
including cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in accordance with 10
the provisions of section 10-16qq, disease prevention and cancer 11
awareness, including, but not limited to, age and developmentally 12
appropriate instruction in performing self-examinations for the 13
purposes of screening for breast cancer and testicular cancer, 14 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 2 of 12
community and consumer health, physical, mental and emotional 15
health, including youth suicide prevention, substance abuse prevention, 16
including instruction relating to opioid use and related disorders, safety, 17
which shall include the safe use of social media, as defined in section 9-18
601, and may include the dangers of gang membership, and accident 19
prevention; language arts, including reading, writing, grammar, 20
speaking and spelling; mathematics; physical education; science, which 21
may include the climate change curriculum described in subsection (d) 22
of this section; social studies, including, but not limited to, citizenship, 23
economics, geography, government, history and Holocaust and 24
genocide education and awareness in accordance with the provisions of 25
section 10-18f; African-American and black studies in accordance with 26
the provisions of section 10-16ss; Puerto Rican and Latino studies in 27
accordance with the provisions of section 10-16ss; computer 28
programming instruction; and in addition, on at least the secondary 29
level, one or more world languages; vocational education; and the black 30
and Latino studies course in accordance with the provisions of sections 31
10-16tt and 10-16uu. For purposes of this subsection, world languages 32
shall include American Sign Language, provided such subject matter is 33
taught by a qualified instructor under the supervision of a teacher who 34
holds a certificate issued by the State Board of Education. For purposes 35
of this subsection, the "arts" means any form of visual or performing 36
arts, which may include, but not be limited to, dance, music, art and 37
theatre. 38
(b) If a local or regional board of education requires its pupils to take 39
a course in a world language, the parent or guardian of a pupil 40
identified as deaf or hard of hearing may request in writing that such 41
pupil be exempted from such requirement and, if such a request is 42
made, such pupil shall be exempt from such requirement. 43
(c) Each local and regional board of education shall on September 1, 44
1982, and annually thereafter at such time and in such manner as the 45
Commissioner of Education shall request, attest to the State Board of 46
Education that such local or regional board of education offers at least 47
the program of instruction required pursuant to this section, and that 48 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 3 of 12
such program of instruction is planned, ongoing and systematic. 49
(d) The State Board of Education shall make available curriculum 50
materials and such other materials as may assist local and regional 51
boards of education in developing instructional programs pursuant to 52
this section. The State Board of Education, within available 53
appropriations and utilizing available resource materials, shall assist 54
and encourage local and regional boards of education to include: (1) 55
Holocaust and genocide education and awareness; (2) the historical 56
events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland; (3) African-American 57
and black studies; (4) Puerto Rican and Latino studies; (5) Native 58
American history; (6) personal financial management, including, but not 59
limited to, financial literacy as developed in the plan provided under 60
section 10-16pp; (7) training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the 61
use of automatic external defibrillators; (8) labor history and law, 62
including organized labor, the collective bargaining process, existing 63
legal protections in the workplace, the history and economics of free 64
market capitalism and entrepreneurialism, and the role of labor and 65
capitalism in the development of the American and world economies; 66
(9) climate change consistent with the Next Generation Science 67
Standards; (10) topics approved by the state board upon the request of 68
local or regional boards of education as part of the program of 69
instruction offered pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; and (11) 70
instruction relating to the Safe Haven Act, sections 17a-57 to 17a-61, 71
inclusive. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 72
shall be available to each local and regional board of education for the 73
development of curriculum on climate change as described in this 74
subsection. 75
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) For the school year 76
commencing July 1, 2021, and each school year thereafter, each local and 77
regional board of education shall include personal financial 78
management, including, but not limited to, financial literacy as 79
developed in the plan provided under section 10-16pp of the general 80
statutes, as part of the consumer education curriculum for the school 81
district, pursuant to section 10-16b of the general statutes, as amended 82 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 4 of 12
by this act. In developing and implementing the personal financial 83
management curriculum, the board may utilize existing and 84
appropriate public or private materials, personnel and other resources, 85
including the curriculum materials made available by the State Board of 86
Education pursuant to subsection (d) of section 10-16b of the general 87
statutes, as amended by this act. 88
(b) A local or regional board of education may accept gifts, grants and 89
donations, including in-kind donations, designated for the development 90
and implementation of the personal financial management curriculum 91
under this section. 92
Sec. 3. Section 10-221a of the 2020 supplement to the general statutes 93
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 94
1, 2020): 95
(a) For classes graduating from 1988 to 2003, inclusive, no local or 96
regional board of education shall permit any student to graduate from 97
high school or grant a diploma to any student who has not satisfactorily 98
completed a minimum of twenty credits, not fewer than four of which 99
shall be in English, not fewer than three in mathematics, not fewer than 100
three in social studies, not fewer than two in science, not fewer than one 101
in the arts or vocational education and not fewer than one in physical 102
education. 103
(b) For classes graduating from 2004 to 2022, inclusive, no local or 104
regional board of education shall permit any student to graduate from 105
high school or grant a diploma to any student who has not satisfactorily 106
completed a minimum of twenty credits, not fewer than four of which 107
shall be in English, not fewer than three in mathematics, not fewer than 108
three in social studies, including at least a one-half credit course on 109
civics and American government, not fewer than two in science, not 110
fewer than one in the arts or vocational education and not fewer than 111
one in physical education. 112
(c) Commencing with classes graduating in 2023, and for each 113
graduating class thereafter, no local or regional board of education shall 114 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 5 of 12
permit any student to graduate from high school or grant a diploma to 115
any student who has not satisfactorily completed a minimum of twenty-116
five credits, including not fewer than: (1) Nine credits in the humanities, 117
including civics and the arts; (2) nine credits in science, technology, 118
engineering and mathematics; (3) one credit in physical education and 119
wellness; (4) one credit in health and safety education, as described in 120
section 10-16b, as amended by this act; (5) one credit in world languages, 121
subject to the provisions of subsection [(g)] (h) of this section; and (6) a 122
one credit mastery-based diploma assessment. 123
(d) Commencing with classes graduating in 2025, and for each 124
graduating class thereafter, no local or regional board of education shall 125
permit any student to graduate from high school or grant a diploma to 126
any student who has not satisfactorily completed a minimum of twenty-127
five credits, including not fewer than: (1) Nine credits in the humanities, 128
including civics and the arts; (2) nine credits in science, technology, 129
engineering and mathematics; (3) one credit in physical education and 130
wellness; (4) one credit in health and safety education, as described in 131
section 10-16b, as amended by this act; (5) one credit in world languages, 132
subject to the provisions of subsection (h) of this section; and (6) a one 133
credit mastery-based diploma assessment. At least one credit, which 134
may count toward the requirement described in subdivision (2) of this 135
subsection shall be in personal financial management. 136
[(d)] (e) Commencing with classes graduating in 2023, and for each 137
graduating class thereafter, local and regional boards of education shall 138
provide adequate student support and remedial services for students 139
beginning in grade seven. Such student support and remedial services 140
shall provide alternate means for a student to complete any of the high 141
school graduation requirements described in subsection (c) of this 142
section, if such student is unable to satisfactorily complete any of the 143
required courses or exams. Such student support and remedial services 144
shall include, but not be limited to, (1) allowing students to retake 145
courses in summer school or through an on-line course; (2) allowing 146
students to enroll in a class offered at a constituent unit of the state 147
system of higher education, as defined in section 10a-1, pursuant to 148 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 6 of 12
subdivision (4) of subsection [(g)] (h) of this section; (3) allowing 149
students who received a failing score, as determined by the 150
Commissioner of Education, on an end of the school year exam to take 151
an alternate form of the exam; and (4) allowing those students whose 152
individualized education programs state that such students are eligible 153
for an alternate assessment to demonstrate competency on any of the 154
five core courses through success on such alternate assessment. 155
[(e)] (f) Any student who presents a certificate from a physician or 156
advanced practice registered nurse stating that, in the opinion of the 157
physician or advanced practice registered nurse, participation in 158
physical education is medically contraindicated because of the physical 159
condition of such student, shall be excused from the physical education 160
requirement, provided the credit for physical education may be fulfilled 161
by an elective. 162
[(f)] (g) Determination of eligible credits shall be at the discretion of 163
the local or regional board of education, provided the primary focus of 164
the curriculum of eligible credits corresponds directly to the subject 165
matter of the specified course requirements. The local or regional board 166
of education may permit a student to graduate during a period of 167
expulsion pursuant to section 10-233d, if the board determines the 168
student has satisfactorily completed the necessary credits pursuant to 169
this section. The requirements of this section shall apply to any student 170
requiring special education pursuant to section 10-76a, except when the 171
planning and placement team for such student determines the 172
requirement not to be appropriate. For purposes of this section, a credit 173
shall consist of not less than the equivalent of a forty-minute class period 174
for each school day of a school year except for a credit or part of a credit 175
toward high school graduation earned (1) at an institution accredited by 176
the Board of Regents for Higher Education or Office of Higher 177
Education or regionally accredited, (2) through on-line coursework that 178
is in accordance with a policy adopted pursuant to subsection [(g)] (h) 179
of this section, or (3) through a demonstration of mastery based on 180
competency and performance standards, in accordance with guidelines 181
adopted by the State Board of Education. 182 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 7 of 12
[(g)] (h) Only courses taken in grades nine to twelve, inclusive, and 183
that are in accordance with the state-wide subject matter content 184
standards, adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 185
10-4, shall satisfy the graduation requirements set forth in this section, 186
except that a local or regional board of education may grant a student 187
credit (1) toward meeting the high school graduation requirements 188
upon the successful demonstration of mastery of the subject matter 189
content described in this section achieved through educational 190
experiences and opportunities that provide flexible and multiple 191
pathways to learning, including cross -curricular graduation 192
requirements, career and technical education, virtual learning, work-193
based learning, service learning, dual enrollment and early college, 194
courses taken in middle school, internships and student-designed 195
independent studies, provided such demonstration of mastery is in 196
accordance with such state-wide subject matter content standards; (2) 197
toward meeting a specified course requirement upon the successful 198
completion in grade seven or eight of any course, the primary focus of 199
which corresponds directly to the subject matter of a specified course 200
requirement in grades nine to twelve, inclusive; (3) toward meeting the 201
high school graduation requirement upon the successful completion of 202
a world language course (A) in grade six, seven or eight, (B) through on-203
line coursework, or (C) offered privately through a nonprofit provider, 204
provided such student achieves a passing grade on an examination 205
prescribed, within available appropriations, by the Commissioner of 206
Education and such credits do not exceed four; (4) toward meeting the 207
high school graduation requirement upon achievement of a passing 208
grade on a subject area proficiency examination identified and 209
approved, within available appropriations, by the Commissioner of 210
Education, regardless of the number of hours the student spent in a 211
public school classroom learning such subject matter; (5) toward 212
meeting the high school graduation requirement upon the successful 213
completion of coursework during the school year or summer months at 214
an institution accredited by the Board of Regents for Higher Education 215
or Office of Higher Education or regionally accredited. One three-credit 216
semester course, or its equivalent, at such an institution shall equal one-217 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 8 of 12
half credit for purposes of this section; (6) toward meeting the high 218
school graduation requirement upon the successful completion of on-219
line coursework, provided the local or regional board of education has 220
adopted a policy in accordance with this subdivision for the granting of 221
credit for on-line coursework. Such a policy shall ensure, at a minimum, 222
that (A) the workload required by the on-line course is equivalent to that 223
of a similar course taught in a traditional classroom setting, (B) the 224
content is rigorous and aligned with curriculum guidelines approved 225
by the State Board of Education, where appropriate, (C) the course 226
engages students and has interactive components, which may include, 227
but are not limited to, required interactions between students and their 228
teachers, participation in on-line demonstrations, discussion boards or 229
virtual labs, (D) the program of instruction for such on-line coursework 230
is planned, ongoing and systematic, and (E) the courses are (i) taught by 231
teachers who are certified in the state or another state and have received 232
training on teaching in an on-line environment, or (ii) offered by 233
institutions of higher education that are accredited by the Board of 234
Regents for Higher Education or Office of Higher Education or 235
regionally accredited; or (7) toward meeting the high school graduation 236
requirement upon the successful completion of the academic 237
advancement program, pursuant to section 10-5c. 238
[(h)] (i) A local or regional board of education may offer one-half 239
credit in community service which, if satisfactorily completed, shall 240
qualify for high school graduation credit pursuant to this section, 241
provided such community service is supervised by a certified school 242
administrator or teacher and consists of not less than fifty hours of actual 243
service that may be performed at times when school is not regularly in 244
session and not less than ten hours of related classroom instruction. For 245
purposes of this section, community service does not include partisan 246
political activities. The State Board of Education shall assist local and 247
regional boards of education in meeting the requirements of this section. 248
The State Board of Education shall award a community service 249
recognition award to any student who satisfactorily completes fifty 250
hours or more of community service in accordance with the provisions 251 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 9 of 12
of this subsection. 252
[(i)] (j) (1) A local or regional board of education may award a 253
diploma to a veteran, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, or a 254
person with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who has 255
received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active 256
service in the armed forces, which veteran or person served during 257
World War II or the Korean hostilities, as described in section 51-49h, or 258
during the Vietnam Era, as defined in section 27-103, withdrew from 259
high school prior to graduation in order to serve in the armed forces of 260
the United States and did not receive a diploma as a consequence of such 261
service. 262
(2) A local or regional board of education may award a diploma to 263
any person who (A) withdrew from high school prior to graduation to 264
work in a job that assisted the war effort during World War II, December 265
7, 1941, to December 31, 1946, inclusive, (B) did not receive a diploma as 266
a consequence of such work, and (C) has been a resident of the state for 267
at least fifty consecutive years. 268
[(j)] (k) For the school year commencing July 1, 2012, and each school 269
year thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall create a 270
student success plan for each student enrolled in a public school, 271
beginning in grade six. Such student success plan shall include a 272
student's career and academic choices in grades six to twelve, inclusive. 273
Beginning in grade six, such student success plan shall provide evidence 274
of career exploration in each grade including, but not limited to, careers 275
in manufacturing. The Department of Education shall revise and issue 276
to local and regional boards of education guidance regarding changes 277
to such student success plans. On and after July 1, 2020, in creating such 278
student success plans, consideration shall be given to career and 279
academic choices in computer science, science, technology, engineering 280
and mathematics. 281
[(k)] (l) Commencing with classes graduating in 2018, and for each 282
graduating class thereafter, a local or regional board of education may 283 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 10 of 12
affix the Connecticut State Seal of Biliteracy, as described in subsection 284
(f) of section 10-5, to a diploma awarded to a student who has achieved 285
a high level of proficiency in English and one or more foreign languages, 286
as defined in said subsection (f). The local or regional board of education 287
shall include on such student's transcript a designation that the student 288
received the Connecticut State Seal of Biliteracy. 289
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than July 1, 2021, the 290
Department of Education shall develop the curriculum for a course in 291
personal financial management. Such course shall count as one credit 292
for purposes of the high school graduation requirements pursuant to 293
section 10-221a of the general statutes, as amended by this act. In 294
developing and implementing the curriculum for the course in personal 295
financial management, the department may utilize existing and 296
appropriate public or private materials, personnel and other resources, 297
including the curriculum materials made available pursuant to 298
subsection (d) of section 10-16b of the general statutes, as amended by 299
this act. 300
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than July 1, 2021, 301
the State Board of Education shall develop and adopt a model 302
curriculum for grades kindergarten to eight, inclusive. Such model 303
curriculum shall be in accordance with the provisions of section 10-16b 304
of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and include personal 305
financial management within and among various subject matter areas. 306
The state board shall make such model curriculum available on the 307
Internet web site of the Department of Education. 308
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2021, and each school year 309
thereafter, the Department of Education shall provide, upon request of 310
a local or regional board of education, technical assistance and training 311
to assist in the implementation of the model curriculum for grades 312
kindergarten to eight, inclusive. 313
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective from passage) For the fiscal years ending June 314
30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, there is established a personal financial 315 Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 11 of 12
management pilot program to be administered by the Capitol Region 316
Education Council. The council shall assist member school districts in 317
the provision of personal financial management instruction using the 318
curriculum materials developed pursuant to section 4 of this act. Such 319
assistance by the council may include, but need not be limited to, the 320
collection and dissemination of curriculum materials, and the use of 321
advisors who have expertise in personal financial management and who 322
can provide assistance to teachers in such personal financial 323
management instruction in classrooms. For purposes of this section, 324
"member school districts" means those local and regional boards of 325
education that are members of the Capitol Region Education Council. 326
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2020) Notwithstanding the provisions 327
of subsection (g) of section 10-221a of the general statutes, as amended 328
by this act, for the school year commencing July 1, 2021, a credit in 329
personal financial management may cumulatively meet the forty-330
minute class period for each school day requirement by taking separate 331
courses that meet the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of 332
section 10-221a of the general statutes, as amended by this act, in grades 333
nine to twelve, inclusive, and shall be considered a cross-curricular 334
graduation requirement pursuant to subsection (h) of said section 10-335
221a of the general statutes, provided a portion of the curriculum for 336
such credits corresponds to the subject matter of personal financial 337
management. 338
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 10-16b
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2020 10-221a
Sec. 4 from passage New section
Sec. 5 from passage New section
Sec. 6 from passage New section
Sec. 7 July 1, 2020 New section
Raised Bill No. 5434
LCO No. 2452 12 of 12
Statement of Purpose:
To (1) include instruction of personal financial management in the
public school curriculum and as part of the high school graduation
requirements; (2) require the development of a course in personal
financial management and a model curriculum for grades kindergarten
to eight that includes personal financial management; and (3) establish
a personal financial management pilot program.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]