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Instructional Requirements
In March 2026, the New York State Board of Regents adopted an amendment to Section 100.2 of the Commissioner’s Regulations requiring instruction in personal finance education and climate education for all public school students in kindergarten through grade 12. These new requirements will be implemented across elementary, middle, and high schools during a three-year phase-in.
Students must receive age-appropriate instruction in these topics by the end of elementary school (grade 4), middle school (grade 8), and high school (grade 12), ensuring knowledge and skills build progressively. To confirm compliance during the phase-in period, school districts must submit verification to the Commissioner of Education that instruction has been provided within the required grade bands.
The New York State Education Department (NYSED), in collaboration with advisory committees and experts in the fields of personal finance and climate education, is creating grade band objectives to guide instruction across elementary, middle, and high school levels to ensure developmental alignment across grade bands. See NYSED Personal Finance Learning Objectives March 2026.
Implementation and Verification Timeline
See the full version of the document for a timeline for implementation and verification across the K-12 grade bands:
Districts have flexibility to determine when and how instruction is delivered within each grade band, including whether instruction occurs across multiple grades or in a specific course or year.
Personal Finance: Required Topics and Implementation Options
Personal Finance instruction must address the following five core topics:
• Budgeting and Money Management •
• Credit and Debit Management •
• Earning Income •
• Risk Management •
• Saving and Investing •
School districts and BOCES have some flexibility in how personal finance instruction is delivered. Instruction may be provided through one or more of the following implementation options:
- Embedded Instruction - topics integrated into existing courses such as mathematics, science, or social studies within a grade band
- Stand-Alone Course - dedicated course that addresses required topics
- Career and Technical Education
- Middle level: Financial and Consumer Literacy module within the middle-level CTE requirement
- High school: NYSED-approved CTE programs that include ½ unit of Career and Financial Management
Climate Education: Required Topics and Implementation Options
Climate instruction is intended to support age-appropriate instruction that promotes student awareness, critical thinking, and civic engagement related to environmental challenges. It must address three core areas:
• Causes of Climate Change •
• Impacts of Climate Change •
• Solutions for Climate Change •
School districts and BOCES have some flexibility in how climate education instruction is delivered. Instruction may be provided through one or more of the following implementation options:
- Embedded Instruction: topics integrated into existing courses such as mathematics, science, or social studies within a grade band
- Stand-Alone Course: dedicated course that addresses required topics
Guidance for Local Leaders
- Districts are not required to use all implementation options for personal finance and climate education, but instruction must address all five topics in personal finance and all three topics in climate education.
- Personal finance and climate education instruction must be provided by appropriately certified teachers.
For more information, see NYSED Climate Education FAQ and Personal Finance Education FAQ
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