Atlee High School has been named one of the best schools in the country for financial literacy education.
Working in Support of Education (W!se), a nonprofit organization based in New York City, announced recently that Atlee has earned the distinction of being named a Blue Star School for its students’ outstanding performance on the 2019-2020 W!se Financial Literacy Certification Test. Atlee is one of just 74 schools across the U.S. to be named a Blue Star School.
Students take the test after a course or unit on personal finance, with those who pass the test becoming Certified Financially Literate™ and earning a W!se CFL™. To earn the Blue Star School designation, a school must achieve an 80% passing rate on the Financial Literacy Certification Test and have either a majority of students on a given grade level take the test or have the students who took it achieve an average score of 85% or higher.
“As we know, there are many metrics that are used to measure student success in the classroom. For me, receiving this award and being one of only 74 schools to earn it means that our staff members continue to implement innovative, relevant, and rigorous lesson planning into their classrooms to ensure that our students are grasping the importance of becoming financially literate in our ever-changing world,” said Dr. John Wheeler, Atlee High School Principal. “When our students leave Atlee, it is extremely important for us to know that we have given them the tools for their toolbox to make sound financial decisions as adults.”
Wheeler credited Atlee’s dedicated teachers for providing dynamic classroom instruction that helps students truly learn financial literacy and other important lessons.
“While there are many factors that go into how students perform on any given assessment, content knowledge, instructional delivery, and the ability to provide quality and timely feedback to our students is critical to their success,” he said. “Our teachers know their content and have a passion to ensure that our students are equipped with the skills they need to be successful. At the end of the day, however, our students continue to exceed expectations for the W!SE Financial Literacy Certification Test and will continue their tradition of excellence.”
He added: “If we continue to be successful in how we deliver quality instruction to our students as it relates to student financial literacy, we are equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to manage money effectively.”
Schools enrolled in the W!se financial literacy program teach a course or unit on personal finance using instructional resources from W!se, including a curriculum outline aligned to national and state standards, and then administer the test. The program is offered in 49 states.