BloomBoard and EVERFI’s Competency-Based Teacher Certification Program on Financial Education Sees Strong Momentum

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 26, 2018 – With Financial Literacy month underway, BloomBoard, the leading platform for competency-based professional learning, and EVERFI, the nation’s software leader in critical skills learning, announced strong momentum of its jointly launched Teacher Certification Program on Financial Education. Launched in spring of 2017, more than 1,100 educators have signed up to participate and become an EVERFI certified teacher by earning their financial literacy micro-credential.

“As more and more states make financial literacy a requirement for all students, it has become increasingly important for educators to understand how to implement financial literacy curricula,” said Ray Martinez, EVERFI Co-Founder and President. “Our Teacher Certification program on financial education enables educators to gain a deeper understanding of EVERFI’s critical skills courses and plan for implementation within their classrooms.”

Feedback around the program has been overwhelmingly positive, with educators agreeing that completing the micro-credential as a means of certification has had a positive impact on their practice. Many cited the ability to collaborate with fellow educators across the country and having a dedicated facilitator to guide them through the program as the most helpful aspects in earning their micro-credential. When asked about the program, educators shared:

• “I’ve attended many PD opportunities over the years, but this (program) was one of the most effective for me. It wasn’t one day, it was ongoing. It wasn’t what they wanted to show off, it was what I needed in my classroom. It wasn’t a one-shot-good-luck-intro, but ongoing training and support. I have learned so much from this micro-credential experience.” – Eileen Lennon, Technology Educator, New York
• “I have always liked to learn from other colleagues so I especially liked the collaboration piece this program offered. It is always cool to see what others are doing as it gives me ideas about new things I can try with my students.” – Tammy Ravel, Secondary Education Teacher, Illinois
• “I felt myself being more mindful of the items that I wanted my students to do. I felt that I was more encouraging with this whole EVERFI program – I had the best participation and completion with this term’s classes.” – John Daly, Secondary Education Teacher, Michigan

Competency-based approaches to professional learning are gaining momentum across the country, with 12 states already recognizing micro-credentials as a means for teacher certification and renewal. For example, in Utah where financial literacy has been taught in high schools for more than a decade, state legislation passed that requires educators to obtain up to 16 credit hours of training in order to teach a financial literacy class. The EVERFI Financial Education Certified Teacher micro-credential will be offered as an option for receiving credit towards their endorsement.

In Nevada, financial literacy has been a requirement for high schools since 2009. Clark County School District, the state’s largest district and the 5th largest district in the country, has recently partnered with BloomBoard to prepare teachers with the tools and resources needed for the state’s financial literacy standards in elementary, middle and high school. Washoe County School District is also funding spots for 170 financial literacy educators to enroll in the program this semester.

“Financial literacy is a critical subject that is often overlooked in school curriculums,” said Sanford Kenyon, CEO of BloomBoard. “BloomBoard and EVERFI’s Teacher Certification Program on Financial Education was designed to provide educators with the knowledge and resources they need to teach the fundamentals of financial literacy. We are excited to see the positive impact it is having on educators and students across the country.”

Due to the success of the Financial Education program, EVERFI and BloomBoard also launched a STEM certification program in the fall of 2017 and nearly 250 teachers applied to participate. For more information about the STEM and Financial Education programs, visit www.everfi.com/certified-teacher-program.

Administrators interested in bringing micro-credentials to their entire district can contact BloomBoard at hello@bloomboard.com.