Maryland's Draft Personal Financial Literacy Standards: What Changed Since 2011 and How to Comment by October 16
October is National Economic Education Month. In Maryland, it lands in the middle of a public comment period most families and a lot of educators still haven't heard about.
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is taking feedback on eight draft Personal Financial Literacy Education standards through Friday, October 16, 2026. This is the first major rewrite of the Maryland personal financial literacy standards since 2011.
One review takes about 10 minutes. No account or login is needed. After October 16, the window closes and the draft goes to the workgroup revising it before it reaches the Maryland State Board of Education.
Key Takeaways
MSDE's public comment period on the draft Maryland personal financial literacy standards runs from August 11 through October 16, 2026, and each of the eight draft standards has its own feedback form.
The 2026 draft contains eight standards and 130 indicators, starting with a K-2 grade band and running through grade 12. The previous Maryland financial literacy standards, adopted in 2011, had six standards and started at grade 3.
Two areas in the 2026 draft have no direct 2011 equivalent: behavioral finance (Standard 7) and financial identity and digital safety (Standard 8). Saving also becomes its own standard instead of sharing one with investing.
Maryland's revised math standards, adopted by the Maryland State Board of Education on July 29, 2025, made money assessed Grade 1 content for the first time in school year 2026-2027.
The comments a revision workgroup can act on name one standard, one grade band, and one indicator, then say what would make it stronger.
What are Maryland's draft personal financial literacy standards?
Maryland's draft personal financial literacy standards are eight proposed content standards, published by MSDE's Division of College and Career Pathways, that set what every public school student learns about money from a K-2 grade band through grade 12. Together they hold 130 indicators. None of it is final until the State Board adopts it.
Here's the full set, with the indicator counts MSDE lists on its comment page:
# | Draft standard | Indicators |
1 | Earning & Income | 15 |
2 | Spending & Consumer Skills | 17 |
3 | Saving | 15 |
4 | Investing & Building Wealth | 17 |
5 | Credit & Debt Management | 17 |
6 | Risk Management & Protection | 17 |
7 | Financial Decision-Making & Behavioral Finance | 17 |
8 | Financial Identity & Digital Safety | 15 |
MSDE, led by State Superintendent Carey M. Wright, Ed.D., posts each draft exactly as proposed. The department is explicit that nothing on the page is a recommendation and no part of the draft is final until adoption.
That matters because Maryland gives districts wide latitude on how financial literacy actually gets delivered. As we covered in our look at how the Blueprint for Maryland's Future handles financial literacy, the requirement lives at the standards level. The standards are the floor every district builds on.
How does the 2026 draft compare to Maryland's 2011 standards?
The 2026 draft adds two standards, moves the starting point from grade 3 down to a K-2 band, and gives saving its own standard. Maryland's December 2011 financial literacy standards had six standards for grades 3 through 12. Most of those six map onto the new eight by title. One new area maps to nothing.
2026 draft standard | Closest 2011 standard (by title) | What changed |
1. Earning & Income | 2. Relate careers, education, and income | Renamed around income itself |
2. Spending & Consumer Skills | 3. Plan and manage money | Shifts from budgeting to consumer skills |
3. Saving | 5. Create and build wealth (shared) | Split out as its own standard |
4. Investing & Building Wealth | 5. Create and build wealth | Investing keeps the wealth focus |
5. Credit & Debt Management | 4. Manage credit and debt | Largely continuous |
6. Risk Management & Protection | 6. Manage risks and preserve wealth | Largely continuous |
7. Financial Decision-Making & Behavioral Finance | 1. Make informed, financially responsible decisions | Behavioral finance is new |
8. Financial Identity & Digital Safety | None | Entirely new area |
This is a title-level comparison. It shows where each topic lives, not whether the indicators underneath got harder, easier, or more specific. That second question is exactly what reviewers can answer in the feedback forms.
Three changes worth a reviewer's attention
The starting grade drops. The 2011 standards began at grade 3. Every 2026 draft standard starts with a K-2 band, so kindergarten through second grade teachers are now part of the audience for this document.
Saving stands alone. The 2011 "Create and build wealth" standard covered saving and investing together. The 2026 draft gives Saving its own 15 indicators and leaves Investing & Building Wealth with 17.
Two topics are new. The 2011 decision-making standard didn't use the language of behavioral finance, and nothing in 2011 addressed financial identity or digital safety. Those are the two areas with the least prior classroom practice behind them, which makes educator feedback on them more valuable.
Why does National Economic Education Month matter for Maryland in 2026?
National Economic Education Month is an October observance promoted by the Council for Economic Education, its state affiliates, and the Federal Reserve System to support economics and personal finance teaching in schools. In Maryland this year, it overlaps with two live changes: new money standards in elementary math and the open comment period on financial literacy.
The Maryland Council on Economic Education, the state's CEE affiliate, is urging educators, families, and financial professionals to take part in the comment process.
Money is now assessed math content in Grades 1 and 2
The Maryland State Board of Education adopted the revised Maryland College and Career Ready Standards (MCCRS) for Mathematics on July 29, 2025, with Pre-K through Grade 8 implementation in school year 2026-2027.
The revised math standards put money in front of younger students than before:
Grade 1, standard 1.GR.C.6: students identify and know the value of the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter, and the $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills. Grade 1 had no money standard under the 2010 math standards.
Grade 2, standard 2.GR.C.9: students count mixed sets of coins and bills within $20.00 to solve problems in context.
Our breakdown of the new Maryland math standards for K-2 covers what changed at each grade. The short version: the K-2 band of the financial literacy draft will land in classrooms that are already teaching coins and bills as assessed math. Reviewers who teach those grades can say whether the two documents fit together.
The national numbers point the same direction
The 2026 TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index, released June 1, 2026, found that U.S. adults answered 47% of its 28 personal finance questions correctly on average, the lowest result in the survey's 10-year history.
The same 2026 P-Fin Index found Gen Z answered only 38% of questions correctly, and the share of adults with very low financial literacy grew from 20% in 2017 to 25% in 2026.
Comprehending risk was the weakest area in the 2026 P-Fin Index, with only 36% of risk questions answered correctly. If you only have time to review one draft standard, that data makes a decent case for Standard 6, Risk Management & Protection.
How do you submit feedback on the draft standards?
To comment on the draft financial literacy standards, go to MSDE's Personal Financial Literacy Standards 2026-2027 page, open the draft document for the standard you want to review, then use that standard's feedback button. Each of the eight standards has its own form. No login is required, one review takes about 10 minutes, and the deadline is October 16, 2026.
Open the MSDE draft standards and feedback page.
Pick one standard and open its draft document.
Read the indicators for the grade band you know best.
Click the feedback button for that same standard and fill out the form.
Repeat for any other standard you want to weigh in on.
You don't need to review all eight. Doing every standard takes roughly 80 minutes. One well-aimed review is more useful than eight rushed ones.
What the feedback form asks
The form for each draft standard asks reviewers to weigh in on:
Whether the standard is clearly written and students know what to do
Whether the scope fits each grade band
Whether it reflects skills students need for adult life and work
Whether it's teachable within a typical course's time
Whether schools can get the materials and training it requires
Whether it accommodates diverse learners
Whether the proficiency descriptors and assessment guidance are usable
The form asks for your role and title. No school district affiliation is required. Questions about the process can go to MSDE's Division of College and Career Pathways at occpcteprograms.msde@maryland.gov.
Who should comment, and what makes feedback useful?
Anyone with direct knowledge of how money skills show up, or don't, in Maryland classrooms, homes, and workplaces should comment. That includes K-12 teachers, financial counselors, workforce development staff, employers, community organizations, and parents. The revision workgroup can act fastest on comments tied to a specific standard, grade band, and indicator.
Different reviewers see different gaps:
K-12 educators can judge teachable time and whether materials and training actually exist for each indicator.
Financial counselors, including Accredited Financial Counselors, see which adult credit and debt problems trace back to things nobody taught in school. Standards 5 and 7 are the natural place for that input.
Workforce development staff and employers know what new workers don't understand about wages, withholding, and reading a pay stub. That's Standard 1 territory.
Community organizations that run hands-on programs, like financial literacy simulations for students, can say what's realistic to teach and assess.
Parents and caregivers of young children can speak to the new K-2 band, and whether the indicators match what money lessons for elementary students look like at home.
A simple format for a useful comment
General observations are welcome. Specific ones get used. A comment built like this gives the workgroup something to act on:
Standard: [number and name] Grade band: [for example, K-2] Indicator: [the indicator as written] The problem: [unclear wording, too much for the grade band, no materials available, missing skill] The fix: [what would make it stronger] Why I know: [your role and what you've seen]
Three sentences in that shape will carry more weight than three paragraphs of general support.
Frequently asked questions
When does public comment on the Maryland financial literacy standards close?
The MSDE public comment period closes on October 16, 2026. It opened on August 11, 2026. Comments submitted after October 16 won't reach the workgroup revising the draft.
Do I have to be a Maryland teacher to submit feedback?
No. The feedback form asks for your role and title, but no school district affiliation is required. Parents, financial professionals, employers, and community organizations can all submit.
How many standards are in the Maryland draft?
The draft has eight standards with 130 indicators in total, each running from a K-2 grade band through grade 12. Maryland's 2011 standards had six standards covering grades 3 through 12.
Who adopts the final Maryland personal financial literacy standards?
The Maryland State Board of Education adopts them. MSDE's revision workgroup reviews public comments and revises the draft first, then the standards go to the State Board for consideration.
What is National Economic Education Month?
National Economic Education Month is observed every October to promote economics and personal finance education in U.S. schools. The Council for Economic Education, its state affiliates, and the Federal Reserve System all run activities and share resources during the month.
What to do before October 16
Pick one standard. Read the grade band you know. Fill out one form. Then send the MSDE link to one colleague who knows a different grade band than you do.
The Maryland personal financial literacy standards will set the floor for what every public school student learns about money for years. Comments on the draft financial literacy standards close October 16.
Diapers 2 Deposits, founded by Accredited Financial Counselor Whitney Ramirez, delivers K-12 financial literacy programming across Maryland. If your school or district wants help aligning instruction once the final standards are adopted, see how we work with schools.
