Financial Algebra: Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications
Core Code Alignment
Mathematics
Other Mathematics
07070000020: Mathematics of Personal Finance
Other Mathematics
07070000020: Mathematics of Personal Finance
Recommendation
Recommended Primary
Evaluation
The material is a thorough exploration of how algebraic concepts can be applied to a variety of financial situations that students will find themselves dealing with in the future. The examples are well written and provide a logical progression; that being said, the examples in each section are limited in number and in scope of methods to solve. The material provides a variety of assessment question banks that can be pulled from to customize assessments to monitor student progress as well as providing a variety of project options that can be used to introduce students to various tools and further strengthen the connection between concepts in the classroom and tasks outside of the classroom. While aligned with the standards for Mathematics of Personal Finance, there are portions of the material that are more advanced than the standards require and may pose a struggle for students that have found themselves struggling with algebra in earlier courses.
Educators Using These Materials
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Material Categories
Comprehensive
Rubric : Mathematics 2025
Compliance with State Law (Required)
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitive Materials and Prohibited Submission 53G-10-103, R277-628 | Does Not Violate Law | NA | NA | May Violate Law | ||
| Curriculum material does not violate this law. | ||||||
| Prohibited discriminatory practices 53G-2-103-5, 53B-1-118 and 67-27-107 | Does Not Violate Law | NA | NA | May Violate Law | ||
| Curriculum material does not violate this law. | ||||||
| Maintaining constitutional freedom in the public schools. 53G-10-202 | Does Not Violate Law | NA | NA | May Violate Law | ||
| Curriculum material does not violate this law. | ||||||
| Free from advertising, e-commerce, or political interest | Contains none of the listed items. | NA | NA | Contains one or more of the listed items. | ||
| Curriculum material does not violate this law. | ||||||
Focus and Coherence (Non-Negotiable)
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-negotiable materials must focus coherently on the Major Work of the grade in a way that is consistent with the progressions in the standards. 1- Student and teachers using the materials as designed devote the majority of time to the Major Work of the grade. 2- Supporting Work enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by also engaging students in the Major Work of the grade. 3- Materials follow the grade-by-grade progressions in the Standards. Content from previous or future grades does not unduly interfere. 4- Lessons that only include mathematics from previous grades are clearly identified. Materials that do not meet the non-negotiable requirements for Focus and Coherence will not be recommended as primary resources. Please continue with the review to determine if the materials may be recommended for supplemental use. | Meets all non-negotiable requirements | NA | NA | Does not meet the non-negotiable requirements. *see narrative for determination of which requirement(s) was not met | ||
| The content of this collection is a good resource in showing how the various skills of algebra over the years can be used and applied in financial situations. The content, while aligned with the state standards, is a deeper dive into the financial applications of algebra than perhaps the state standards as written are intended. | ||||||
Rigor and Balance
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The materials support the development of students’ conceptual understanding of key mathematical concepts, especially where called for in specific standards or cluster headings. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| The textbook is broken into chapters focusing on different financial applications and the explanations for those concepts and the math needed are well shown. | ||||||
| The materials are designed so that students attain the fluencies and procedural skills required by the Standards. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| Tasks are presented in a logical format and provide well-written directions and images for students to follow in their learning. The work presented may be more in depth than the standards for Mathematics of Personal Finance require; this may lead to students struggling more than otherwise. | ||||||
| The materials are designed so that teachers and students spend sufficient time working with applications, without losing focus on the Major Work of each grade. (Are there single and multi-step contextual problems that develop the mathematics of the grade, afford opportunities for practice, and engage students in problem solving?) | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| The material is application after application and how concepts of algebra can be utilized to solve the problems. For tasks that require multiple steps, justification and explanation are provided to help the flow of the tasks. | ||||||
Standards for Mathematical Practice
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials address the practice standards in such a way as to enrich the Major Work of the grade; practice standards strengthen the focus on Major Work instead of detracting from it, in both teacher and student materials. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| The material provides a support for the standards of Mathematics of Personal Finance. The material allows students to see how algebra is used in specific scenarios, with the goal to develop fluency through application. The material may be more in depth in some areas than what the standards and Major Work require. | ||||||
| Tasks and assessments of student learning are designed to provide evidence of students’ proficiency in the Standards of Mathematical Practice. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| Question banks for possible assessments are well thought out and provide different opportunities to check for student proficiency in the skills. Project ideas are also provided that can tie the concepts more directly into life scenarios. | ||||||
| Materials support the Standards’ emphasis on mathematical reasoning. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| Examples provided in the material are limited and provide few ways of thinking about the problem. The work does provide a context that students can use to ground themselves in while working through the algebraic concepts. | ||||||
Access to the Standards for All Students
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support for English Language learners and other special populations is thoughtful (evidence-based) and helps those students meet the same Standards (and rigor) as all other students. The language in which problems are posed is carefully considered. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| The textbook includes definitions of all vocabulary words in both English and Spanish. The eBook version of the textbook has an easily found and usable read aloud option for students that are in need of that support. | ||||||
| Materials provide scaffolding, differentiation, intervention, and support for a broad range of learners with gradual removal of supports, when needed, to allow students to demonstrated their mathematical understanding independently. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| While the material provided and the context is well thought out, the examples are limited in quantity. For students that need more support or alternate ways of looking at problems and tasks, this resource may not be suitable for their needs. | ||||||
| Design of lessons incorporates strategies such as using multiple representations, deconstructing/reconstructing the language of problems, providing suggestions for addressing common student difficulties, etc. to ensure grade-level progress for all learners. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| Examples provided in the text are well written and explain the process of using the algebraic concepts in a well written and high quality manner. Generally there is only one representation provided for each problem type. | ||||||
| Ethnic Studies- (Ethnic studies in core standards and curriculum should be a narrowly tailored incorporation of age-appropriate opportunities that naturally arise through education without pretextual effort in courses, programs, or activities where ethnic studies is not a primary focus. The material should incorporate a curriculum of people and cultures that reflect the state’s various demographics without commentary that seeks to violate the neutrality standard established in codes: 53B-1-118, 53G-2-103, 53G-2-104, 53G-2-105, 67-27-107, | In addition to the content outlined in “Adequate,” this material offers multiple evidence-based supplemental resources and opportunities for learning about various forms of cultural philosophies and epistemologies from Utah, the United States, and worldwide. The materials provide cultural backgrounds, contemporary real-life experiences, and contexts that are relevant to local students. Some examples may include people with disabilities, various body types, and ages. | This material demonstrates respect for diverse socio-cultural identities. The material provides opportunities to acknowledge and integrate the histories, cultures, contributions, and perspectives of people from the United States and worldwide. The material accurately represents the cultures, languages, traditions, beliefs, values, and customs of people from diverse backgrounds through a variety of texts, examples, scenarios, imagery, and applications. | The material has limited themes of social and cultural histories within the United States and globally. The material provides limited examples of inclusive or cultural real-life experiences and does not include diverse characters. | The material does not meet the requirements within the ethnic studies core standards and curriculum requirements. (53E-4-204.1). | ||
| The material seems limited in its approach to race by including images. The neutral case used in the material generally seems to focus on middle-class and mainstream cultural standards. | ||||||
| Shared Values and Character Traits | The material extends beyond the content outlined in "Adequate", it includes elements that connect Utahns to the world. The material offers multiple evidence-based supplemental resources and opportunities for cultivating character traits in students. The material offers multiple evidence-based supplemental resources and opportunities for cultivating character traits in students. Some examples may include characters with a variety of personalities, education, income, occupation, or behaviors that illustrate character traits. | The material focuses on the shared values of diverse people and communities, the common elements that unite Utahns, and displays some character traits in its imagery and content. It aims to cultivate character traits in students, such as courage, leadership, intelligence, integrity, honesty, respect, morality, civility, duty, honor, and service, along with principles found in the Constitution. | The material lacks a sense of shared values or common elements that unite Utahns. Furthermore, the material has limited resources addressing civic and character education. | The material does not meet the requirements within the ethnic studies core standards and curriculum requirements (53E-4-204.1) and civic and character education. (53G-10-204) | ||
| The emphasis of common financial tasks, such as paying bills and debt, saving for future, budgeting, and the like, are well presented and encouraged throughout the text. Outside of financial applications, character traits and the development of them are not as thoroughly shown in the text. | ||||||
Assessment
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple measurements of individual student progress occur at regular intervals ensuring success of all students. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| Material presents opportunities for teachers to customize their assessments in terms of amount and type of assessments. | ||||||
| Assessments measure what students understand and can do through well designed mathematical tasks and applications. | Meets | Partially meets | N/A | Does not meet | ||
| The assessment question banks provided include a variety of tasks to check for understanding of the standards and skills, but additionally the student's ability to mathematically reason. End of unit project ideas are also presented to help students connect the skills they have been developing to situations that are more likely to occur outside of high school and provide students with tools they can use in the future. | ||||||
UTAH STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807