Every year we hear a lot of rumbling about how today’s generation is not learning “real” money skills in school, like how to do taxes, for instance. Filing taxes is something every student will navigate in the future. While most high schools do a great job of preparing students for their future through college and career readiness, it can be tough to fit in time to help them learn about taxes.
Luckily, we’ve found a FREE, ready-to-go solution to learn about taxes.
Our friends at EVERFI®, in partnership with Intuit for Education, created the powerful, hands-on Tax Simulation: Understanding TaxesTM digital course with engaging video content and activities for high schoolers. The course is designed to increase financial knowledge and confidence while introducing students to the tax process and terminology to prepare them for their financial futures. It’s available in both English and Spanish, and best of all, the tax curriculum is totally FREE.
You don’t need to be a tax expert yourself to use this free tax course.
Let’s face it, taxes can be confusing even for adults! But this tax simulation comes with a mix of teacher resources to help you address the topics covered and answer student questions with no extensive prep work required. There’s even a parent discussion guide to extend the learning at home.
Young people learn by putting themselves in others’ shoes.
Built around stories and interactive exercises, EVERFI and Intuit for Education’s tax curriculum guides students to make real-life decisions about finances while navigating simulated Intuit TurboTax tax preparation software. They’ll work through the experience at their own pace as they help fictional characters navigate their tax preparations and learn how different life situations impact taxes. The core lesson begins by covering tax basics where students learn the importance of filing taxes, how tax preparation software works, and the documents needed. Topics they’ll tackle include paying taxes for a gig-economy job and claiming student loan interest and educational expenses.
It takes just 45 minutes to complete 5 interactive lessons!
The comprehensive tax simulations walk students through important skills to learn why we file taxes, how different life circumstances impact taxes, and the steps required for preparing them.
The five simulations include:
- Filing Your Taxes
- Tax Credits for Families
- Taxes for Gig Workers
- Taxes for Students
- Taxes for Investments
Quality resources lead to quality learning.
With EVERFI’s knack for creating inclusive and immersive digital learning resources, the diverse characters in this course bring personal finance topics to life for students. The tax simulation inspired by Intuit TurboTax software upholds EVERFI’s high standards across their learning experiences and was designed with Bloom’s taxonomy framework of learning and assessment in mind. Plus, the simulation is aligned with Jump$tart Coalition’s National Standards for K-12 Personal Finance Education in addition to EVERFI’s ISTE Seal, Digital Promise Product Certification, and 1EdTech Data Privacy Certification, making them valuable and trusted resources you can count on.
Build your students’ confidence for the future.
Using problem-solving, self-reflection, and scenario-based activities to practice their skills, students will gain the knowledge they need to confidently handle the realities they will soon face outside of the classroom. A high school teacher from Nebraska shared, “This program has allowed my class to gain a better understanding of taxes through the use of their online tax simulations. This is one of my favorite lessons as it teaches real-life skills that my students will need and use throughout their lives.”
Ready to see the tax lessons for yourself? Learn more about EVERFI’s Tax Simulation here.
