Assess development of the building blocks of financial capability
CFPB has resources for assessing young people’s progress toward achievement of the financial capability milestones.
To help young people develop the building blocks of financial capability, it’s important to gauge what they know, understand, and can do.
To support this effort, we have designed a series of assessment tools informed by the CFPB’s measurement guide. These tools assess the attitudes, skills, and habits a young person has by measuring their development of three interconnected building blocks of financial capability: executive function, financial habits and norms, and financial knowledge and decision-making skills. You can use this information to measure childrens’ progress and inform classroom teaching.
Administer the youth financial capability survey
CFPB has developed a financial capability survey to help young people understand their own financial capability including their areas of strength and areas for growth. They can use this information to reflect on what they may do to improve their financial capability.

Identifying young people’s emerging financial capability at a specific moment in time gives a picture of what developmental milestones have been achieved. In addition, it can show progress over time. You can administer a PDF version at home or in the classroom using the grade-level specific materials below.
General assessment tools for educators
To help you measure and track children’s development of the building blocks of financial capability, CFPB designed these easy to use measurement tools. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age.
Developmental milestones chart
Measure your students’ knowledge and skills development according to established financial capability milestones.
Class tally sheet
Record and review students' assessment results to identify opportunities for teaching the building blocks.
Our development model
CFPB has identified a set of guidelines and measures based on existing research studies and evaluation tools that can be used to assess children’s progress toward achievement of financial capability milestones.
Building blocks of youth financial capability
Our evidence-based developmental model provides strategies for supporting financial capability from early childhood through adolescence.
Measurement guide to assess the building blocks
Review the research on key measures to assess young people’s progress toward achieving milestones of financial capability.