Roslyn High School business teacher Jennifer DiPietro has received her second consecutive Gold Star Teacher award from the non-profit organization Working in Support of Education for her students’ performance on a certification exam measuring their financial literacy.
DiPietro earned the award because a full 100 percent of the students in her Career and Financial Management courses last year passed the WISE Financial Literact Certification Test. The award requires at least a 90 percent passing rate.
“I was very happy our students performed so well,” DiPietro said. “They took it really seriously the last few years and I’m glad the Roslyn parents have placed such an importance on personal finances.”
DiPietro said the semester-long course teaches students crucial money-managing skills, like how to buy a car, bank intelligently and maintain credit cards and loans.
“It’s a life skill, really, that gives kids the tools to find success later on in life and understand the importance of a credit score or credit report that will help them in the real world,” DiPietro said.
DiPietro, who has taught at Roslyn High School since 2010, said students throughout the high school are eligible to take the course, but most of her students are 11th graders.
DiPietro’s students during the 2011-12 school year had a 96 percent passing rate, she said, which helped her earn her first Gold Star Teacher award.
At the end of each semester, students who maintain a 95 average in the course are honored by Roslyn’s Board of Education, DiPietro said.
Last year, seniors Kyle Gentil and Sam Kessler, juniors Max Wishinsky and Andrew Litman and sophomore Josh Vance were recognized.
The class had one section during last year’s spring semester, DiPietro said, though the course will be taught in the fall and spring this year.
“Roslyn has generally done very, very well,” DiPietro said. “Hopefully this year we’ll keep it up.”
