EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Royal Credit Union received a Wisconsin Governor’s Financial Literacy Award from Gov. Tony Evers in a virtual ceremony.
Thirteen individuals and organizations were honored for their efforts to elevate the financial literacy, capability, and financial inclusion of Wisconsin’s residents.
Royal received the award for its virtual financial reality fair program, Test Drive Digital. Criteria used to judge nominations included innovative implementation of an effective financial literacy and capability program or program element within the last two years; emphasis on financial inclusion, demonstrated measurable results; collaboration with partners; and scalability of the program design.
Test Drive Digital is the virtual version of Royal Credit Union’s in-person reality fair, Test Drive…Next Stop Reality. Designed by Royal’s financial education team, this real-life simulation offers high school students a glimpse of what it’s like to manage a monthly budget at age 25, the credit union said.
Using their chosen education level and career, students manage expenses such as student loans, insurance, housing, and groceries by watching short video lessons about each subject. They are randomly assigned a family status and credit score so they can see how these factors affect their purchase choices. Students make their purchase decisions and record each credit and debit on a digital income and transaction log. The goal is to get through the month without running out of money. Pre- and posttests help measure knowledge gains and attitudinal changes, according to RCU.
“Our team developed Test Drive Digital in May of 2020 in order to be able to continue offering a reality fair experience to high school students during the pandemic,” said RCU President/CEO Brandon Riechers. “The benefits of this program will extend well beyond its initial intent. The innovative design of the program and digital delivery have made this important financial education resource far more accessible and inclusive, and will provide an impactful learning opportunity for high school students for years to come.”
On April 1, 2021, through a joint effort with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Royal launched Test Drive Digital on Xello, DPI’s academic and career planning website. Through the platform Royal is now able to offer the program to all high schools in the state of Wisconsin, completely free of charge. For classes utilizing Xello, Test Drive Digital was designed to input the information students build into their profile, giving them the opportunity to expand their understanding of how their college and career choices may impact their financial future, RCU said.