Florida B.E.S.T. MA.912.FL.3.7
The Standard
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different types of student loans by manipulating a variety of variables and calculating the total cost using spreadsheets and other technology.
Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for Mathematics
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use spreadsheets or loan calculators to change principal, interest rate, fees, repayment term, and deferment conditions. They calculate total repayment and explain the benefits and drawbacks of each loan option.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students correctly use spreadsheet formulas to find monthly payments, total interest, and total repayment. They compare loan offers and support a choice with calculations and a clear tradeoff.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume the lowest monthly payment has the lowest total cost. They may treat deferment as interest-free or ignore fees and interest added before repayment. Some confuse the interest rate with the total amount paid.
How to Assess It
- Give students a $12,000 loan and ask them to compare 5% for 10 years with 6% for 15 years using a spreadsheet PMT formula. They must report each monthly payment, total repaid, and the less costly choice.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs three loan offer cards, then have them build a spreadsheet that compares monthly payments, fees, interest, and total repayment.
Ask students to write which is better, a lower monthly payment or a lower total cost, using evidence from two loan examples.
Run a loan variable challenge where teams change one input, predict the effect, calculate the result, and earn points for accurate explanations.
Use published federal and private loan terms to calculate the cost of borrowing for a sample college program.
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