What Does My Child Need to Know This Year?
Understanding Math Content and The Standards for Mathematical Practice
When it comes to understanding the state standards for mathematics, it’s important to recognize that there are two types of math standards: content standards and standards of mathematical practice.
Content Standards
The first set of standards focuses on the specific content that students are expected to learn at each grade level. These content standards build progressively from one year to the next. For example, one of the math standards for 1st grade is:
1st Grade Standard:
- Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.
As students progress, these standards evolve to incorporate more complex skills. Compare the 1st-grade standard to this one from 2nd grade:
2nd Grade Standard:
- Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. By the end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.
When evaluating which standards your child should focus on, consider their current level of understanding. If they are not solid in one area of the previous year’s content, it’s important to help them build the necessary knowledge and skills before advancing to more complex material in that specific area. Supporting your child where they are on the continuum allows them the time they need to build a solid foundation in math.
Different Strands within the Grade Level Standards
There are 4 or 5 different strands within each grade level content standards. For example, the grade 2 strands are as follows:
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Numbers and Operations in Base Ten
- Measurement and Data
- Geometry
Your student may not be able to add within 100 yet, but they might recognize and draw shapes and identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes (a geometry standard for grade 2). So keep this in mind when you are thinking about how to support your student. Celebrating what they do know is also important!
Standards of Mathematical Practice
The second set of standards, Standards of Mathematical Practice, focus on the skills that students apply to their work. Unlike the content standards, these practices remain consistent across all grade levels because they are essential at every stage of learning. The eight Mathematical Practices are:
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
- Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
- Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
- Model with mathematics.
- Use appropriate tools strategically.
- Attend to precision.
- Look for and make use of structure.
- Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
These practices are designed to develop students’ problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and ability to apply math in various contexts.
For your child’s specific grade-level content standards and more detailed information on the mathematical practices, you can find resources here.
