Kindergarten students have math milestones or standards that they are expected to accomplish before passing on to first grade. These standards support their foundational learning of numbers and prepare them for beginning mathematic problem solving. Let’s find out what these standards are and what they mean?

• The student should be able to count to 100 by ones and tens by the end of Kindergarten. They will need to count to 120 in first grade.

• Children should be able to count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1). The student should be able to start at any given number and count forward.

• Students should understand the relationship between numbers and quantities. A student should be able to look at a group of objects and be able to tell you how many objects are in that group.

• Read and write numerals from 0 to 20.

• Count to answer “how many?” A student should be able to look at a group of objects arranged in a line, a rectangular array, a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration and be able to count to tell how many are in that group.

• Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group.

• Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals and be able to determine which number is greater than or less than.

• For any number from 1 to 9, find the number that makes 10 when added to the given number. If the teacher gives the student the number 3, they should be able to tell the teacher that 7 more will make 10.

• Fluently add and subtract within 5.

• Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

• Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, “flat”) or three-dimensional (“solid”).

These are some of the math standards that your kindergarten student should master by the end of kindergarten in order to be successful in first grade. If you find that your child is struggling, please contact your child’s teacher and let them know your concerns. You are your child’s biggest advocate. The goal is for your child to be successful in their kindergarten year.

Remember if your child has exceptional needs, they will most likely be learning these standards at a different rate then the other students. That is absolutely okay as every child learns differently.

Leslie Haynes, B.Ed
Inclusion Teacher, Parent Advocate, and Special Olympics Coach
leslie@collaborativecorner.org

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