Is My Child Proficient Enough?

A boy answers addition on a blackboard.

We have developed questions and worksheets with specific target times to build proficiency at every stage in math, from kindergarten to fifth grade. Our exercises cover number sense, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, prime numbers (including GCF and LCM), telling time, and units of measure. Some of our sample worksheets for topics, in addition, include: sequential addition without a carryover, randomized addition without a carryover, combinations of numbers that add up to 10, 45 patterns of addition with carryover, and a randomized addition table.

45 Matrix Carryover

We use the following worksheet to ensure students’ proficiency in carryover addition and encourage them to memorize patterns. We expect all students to complete this worksheet with 100% accuracy in 2 minutes and 30 seconds at most – preferably 2 minutes. We encourage you to try this worksheet with your child if your child is of elementary school age.

81 Matrix Random Addition

The worksheet on the left is an exercise in single-digit additions. We expect all first graders to complete this worksheet with 100% accuracy in 3 minutes. During a first attempt, the average time elapsed is 6 minutes and 23 seconds, with a standard deviation of 2 minutes and 5 seconds. This means that about 2/3 of students complete the worksheet between 4 minutes and 18 seconds and 8 minutes and 28 seconds. The average number of errors made during the first attempt is 0.97.

If your child is in second grade or older and takes more than 6 minutes and 30 seconds to complete the above worksheet in the first attempt, you should be very concerned with the proficiency of your child’s addition skills. If you observe your child while he or she fills out the worksheet, you can immediately tell which combinations are areas of weakness for your child.

The advantages of our worksheets are:
1) Clear depiction of your child’s weaknesses </br>2) Ability to measure progress </br>3) Training your child’s focus <br>4) Brevity

Please try the above worksheets with your child to ensure his or her proficiency. Do not show your child any signs of negativity, even if he or she cannot immediately reach the target time. Instead, praise and encourage your child’s effort, focus, and persistence until your child succeeds. When scoring worksheets, please take accuracy and time elapsed into account – both are equally important. You can use the same worksheet many times over.

We hope these worksheets help you in assessing your child’s proficiency and that you understand how to gradually improve proficiency. Please track your child’s progress using the graph below. Visualizing his or her progress may further motivate your child.

Progress tracking sheet

Children may show resistance to try the worksheets initially. But you will find that your child loves to work on the worksheets surprisingly. The key points for the successful experiment are 1) being patient, 2) praise him/her for his/her efforts no matter how long he/she takes, 3) use positive expression when you communicate, 4) take time for the scoring and review together with a positive attitude.