2 in math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is in 3rd grade. We just got her report card and she received a 2 in math. How concerning is this? We're planning to reach out to her teacher, but I'd love to hear from people who have had similar experiences. Did you get your child extra support? What kind, and did it help? The issue seems to be algebraic thinking. TIA!

We started Mathnasium around this time. Our DC was doing fine but had lost some ground in math in second grade and we wanted them to get back on track. It has worked well enough and they are now ahead of grade level two years later. Math is the kind of thing you can chip away at over time and you may just need to incorporate this into your kid’s routine going forward. Workbooks, IXL, Khan, tutors could also be good if your kid is willing to do them. Getting ours out of our house and into the quasi social mathnasium environment worked best for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For Q1, I would never be concerned about a 2. I will say though as a teacher, the response on this board is why I skew to give my kids 3s because too many parents get worked up about ES grades. Your teacher will tell you if there is a real reason for concern.

My youngest (K) got 2s pretty much across the board this term., All feedback (including conferences) has been great. I honestly wasn't worried until I saw this thread. Do some teachers just grade this way?

[Anonymous]

Mine got a 2 as well but I know that she is not behind as we do more advanced math at home. I think it’s because she doesn’t complete the I-readys cuz they’re boring). I haven’t put much importance on the grade.

[Anonymous]

My 3rd grade DS got a 2 for the first grading period last year. It turns out the he wasn’t completing his work. He was at a table with all his buddies. We talked to him and the teacher moved him away from his friends and he had 4s the rest of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Q1, I would never be concerned about a 2. I will say though as a teacher, the response on this board is why I skew to give my kids 3s because too many parents get worked up about ES grades. Your teacher will tell you if there is a real reason for concern.

My youngest (K) got 2s pretty much across the board this term., All feedback (including conferences) has been great. I honestly wasn't worried until I saw this thread. Do some teachers just grade this way?

If your kid is happy and the teachers are giving you positive feedback, that is what matters. You are correct to not worry about grades in kindergarten. Don’t let this web site make you anxious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a 2 as well but I know that she is not behind as we do more advanced math at home. I think it’s because she doesn’t complete the I-readys cuz they’re boring). I haven’t put much importance on the grade.

I wouldn't be concerned about the grade, but I would be concerned that my kid thought schoolwork was optional because it was boring. That won't end well in the long term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a 2 as well but I know that she is not behind as we do more advanced math at home. I think it’s because she doesn’t complete the I-readys cuz they’re boring). I haven’t put much importance on the grade.

This is a problem. A huge part of schooling is doing well on work even when you think it is "boring." I'm afraid this is something you need to help your daughter overcome. Don't let your child think that "boring" means optional. the A+ students are the ones who squeeze something interesting out of every assignment and test, and end up getting smarter as a result.

Case in point -- iReady is adaptive, so if she does well, eventually she'll reach a point that is challenging. But she can't get there unless she does well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a 2 as well but I know that she is not behind as we do more advanced math at home. I think it’s because she doesn’t complete the I-readys cuz they’re boring). I haven’t put much importance on the grade.

I wouldn't be concerned about the grade, but I would be concerned that my kid thought schoolwork was optional because it was boring. That won't end well in the long term.

+1. I also find this fascinating because my kid was absolutely obsessed with i-ready in K, to the point where we had to limit it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Q1, I would never be concerned about a 2. I will say though as a teacher, the response on this board is why I skew to give my kids 3s because too many parents get worked up about ES grades. Your teacher will tell you if there is a real reason for concern.

My youngest (K) got 2s pretty much across the board this term., All feedback (including conferences) has been great. I honestly wasn't worried until I saw this thread. Do some teachers just grade this way?

If your kid is happy and the teachers are giving you positive feedback, that is what matters. You are correct to not worry about grades in kindergarten. Don’t let this web site make you anxious.

Certainly don't worry about grades in kindergarten, but being below grade level is one indicator of possible dyslexia. Schools/the school system are way more comfortable with "wait and see" than parents should be, so it's worth digging more into what is difficult for your child.

[Anonymous]

sometimes “boring” actually means easy/boring. but sometimes for kids “boring” can mean i dont want to do it very much because its difficult for me.

[Anonymous]

This happened with us except she got a 1! We started a weekly tutor and workers with her a few nights a week. Her scores really jumped and is back on track, but we kept up with the tutor.

[Anonymous]

To those who think OP and others are being anxious: you can care that your child has been assessed as below grade level without being anxious or overreacting.

In fact, I would recommend not getting worked up about it as it won't help anything. But in my experience with DCPS, a 2 means the teacher believes the child is struggling with at least some of the grade level material. That is something it is worth doing something about, because maybe this is a kid who needs extra support in order to nail down these foundational concepts.

Though there are two pieces of info OP has not shared but that would be where I would start as a parent: the Beginning of Year iReady assessment and the breakdown of the math grade into component parts. My child who is in 3rd received three math scores on his report card: an overall score, a score for "Operations and Algebraic Thinking" (additions, subtraction, multiplication, and division, to the extent they've covered those last two), and a score for "Measurement and Data." On the iReady assessment, his score was separated into four sections on numbers/operations, algebraic thinking, measurement/data, and geometry, with an assessment like "approaching grade level" or "early grade level" or "mid grade level" for each.

This is actually a ton of info. I would review it, then discuss with the teacher, and take the school up on any resources offered for bringing the child up to grade level. There's no reason to panic or worry anything is wrong, but 3rd grade math involves really important building blocks that your child will need for the rest of her education (and life -- we're talking about comfort with basic numerical functions here, not advanced calculus), so it's certainly worth doing more than just shrugging and saying "I'm sure a 2 is no big deal" and hoping it comes up by the end of the year without any extra effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a 2 as well but I know that she is not behind as we do more advanced math at home. I think it’s because she doesn’t complete the I-readys cuz they’re boring). I haven’t put much importance on the grade.

I wouldn't be concerned about the grade, but I would be concerned that my kid thought schoolwork was optional because it was boring. That won't end well in the long term.

I thought about this a lot and feel it is the wrong approach in this instance. It’s true that we all have to do some things that are boring. However, the iready set up requires doing 20+ modules before you get to grade level, never mind above grade level. This is dumb for kids who are very high above grade level. There is no incentive for a kid to do a lot of (essentially) busy work. They don’t get paid. There’s no reward other than the grade. For families that emphasize grades in third grade, maybe this makes sense. Our family does not because we don’t want to burn her out or turn her off school. And, we know she is already doing above grade level. When it matters - like when applying for opportunities that require good grades then we may shift approach. She has a long educational road before her. I want her engaged and loving learning - and we support that by supplementing a lot in ways that are tailored and not stressing her about school work that doesn’t matter.

Also, this:https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/magazine/youth-mental-health-crisis-schools.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine got a 2 as well but I know that she is not behind as we do more advanced math at home. I think it’s because she doesn’t complete the I-readys cuz they’re boring). I haven’t put much importance on the grade.

I wouldn't be concerned about the grade, but I would be concerned that my kid thought schoolwork was optional because it was boring. That won't end well in the long term.

I thought about this a lot and feel it is the wrong approach in this instance. It’s true that we all have to do some things that are boring. However, the iready set up requires doing 20+ modules before you get to grade level, never mind above grade level. This is dumb for kids who are very high above grade level. There is no incentive for a kid to do a lot of (essentially) busy work. They don’t get paid. There’s no reward other than the grade. For families that emphasize grades in third grade, maybe this makes sense. Our family does not because we don’t want to burn her out or turn her off school. And, we know she is already doing above grade level. When it matters - like when applying for opportunities that require good grades then we may shift approach. She has a long educational road before her. I want her engaged and loving learning - and we support that by supplementing a lot in ways that are tailored and not stressing her about school work that doesn’t matter.

Also, this:https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/magazine/youth-mental-health-crisis-schools.html

I really disagree. I have a child who is very above grade level on iReady (4 grade levels up, which iReady makes really clear through its letter system). He loves iReady because it is a chance to actually learn above-grade-level math, because the Eureka Math lesson is always just on grade level work. He's constantly mentioning and scratching out some math concept that he hasn't been taught by his teachers and I ask him how he learned and he invariably says "iReady"

We are not a family that emphasizes grades, but a family that emphasizes learning.

I'll add that based on iReady scores, the teachers will pull out certain kids for enrichments. So your daughter may be missing out on this opportunity to make school more interesting.

I also agree that working through math lessons that you already know how to do is a very important skill for successful schooling.

[Anonymous]

Agree talk to teacher. Our high schooler was getting 2s in DCPS math around 3rd, and we had her assessed in 3rd. She had a LD in math, among other issues (adhd). We started getting her either one-on-one math tutoring — when we could connect with a good one that worked for her — or mathnasium — when we couldn’t. She did math tutoring year-round until she finished 8th grade. Some summers she did multi-sensory math enrichment weeks. Then in high school she took algebra (she obviously wasn’t in the math progressive track) and it all got easier for her and now math is her favorite class. Early and continuing supports can make a difference.