math instruction in DCPS Kindergarten

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand why there can’t be a Lexia equivalent for math. Way more engaging in terms of interface, builds in choice, levels with different themes, and an assessment to start! So much better!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My charter K has math every day but they have been working on shapes and counting to ten for three weeks. It's frustrating for my kid.

What kind of algebra do you think your 5 year old would be doing in kindergarten math?

I was hoping for some diff eq, but it's early so I won't send my sternly worded email just yet.

I like you!

[Anonymous]

Try Khan Academy Kids. It's an app for kids through first grade and includes basic marh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are also at a Capitol Hill DCPS and I could have written almost this exact post. Math the first two weeks had them differentiating between socks (like “one has stripes and one doesn’t”); almost exactly what my PK3er is doing at the same school. We tried Zearn and my kid was bored in minutes. 5 exercises in a row of counting to 5? No initial assessment at all? I emailed the teacher and she bumped us to the last K unit, which is 1-20 (as opposed to 1-5). It’s all still remedial, but not bad for fluency so I’m having my kid race through it as quickly as possible like it’s a game. I am hopeful things might improve once we reach 1st grade. We’ve done an hour over 3 days and she’s about half way through this unit.

This is the curriculum.
The teacher has to teach it. Wether in person or in the classroom.
It won’t change.

[Anonymous]

I always feel bad for kindergarten parents. They’re unfamiliar with math education. Math will run 1-2 years behind where you feel it should...until your kid gets to pre-algebra. And along the way, you won’t even recognize the math they DO do!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why there can’t be a Lexia equivalent for math. Way more engaging in terms of interface, builds in choice, levels with different themes, and an assessment to start! So much better!

Our school uses iReady for math and it sounds kind of like Lexia - there was an assessment, and then it’s targeted toward the kids ability. My son likes it, but he likes math. He’s in 3rd and is on 4th grade iReady lessons right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always feel bad for kindergarten parents. They’re unfamiliar with math education. Math will run 1-2 years behind where you feel it should...until your kid gets to pre-algebra. And along the way, you won’t even recognize the math they DO do!

OP here. I'm sure this is true, but right now my 3 year old is doing more advanced math in her daycare preschool than my kindergartner is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are also at a Capitol Hill DCPS and I could have written almost this exact post. Math the first two weeks had them differentiating between socks (like “one has stripes and one doesn’t”); almost exactly what my PK3er is doing at the same school. We tried Zearn and my kid was bored in minutes. 5 exercises in a row of counting to 5? No initial assessment at all? I emailed the teacher and she bumped us to the last K unit, which is 1-20 (as opposed to 1-5). It’s all still remedial, but not bad for fluency so I’m having my kid race through it as quickly as possible like it’s a game. I am hopeful things might improve once we reach 1st grade. We’ve done an hour over 3 days and she’s about half way through this unit.

This is the curriculum.
The teacher has to teach it. Wether in person or in the classroom.
It won’t change.

I mean, it’s way less than she was covering in PK4 last year at the same school? She was assigned addition word problems and subtraction word problems during asynchronous DL last Spring. Now she is differentiating between socks while my PKer is doing the exact same lesson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our EOTP DCPS school has math daily. Counting to 100, counting in “tens”, practice writing numbers, basic addition, etc.

That’s pretty much the extent of K math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My charter K has math every day but they have been working on shapes and counting to ten for three weeks. It's frustrating for my kid.

It’s not just about your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My charter K has math every day but they have been working on shapes and counting to ten for three weeks. It's frustrating for my kid.

It’s not just about your kid.

I'm pretty sure I didn't say it was. I was answering a question and commenting on our experience. And 90 minutes of screen time 4 times a week plus daily assignments and an asynchronous lesson for three weeks has been a lot of repetition without variety. I imagine this would not be the same in person.

I understand curriculum and I understand the limits of distance learning. But but I do think I'm allowed to have opinions about it.

[Anonymous]

K math is horrible and 1st grade is the repeat of it. Teacher mentioned that he will figure out where is kid is in math, but from sitting nearby and listening, I can tell you that most, if not all, are bored with counting to 100. Zearn is horrible- DC keeps pressing "up" or "level up" and nothing is happening.
We are doing our own math at home. He should have so much to learn from other kids who also would like to move on to bigger numbers and even trying to calculate by heart, but it's not happening.
We are from Europe and math instruction is beyond frustrating. It's lame, sorry to say.

[Anonymous]

Former K teacher here. Yes - beginning of the year math is redundant and “boring.” But when kids are coming from vastly different preschools/daycares, the teacher is just trying to find out where everyone is. Although your child may have been counting to 200 in PK4- it might be totally new for another student. In a classroom there is a lot more variation that teachers can do to meet each child where they are, but DL is a lot harder to do that. I’ve noticed across grade levels many parents are complaining - specifically about math. The PP who posted that students are usually 1-2 years behind where parents think they should be. AND the pp who said Europe approaches math much differently are both 100% correct. Plus, the first 6 weeks is always review. Even in upper grades. So yes, it will seem “boring” or below most students level. Our principal specifically said no new content for the first 6 weeks, and that is usually the standard. Especially this year when the summer slide was probably more significant.


Give the curriculum and teachers time to advance. For every student who this is totally boring and redundant- there is another student who totally
Missed the entire concept last year and is getting skill for the first time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My charter K has math every day but they have been working on shapes and counting to ten for three weeks. It's frustrating for my kid.

It’s not just about your kid.

I'm pretty sure I didn't say it was. I was answering a question and commenting on our experience. And 90 minutes of screen time 4 times a week plus daily assignments and an asynchronous lesson for three weeks has been a lot of repetition without variety. I imagine this would not be the same in person.

I understand curriculum and I understand the limits of distance learning. But but I do think I'm allowed to have opinions about it.

“It’s frustrating for my kid.” There are other kids in your snowflakes class kids who may find this level of math just right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My charter K has math every day but they have been working on shapes and counting to ten for three weeks. It's frustrating for my kid.

It’s not just about your kid.

I'm pretty sure I didn't say it was. I was answering a question and commenting on our experience. And 90 minutes of screen time 4 times a week plus daily assignments and an asynchronous lesson for three weeks has been a lot of repetition without variety. I imagine this would not be the same in person.

I understand curriculum and I understand the limits of distance learning. But but I do think I'm allowed to have opinions about it.

“It’s frustrating for my kid.” There are other kids in your snowflakes class kids who may find this level of math just right.

It is frustrating for my kid and has unfortunately become a behavioral issue for us. That is a statement of fact about our experience of math DL for K, which is the topic of this thread. I'm sure it isn't a universal experience, so that's why I didn't characterize it as such.