Most Common Missing Math Skills for Parents to Check

These are the most common missing foundational math skills I see in children, including those who get very good grades in math in both public and private schools. These gaps make learning math much harder and many of the gaps persist into high school unless addressed. 

These gaps are most common in children whose schools use math curricula that emphasize multiple strategies and representations, such as Bridges, Eureka Math, Illustrative Mathematics, and Amplify Desmos Math.

Use this checklist to check whether your child has learned these skills, including those listed for earlier grades.

Each checkpoint is for the end of the grade. 

Check a box when your child can do the skill accurately, consistently, and independently.

Grade 1

• ☐ Automatically recalls addition and subtraction facts within 10, without the use of strategies.
• ☐ Holds the pencil with a comfortable, effective grip.
• ☐ Forms numbers correctly, using consistent starting points and stroke direction.
• ☐ Lines up tens and ones accurately in written calculations.
• ☐ Uses the standard algorithms for two-digit addition and subtraction without carrying or borrowing.

Grade 2

• ☐ Automatically recalls all single-digit addition facts, through 9 + 9, without the use of strategies.
• ☐ Uses the standard algorithms for addition and subtraction without carrying or borrowing.
• ☐ Holds the pencil with a comfortable, effective grip.
• ☐ Forms digits correctly and efficiently and keeps place-value columns aligned.

Grade 3

• ☐ Automatically recalls multiplication facts through 10 × 10, without the use of strategies.
• ☐ Uses the standard addition and subtraction algorithms with carrying and borrowing.
• ☐ Uses the standard multiplication algorithm to multiply multi-digit numbers by one digit.
• ☐ Uses short division with one-digit divisors.
• ☐ Understands fractions, represents them with diagrams, and places them on a number line.
• ☐ Keeps digits and calculation steps correctly aligned.

Grade 4

• ☐ Uses the standard multiplication algorithm to multiply two-digit numbers by two-digit numbers.
• ☐ Uses short division accurately, including remainders.
• ☐ Makes a factor tree to find the prime factorization of a number.
• ☐ Finds equivalent fractions and compares fractions.
• ☐ Converts between mixed numbers and improper fractions.
• ☐ Adds and subtracts fractions and mixed numbers with the same denominator.
• ☐ Understands tenths and hundredths and compares decimals.

Grade 5

• ☐ Uses the standard algorithms for multi-digit multiplication and long division with two-digit divisors.
• ☐ Adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides decimals accurately.
• ☐ Adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides fractions and mixed numbers.
• ☐ Finds the least common multiple (LCM) of two numbers and uses it to find a common denominator.
• ☐ Simplifies fractions.
• ☐ Understands decimal place value and multiplies and divides by powers of 10.
• ☐ Uses the order of operations correctly.

Grade 6

• ☐ Calculates fluently (all 4 operations) with fractions and decimals.
• ☐ Finds the greatest common factor (GCF) of two numbers.
• ☐ Solves basic ratio, rate, and percent problems.
• ☐ Understands, compares, and orders positive and negative numbers.
• ☐ Substitutes values into expressions and uses the order of operations.
• ☐ Solves one-step equations.