Post a message or simply read what others have written and answered. Rachel, a RightStart™ Math user and one of our customer care people, will be monitoring this forum. She will respond to your questions as needed.
Have a great day and remember to play a math card game!
Hello Shaina,
You have so many good questions I will try to answer them clearly, but if I don’t please ask me again, so I don’t leave you confused. 
“My question is how long should I work with him on Level A each day?”
I would suggest about 10- 15 min about 3 times a week. Make it look like it is more of a game then an actually sit down, and sit still lesson.
“Are the math games something our whole family can do together?”
Some the whole family can play like corners, Rows and columns, Go to the Dump, and others, but some only need one or two players and that can be done by the children, without the parent ( but I always recommend that the parent first teach the game and play a game several times before leaving the children to play by themselves).
“How long should it take us to get through this level? “
You have many variables that can make her go quickly or slow her down. I suspect that some lesson will take her one day to complete, and others will take longer. If you are mostly doing 4days a week it may be longer than a school year to complete. It should not be much longer. If it does take longer take that time, because, in my opinion, Level B is a crucial foundation that needs to be fully understood, especially the place value and the number quantities. But if you are consistent and playing the games I don’t foresee a major delay in the program.
“Will she be prepared for standardized tests in March or April?”
I can’t answer this with any certainty, as it is mid-year that you are starting, I don’t know the math program she was on, or her true capability of the math concepts you described she could do. I do trust that what she has learned in our program she will score well on. The only thing I would mention is that perhaps you can opt out of testing until 4th grade. Testing at an early age only adds stress to a child and does not reveal true knowledge of a child. You may want to look into that route. If not let her know that she will take a test, prepare her that how she does is not of concern, as it is only a formality of the school districts. Her goal should be that she can use math in real life and be able to explain HOW she solved the problems. This is the true test that counts at this early stage of their math skills. Please let me encourage you not to put too much weight on the standardized testing at this year age. The time will come soon enough in high school where it will mean everything, so for now let her just enjoy learning the ideas of mathematics, it will pay off in the higher grades.
Please let me know if you have any more questions. You can email me directly at Carissa@alabacus.com .
Thank you for giving your child a RightStart in Math,
Carissa
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc.
For program questions: 888.272.3291
To place an order: 888.RS.5.MATH (888.775.6284)
www.RightStartMath.com
Our Mission: To help children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics
Hello Carolyn,
I think 10 minutes a day is fine, if you are doing the 2-4 times a week, because I think that less time with more days is better than a long session with many days of no games-- but some games are better then no games.
Remember, the games are more than reinforcement; it is the way the brain will be wiring the math concepts to their brain. Instead, of the brain being wired to rote memorization (like you will find in doing worksheets and flashcards), they will be engaged with the math and thus it will be wired to the logic and strategy part of their brain. This creates a completely different result of the child’s ability to recall the information when they need it.
The best example I can give you is this, Think of being at the grocery store. and you see bananas for 55cents a lb and you need three pounds. If you were a rote child who lived with worksheets, your mind will first try to solve it by thinking 55 x 3= and then proceed to look for a piece of paper or do the carry over in the air. Otherwise, you will get frustrated and you will then decide that you have to add 55+55+55= and you start with your ones place then with your tens place. Now, for the gifted in math who figured out that there was a better way to do this and those who use this program they would proceed to solve it by grouping the ten to make 150, then add in the 15 ones and know they will spend $1.65 for bananas. Of course, I gave a simple problem, for you and I can use simplicity where we can find it, but the reality is in the grocery store and elsewhere we need to understand numbers, and not rely only on our rote memory, this will handicap our math ability and our enjoyment of our math skills. For this reason, I tell you that the games are much more then reinforcement, but the path on which to build functioning math skills.
I am glad that you are choosing this program, as a math teacher you will see how revolutionary this program is and I would not be surprised if you wish you had this program back when you were teaching. There are days, as I research the data on our nation’s test scores, and think if only they would teach this way to children they would perform so much better, but I am glad that we homeschoolers have access to it, this is a great program.
Please let me know if you have any more questions. You can email me directly at Carissa@alabacus.com .
Thank you for giving your child a RightStart in Math,
Carissa
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc.
For program questions: 888.272.3291
To place an order: 888.RS.5.MATH (888.775.6284)
www.RightStartMath.com
Our Mission: To help children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics
