I have an 11 year old boy who would be in 5th grade in school. He used RS level B in the second half of his kindergarten year. We got bogged down in level B and didn't finish it, moving on to something else. Currently, he can figure out any addition and subtraction problems though he cannot do them quickly. He can figure out some multiplication (skip counting in his head) though he doesn't know them quickly. I am considering coming back to RS. The little quiz online said to start him at level C. When I looked at that sampler, I felt like it would really bore him. Would level D be too much for him? Do the kids ever get fast with the facts using RS? If he is going to be starting 6th grade (homeschool) in the fall, what would our long-term plan look like? How far would RS take him?

Also, I have an 8 year old girl who would be 2nd grade in school. She has only done math with a workbook that teaches by rote memorization. That was fine until she got to problems where she didn't have enough fingers to count with. Now she is frustrated. I wanted her to use RS too. The quiz said she should start in level B. Blah, that level really frustrated me before. It took so long to do. We never finished a whole lesson in a day, ever. It most definitely would take two years for us to do. I want her to have a good foundation. I just don't believe there is any other program out there that teaches a good foundation better than RS, but the thought of level B makes me shudder.

Help.

Hello Bobbi,


First, let me start with your 11 yo son.
If the questionnaire said Level C and you think he might be fine in Level D, I use this rule of thumb to break the tie. If he likes math go to the higher level, if he hates math have him do the lower level.

I can not answer if Level D would be too much for him because I do not know him, nor his true math ability. I would say if you chose Level D, you should be willing to take your time in the level. Do not be anxious to finish a lesson a day, instead limit the amount of time you spend with him per day, and stop at the end of that time. Then finish with two games; one he is good at and one he has to think about.

If you want to better assess his skill level for this program, I recommend you call our 888-272-3291 customer service number and we can help you assess where he will do better.
But again, time and games will be your goal. I can’t stress that enough.


Next, for your 8 year old, from what you have written, please put her in Level B.
But I will warn you now, she will most likely be resistant to letting her finger counting go. She will most likely find safety in workbooks, rather than the critical thinking skills Level B will require of her. But don’t let that deter you, it is worth the effort when you see her doing math properly. I happen to have one of these students, and they need this program the most because they never would have figured math out on their own. Do put her in Level B.

Now, I would like to speak to your fear of Level B, for I know it first hand when I did it with my first born. I loved the program, but I could not believe the amount of time one lesson took and the tears and frustration we both were having. It wasn’t until I was shown by a more experienced homeschooling mother that I did not have to have the curriculum dictate to me the lessons I taught. I could control the curriculum. So at first I set a timer for 20min and that is all we did, whatever got done was done, then we would play a game (about 10min). The next day I would pick up where we left off. What a difference! It did seem slower at first. In fact VERY slow, but I trusted what I was doing was right so I kept on going. As time went on I got used to teaching the program, and no longer questioned where the program was going, I just did the lesson, and interacted with my child, and played the games. As time went on I was able to get him to 30 min for each session, and I just kept that time limit until he turned 12, and I have kept that time limit for all of my children. And all of them went very slow in the beginning and then eventually they are able to do a whole lesson in a 30 min period.

So I can see your point about Level B, but really the success of teaching this program is to take your time, to be consistent, to play the games 2-4 times a week, to limit the amount of time you spend teaching, and to trust the program knows where it is going.


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