Hi, I am planning our curriculum for next year and would appreciate any help!!

My twin 5 yo boys will be in K, and my dd will be in 3rd. My daughter did Everyday Math in public school for 1st and it was really easy for her, and we did Horizons this year for 2nd grade and again it was easy, but I can tell she still needs a different foundation and I want to stick with something long-term. When I ask her to add 8 and 7, she automatically says, "Well if I make the 8 a 10 then the 7 has to be a 5..." so I feel like RS lines up well with how she is naturally thinking!! What do I need to purchase though since she has a totally different background than RS provides? Some kind of supplement? What level? I did the placement test and she doesn't have her mult facts memorized and certainly not her division ones, so I guess she will be on level C. We also downloaded the abacus app for the ipad and she did some of the intro work from RS site, she really loved it and it seemed to come natural to her. We are both excited!

As for the boys, they can recognize numbers through 100 and add single digits, and maybe subtract too if they have a visual representation. One of them definitely grasps new concepts a little more quickly than the other...should I put them both in level A? I don't need 2 of everything, do I?

Finally, we do school through a virtual charter school at home. It means we pick all of our materials from an approved list (RS is on the list)and do everything ourselves at home, but we have to submit samples twice per quarter that show kids are meeting Common Core standards. It also means my soon to be 3rd grade daughter will have to do standardized testing next year. Will it be difficult (or impossible) to submit work samples that align with those standards? I could not care less about the testing personally but for us it's a fact of life.

Thanks so much for any feedback!! I feel totally lost.

Hi, Kristen.

Let's start with your daughter. It does sound like she would do very well with RightStart Math. Level C would be a great place to start. It will cover some strategies for adding and subtracting while also giving her a solid foundation on her multiplication.

For your boys, you have a couple of options. We have two versions of Level A. We have the First Edition that was released in 1994. It is an excellent program that I have taken almost all of my kids through. They have done extremely well in math (including my 13 year old who is currently in high school Algebra II!!!)We also have just released the Second Edition Level A (the other levels will be completed in the next several years). This program will include more of Dr. Cotter's recent research as well as use even more manipulatives in each Level. For more information on Level A Second Edition, here is a link that further describes it: http://rightstartmath.com/home-school/second-edition-news.

Now, the final topic - what to order??? You have a couple of options. If you choose to teach your boys in the Level A Edition 2, the best way to purchase your items would be to purchase the Math Kit, Level A Book Bundle, 1 Extra Level A Worksheet book, 2 extra AL Abacus, and Level C Teacher's Manual and Level C Worksheets.

If you want all of your kids in Edition 1, the cheapest way to purchase everything you need is to purchase the following: Level C Starter Kit, Level A Teacher's Manual, 2 Level A Worksheets, 2 AL Abacus, Tally Sticks, Yellow Is The Sun CD, Geometry Reflector, and the Geoboards.

If you have any further questions, feel free to email RightStart Math at info@rightstartmath.com or you can call our help desk at (888)272-3291.

You have a great answer... here are a couple of more things to think about.

If you are putting your twins in Level A Edition 2 - one thing you will need for your daughter that wasn't mentioned above will be the Transition Lessons (to move into Level C.)

Another thing to consider if you go with Edition 2 for your twins, is that you will end up buying both editions of the later levels (C, D, E) because the 2 editions aren't compatible. Just something to keep in mine.

btw - When I did edition 1, level B with my 2 kids at the same time, I found it worked best to have 2 Abacuses, 2 sets of Place Value Cards, and 2 sets of Base-10 cards. When I did Level C with them, it was best to have 2 drawing sets (although I could have taught them separately for those lessons). The other manipulatives, so far, we haven't had any problem sharing.

hth!