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Parents and guardians may notice that the homework and instruction their child receives in mathematics is different from what they remember when they were students. This is because math instruction has evolved over the years to adapt to advancements in technology and science, to incorporate results of research on student achievement in math, and to address high remediation rates in college. Adults may notice that the sequence of math topics is different, that more time is being spent on topics, and that students are being challenged to learn new skills and content. The reason for this is to help students develop numeracy-a conceptual understanding of how numbers work. Numerate students have developed a strong foundation that will help them excel when they study algebra, geometry, and other higher mathematics.*

But how are parents and guardians supposed to support their child's learning if they're unfamiliar with the new ways of learning math?

Parents and guardians can still support their child's learning in math. In California, local school districts determine the instructional program being used in the classroom. For this reason, parents and guardians should first meet with their child's teacher to learn more about the instructional program for math being used and for advice for supporting their child's learning.

There are also a number of freely available online resources for parents and guardians to learn more about the math of today and ways to support their child's academic success:

Videos

Common Core Math Explained in 3 Minutes
This article and video, produced by Vox.com, helps address many parent and community member concerns with Common Core math approaches. Unfortunately, the term "new math" is a misnomer; the math strategies suggested under Common Core have been employed in high-performing schools across the country for decades.

Great Kids Milestones Math Videos
Milestones is a free online collection of videos aimed at helping parents and guardians understand grade-level expectations in kindergarten through grade five. On this page, find videos featuring students demonstrating what success looks like in math, grade by grade. View all of the videos on theGreat Kids Milestones Web page.

California Resources

California Math Council For Families
Here you will find California Math Council (CMC)'s Math at Home booklets which provide brief, helpful information to parents and guardians including information about the Common Core and helping with math homework.

Parent/Guardian Overview Brochures (Jan-2016)
These brochures explain the CCSS to pa​rents/guardians, providing insights into what students will learn and highlighting progression through the grade levels.

CCSSM Parent Handbook Resources
The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee has developed the following resources as informational tools to inform parents about the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM):
Parent Handbook (K-8) (DOC)
This handbook, created in consultation with the California PTA, gives parents and guardians an introduction to California's CCSS and a summary of what students are expected to learn as they advance from kindergarten through grade eight (K-8). You can find document translated into 17 languages on the CCSESACCSS Communications Web page, under the General Overview Materials section.

California PTA Parent Resources
The California State PTA has made available many resources for parents to learn more about the CCSS and support their child's achievement of the standards. Resources include informational fliers, frequently asked questions, grade level parents' guides, links to additional resources, and articles of interest. The fliers and parents' guides are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

Mathematics Framework Chapters
Frameworks provide guidelines to schools and districts for implementing the state-adopted standards. TheMathematics Framework was adopted by the California State Board of Education on November 6, 2013, and is currently in the process of being edited for publication. However, at this time the chapters are available as PDFs in prepublication versions. Although the audience for the framework is teachers and administrators, parents and guardians may still find the grade-level chapters useful for learning more about what CCSS-aligned instruction should look like.

National Resources

Council of Great City Schools Parent Roadmaps to the Common Core Standards - Mathematics The Council of the Great City Schools' parent roadmaps in mathematics provide guidance to parents and guardians about what their children will be learning and how they can support that learning from kindergarten through high school. These parent roadmaps for each grade level also provide three-year snapshots showing how selected standards progress from year to year so that students will be college and career ready upon their graduation from high school.

Khan Academy Common Core Math
Here you will find interactive math problems aligned to every CCSSM. Students can work at their own pace through grade-level "missions" and track their progress through personalized dashboards. All problems are accompanied by step-by-step solutions specific to each problem. Successful completion of missions is charted on a progress report on the student's dashboard while "coaches"-whether teachers, tutors, or parents/guardians-can see a student's progress with access through a class code or coach ID. Learn more about these resources from Khan Academy founder, Sal Kahn, in thisEdSurge article .

* For more information about math education today, please view the NCTM Family's Guide (PDF) and visit the CMC Informative Articles Web page.

Questions: Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division| cfird@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0881

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, November 07, 2023

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Mathematics Resources for Parents and Guardians

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Information and resources for parents and guardians that explain mathematics instruction used today and provide suggestions for supporting their child's academic success.

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The end of the school year can be a nervous time for students, especially for those who will be making a major transition into elementary school, middle school, high school, or college in the fall. For these students, there are many curiosities and questions about academic rigor, managing a social life, handling coursework, and worries about using a combination lock. (It took me more than a couple of tries.)

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources on the web with useful information for all stakeholders -- parents, students, educators, and administrators -- to help support a successful transition to the next major stepping stone. Here are a few for each milestone in the K-12 pipeline and beyond.

The First Day of School: From Early Education to Elementary School

How to Help Your Child Transition From Kindergarten to First Grade: Entering elementary school can be intimidating for young children. This article, from the Children's Literacy Initiative, offers some conversation starters and ideas for easing the transition.

Transitioning From Kindergarten to First Grade: It's Not Always Easy: This tip sheet from the National Association for the Education of Young Children might be brief, but the ideas are useful. Plus, there are helpful links to additional sources for ensuring a smooth kindergarten-to-elementary transition.

Transitioning to Elementary School: Tips and Strategies for Students With Disabilities: MyChildWithoutLimits.org highlights some great transition strategies to help students with special needs succeed in elementary school.

Preparing Your Child for Elementary School: OneToughJob.org produced this blog post; it offers quick tips for helping your child transition into elementary school.

Transitions to School: What Helps Children Succeed?: This post from the American Psychological Association features three strategies that can help students succeed in early learning programs, whether in PreK or elementary school. One of the most insightful suggestions is for teachers to build strong parent partnerships, and there are several ideas for accomplishing that.

Guiding Our Children Through School Transitions: Elementary School: Author Dr. Sharon Sevier provides some helpful tips for parenting your kids to enter elementary school, including at-home ideas and building your child's confidence. This is part of a series for Parent Toolkit, a parent resource center. (There are also guides for parents of students transitioning to middle school, high school, and college.)

Lockers, Bell Schedules, and New Friends: Transitioning Into Middle School

Tips for Parents on a Successful Transition to Middle School: Middle school is a time of incredible growth for adolescent students, and these years have an impact on helping students gain and develop their sense of independence. This article from GoodTherapy.org offers four comprehensive tips for helping middle schoolers grow socially and emotionally.

Transition to Middle School From the NEA: Retired teacher Peter Lorain wrote this for the National Education Association, offering ideas for schools that can help elementary students transition successfully into middle school. Lorain also provides strategies that involve all stakeholders in the transition process.

Making the Transition to Middle School -- How Mentoring Can Help: From the Department of Education, this guide provides plenty of tips and ideas for using mentoring to help students transition from elementary to middle school. The PDF guide includes links to helpful outside sources, as well as summaries of the best research on the subject.

Smooth Sailing to Middle School: Author Joy Jameson Lea of the Association for Middle Level Education provides practical tips and advice for incoming middle school students and their parents, in this article. Another useful source from AMLE for teachers: "Welcoming Students to Middle School."

Helping Your Child Transition From Elementary to Middle School: Marie Hartwell-Walker highlights strategies for parents and students to successfully make the jump to middle school.

The Leap Into High School

Off to College and the Workforce

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Transition Resources for Parents, Teachers, and Administrators | Edutopia

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The end of the school year can be a nervous time for students, especially for those who will be making a major transition into elementary school, middle school, high school, or college in the fall. For these students, there are many curiosities and questions about academic rigor, managing a social life, handling coursework, and worries about using a combination lock.