Each new school year students enter into the classroom with gaps in their prior knowledge. The challenge of how to address those gaps, while simultaneously introducing students to new grade-level standards, is a difficult balancing act.
Many Knowre Math students start the new year off by taking Knowre’s Ready? Check. Go! (RCG) diagnostic. The RCG was created to identify incoming skills gaps by giving students a chance to show what they know on key topics from the previous year (ie. 7th graders take a Ready! Check. Go! focused on 6th grade math skills).
For the second year in a row the data from the Ready? Check. Go! found that students in second, third, and fourth grade demonstrated a much higher level of math readiness for the new school year and many fewer gaps than their counterparts in grades 5 through Algebra 2.
Now that we are well into October, the need to stay on pace and cover grade level content is front and center. When opportunities for review do arise, however, we’ve put together a list of recommended skills to focus on. The specific skills are included on the list below because they were the ones that the largest number of students struggled with.
Click on your curriculum of interest to jump directly to that section. The percentage you'll see indicated at the end of each skill reflects the percentage of students who demonstrated an understanding of that skill of focus.
*Please note, we are not including any skills from grades 2 and 3 because there were no skills in those grade levels that less than 80% of students struggled with.
Fourth Grade Skill Gaps to Focus on:
- Writing Fractions Greater Than One from a Model (25%)
- Subtracting a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-Digit Number from a 4-Digit Number Vertically - Regrouping Over Two Zeros (66%)
- Using an Array to Divide (69%)
Fifth Grade Skill Gaps to Focus on:
- Rounding a Whole Number to the Nearest Thousand (53%)
- Using the Standard Algorithm to Multiply a 2-Digit Number and a 2-Digit Number - No Regrouping (65%)
- Dividing a 3-Digit Number by a 1-Digit Number Using Long Division (59%)
- Division word problem that involves understanding the remainder (53%)
- Multiplying a Whole Number and a Fraction (49%)
- Measuring Angles Greater Than 90º - Opens to Right (51%)
- Using Angle Addition to Find the Measure of an Angle (68%)
- Identifying Rectangles Given Figures (52%)
- Selecting the Lines of Symmetry in a Figure (46%)
Skills of focus for sixth graders:
- Using the Standard Algorithm to Multiply a 2-Digit Number and a 2-Digit Number - Regrouping (68%)
- Dividing a Multi-Digit Number by a 1-Digit Number Using Long Division (58%)
- Dividing a 3-Digit Number by a 2-Digit Number Using Long Division (62%)
- Using the Standard Algorithm to Vertically Subtract Decimals - Subtrahend Has More Digits after Decimal Point (62%)
- Multiplying Two Numbers Vertically - Whole Number and a Tenth (60%)
- Dividing a Decimal by a Whole Number Using Long Division When Divisor is Greater than Dividend (28%)
- Adding Whole Numbers and a Mixed Number (67%)
- Adding Fractions with Different Denominators - No Regrouping (39%)
- Subtracting Mixed Numbers or Proper Fractions from Mixed Numbers with Common Denominators - No Regrouping (62%)
- Subtracting Mixed Numbers or Proper Fractions from Mixed Numbers with Common Denominators - Regrouping (36%)
- Finding the Product of Two or More Fractions (27%)
- Dividing a Whole Number by a Unit Fraction (42%)
- Using a Pattern to Graph (9%)
- Finding the Volume of a Prism Using Unit Cubes (45%)
Skills of focus for seventh graders and pre-algebra students:
- Multiplying Fractions - Mixed Number (36%)
- Dividing Fractions (39%)
- Writing a Mathematical Expression from a Verbal Expression - Multiple Operations (29%)
- Combining Like Terms - Single Variable (34%)
- Word problem, substitute an expression and evaluate (includes π) (14%)
- Distributing a Monomial Over a Binomial - Subtraction (26%)
- Using Equivalent Ratios to Complete a Table (30%)
- Graphing a Point on a Coordinate Plane (56%)
- Graphing a Linear Equation Using a Table - No Integer Rules (7%)
- Finding the Mean of a Data Set (48%)
- Finding the Median of Data Displayed in a Dot Plot (51%)
- Finding the IQR Given a Box Plot (19%)
- Determining the Effects of an Outlier on Measures of Center (51%)
Skills of focus for eighth graders:
- Subtracting Multi-Digit Integers - Different Signs (68%)
- Solving Two-Step Equations Using the Division and Subtraction Properties of Equality (69%)
- Word problem, write and solve 2 step problem (45%)
- Finding the Unit Rate from a Graph (49%)
- Using Cross Products to Solve Proportions (40%)
- Finding Length of Unknown Side Given Two Similar Triangles (31%)
- Scale on a map (28%)
- Writing Fractions Whose Denominators are Factors of 100 as Percents (61%)
- Percent work problem - determine tax (36%)
- Graphing a Direct Variation (8%)
- Direct variation word problem to find y for a given x when given one set of values (10%)
- Calculating the Exact Circumference Given the Radius (8%)
- Determining the Surface Area of a Cube or Right Rectangular Prism (16%)
- Finding the Probability of an Event - Sample Set Given (34%)
- Identifying Representative Samples (45%)
- Determining True Statements About Two Dot Plots Given Equal Measure of Center (28%)
Skill Gaps to Focus on with Algebra 1 students:
- Solving Linear Equations with Variables on Both Sides (63%)
- Using Cross Products to Solve Proportions (67%)
- Finding Length of Unknown Side Given Two Similar Triangles (40%)
- Finding Discounted Price Given Original Price and Percent Discount (49%)
- Identifying the Input Given the Output and a Linear Function (44%)
- Graphing a Direct Variation (19%)
- Finding the Length of the Hypotenuse Given Lengths of Two Legs in a Figure (31%)
- Angle pair relationships (46%)
- Finding the Measure of a Missing Angle in a Triangle (54%)
- Translations (22%)
- Determining the Surface Area of a Cube or Right Rectangular Prism (35%)
- Finding the Volume of a Right Cylinder Given a Figure (7%)
- Finding the Probability of an Event - Sample Set Given (41%)
- Using Random Samples to Make Predictions About Population (49%)
Skill Gaps to Focus on with Geometry and Algebra 2 students:
- Evaluating Functions Given Equation - Numeric Input (58%)
- Finding the Slope of a Linear Graph (53%)
- Writing an Equation in Point-Slope Form Given Two Points (29%)
- Graphing Linear Functions in Slope-Intercept Form (43%)
- Writing the Equation of a Parallel Line Through a Given Point (38%)
- Using Substitution and Multiplication to Solve a System of Linear Equations When One Variable is Given in Terms of the Other (56%)
- Solving Systems of Linear Equations Where Coefficient of a Variable is Not a Multiple of the Other (56%)
- Simplifying Power of a Quotient and Power of a Product (51%)
- Simplifying Square Roots with Natural Radicands (67%)
- Evaluating Rational Exponents with Single Base After Prime Factorization (65%)
- Subtracting Polynomials Horizontally (67%)
- Factoring a Quadratic When a=1 and c is Negative (67%)
- Using Factoring to Solve Quadratic Equations in Standard Form with Lead Coefficient Not Equal to One (70%)
- Solving Quadratic Equations with the Quadratic Formula - Discriminant is Irrational (41%)
- Graphing Translated Quadratic or Absolute Value Functions (54%)
If you’d like to use the Ready? Check. Go! diagnostic to identify and address your student’s skill gaps, reach out to Connie Holthusen at cholthusen@knowre.com. We’d love to meet with you to explore how Knowre Math may be able to meet your math learning needs and goals.
