Junior Kindergarten Math

The Massachusetts pre-kindergarten standards apply to children who are older four- and younger five-year olds. The standards—which correspond with the learning activities in the Massachusetts Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences (2003)—can be promoted through play and exploration activities, and embedded in almost all daily activities. They should not be limited to “math time.” In this age group, foundations of mathematical understanding are formed out of children’s experiences with real objects and materials.

Handout for Families - Introducing Illustrative Mathematics (Available in: AmharicArabicBengaliHaitian CreoleSpanish) | DESE Family Guide (Kindergarten)

In Junior Kindergarten, instructional time should focus on two critical areas:

  1. developing an understanding of whole numbers to 10, including concepts of one-to-one correspondence, counting, cardinality (the number of items in a set), and comparison; and
  2. recognizing two-dimensional shapes, describing spatial relationships, and sorting and classifying objects by one or more attributes.

Relatively more learning time should be devoted to developing children’s sense of number as quantity than to other mathematics topics. 

Standards for Mathematical Practice
The 2011 framework introduces Standards for Mathematical Practice. These standards complement the content standards so that students increasingly engage with the subject matter as they grow in mathematical maturity and expertise throughout the elementary, middle, and high school years. These standards are the same at all grades from Prekindergarten to 12th grade.

These eight practices can be clustered into the following categories as shown in the chart below

Habits of Mind of a Productive Mathematical Thinker:
MP.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
MP.6: Attend to precision.

Reasoning and Explaining
MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MP.3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

Modeling and Using Tools
MP.4: Model with mathematics.
MP.5: Use appropriate tools strategically.

Seeing Structure and Generalizing
MP.7: Look for and make use of structure.
MP.8: Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Content Standards to be covered in Junior Kindergarten
The focus of instruction in Junior Kindergarten is determined by the Prekindergarten standards outlined in the Massachusetts 2011 Mathematics Curriculum Framework, which can be found on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website.

Announcements

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CPS Math Presentation: 5.18.23
Plan to Add Algebra I into 8th Grade Curriculum: 8.9.2023
Math Placement for Arriving 9th Graders: 3.23.2023

Department Information

Elementary Math

Middle School Math

High School Math

District Information
  • MA Math Curriculum Frameworks (Coming Soon)

Contact Us

Siobahn Mulligan, Director of Mathematics
Heidi Fessenden, District Instructional Lead Teacher (Early Childhood/Elementary)
Deepa Bharath, District Instructional Lead Teacher (Elementary/Upper)

Katisha John, District Instructional Lead Teacher (Upper/High School)
Molly Singh, District Instructional Lead Teacher (Advanced Learning) 

Josh Marden, Dean of Mathematics, CRLS (9-12)
Kelley Leary, Clerk

617.349.6683
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