How do you know if your child is on track?
You don't need a standardized test to get a good read. Grade-level standards tell you the handful of skills each grade is built around. If your child has those, they're on track. If not, you know exactly where to go back.
The checklist below is our plain-English summary of the California Common Core math standards and English language arts standards, which are the same Common Core standards many states use, plus California's history–social science course sequence. It's not every standard. It's the ones that matter most, because later grades depend on them.
How to use it: read your child's grade and the grade before. Ask them to do a quick example of each skill. Check off what's solid; circle what's shaky.
Kindergarten: what should my child know?
Math - [ ] Count to 100 by ones and by tens - [ ] Count a group of up to 20 objects and tell how many - [ ] Add and subtract within 10 (with objects or drawings), and fluently within 5 - [ ] Name basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, cube, cone, cylinder, sphere)
Reading and writing - [ ] Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters - [ ] Know the most common sound for each consonant, plus the long and short sounds of the five vowels - [ ] Read common high-frequency words ("the," "of," "to," "you") - [ ] Use drawing, dictating and writing to tell about an event
1st grade
Math - [ ] Add and subtract within 20; fluent within 10 - [ ] Understand tens and ones in a two-digit number - [ ] Count to 120; compare two-digit numbers with >, = and < - [ ] Tell time to the hour and half hour
Reading and writing - [ ] Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words - [ ] Read grade-level text aloud with accuracy and expression - [ ] Write a few sentences on a topic, with a sense of closure
2nd grade
Math - [ ] Know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers - [ ] Fluently add and subtract within 100; add and subtract within 1,000 - [ ] Solve money word problems (dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies) - [ ] Tell time to the nearest five minutes; measure lengths
Reading and writing - [ ] Decode two-syllable words with long vowels - [ ] Ask and answer who/what/where/when/why/how about a text - [ ] Write an opinion with reasons and a short informative piece
3rd grade
Math - [ ] Know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers (multiplication facts) - [ ] Multiply and divide within 100 - [ ] Understand fractions as numbers on a number line; compare simple fractions - [ ] Find area by counting and by multiplying; tell time to the nearest minute
Reading and writing - [ ] Read multisyllable words and grade-level text fluently - [ ] Find the main idea and supporting details - [ ] Write paragraphs with linking words ("because," "therefore," "for example")
4th grade
Math - [ ] Fluently add and subtract multi-digit numbers with the standard algorithm - [ ] Multiply up to four digits by one digit, and two digits by two digits - [ ] Divide up to four-digit numbers by one-digit numbers - [ ] Recognize equivalent fractions; add and subtract fractions with like denominators
Reading and writing - [ ] Refer to details and examples when explaining what a text says - [ ] Summarize a story and describe a character in depth - [ ] Write multi-paragraph opinion and informative pieces
5th grade
Math - [ ] Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers with the standard algorithm - [ ] Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators - [ ] Multiply fractions; divide unit fractions and whole numbers - [ ] Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals to hundredths; find volume
Reading and writing - [ ] Quote accurately from a text to explain it - [ ] Compare two characters, events or texts - [ ] Write organized essays with an introduction, body and conclusion
6th grade
Math - [ ] Understand ratios and unit rates - [ ] Divide fractions by fractions; fluently divide multi-digit numbers - [ ] Work with negative numbers on a number line and the coordinate plane - [ ] Write and solve one-step equations; describe data with mean, median and spread
Reading and writing - [ ] Cite textual evidence to support analysis - [ ] Determine a theme or central idea - [ ] Write arguments with claims and clear reasons
7th grade: what should a 7th grader know?
Math - [ ] Compute unit rates with fractions (½ mile in ⅙ hour = 3 miles per hour) - [ ] Recognize proportional relationships in tables, graphs and equations (y = kx) - [ ] Solve percent problems: tax, tips, discounts, percent increase and decrease, simple interest - [ ] Add, subtract, multiply and divide positive and negative numbers - [ ] Write and solve multi-step equations and inequalities from word problems - [ ] Find the area and circumference of a circle; work with scale drawings - [ ] Find simple and compound probabilities
Reading and writing - [ ] Cite several pieces of textual evidence - [ ] Analyze how a theme develops over a text - [ ] Write arguments that acknowledge opposing claims - [ ] Use phrases and clauses correctly; vary sentence structure
For a subject-by-subject plan, see our 7th grade homeschool curriculum guide.
8th grade
Math - [ ] Work with exponents, square roots and scientific notation - [ ] Understand functions; graph and interpret linear equations (slope) - [ ] Solve linear equations and systems of two linear equations - [ ] Use the Pythagorean theorem; find volume of cones, cylinders and spheres
Reading and writing - [ ] Cite the evidence that most strongly supports an analysis - [ ] Analyze how an author's word choices affect meaning and tone - [ ] Write well-organized arguments and research papers with sources
What science and history does each grade cover?
Math and reading are the "stacking" subjects, but here's the typical California sequence for the rest, so you know what's coming.
| Grade | History–social science (California) | Science themes (CA NGSS) |
|---|---|---|
| K | Learning and working now and long ago | Weather, pushes and pulls, what living things need |
| 1 | A child's place in time and space | Light and sound, plant and animal parts, sky patterns |
| 2 | People who make a difference | Properties of materials, landforms, habitats |
| 3 | Continuity and change (local history) | Forces, life cycles, traits, weather and climate |
| 4 | California: a changing state | Energy, waves, internal structures, erosion |
| 5 | U.S. history: making a new nation | Matter, food webs, Earth's systems, stars and gravity |
| 6 | World history: ancient civilizations | Integrated science (CA middle school model) |
| 7 | World history: medieval and early modern times | Integrated science: chemistry, living systems, Earth resources |
| 8 | U.S. history: growth and conflict | Integrated science: forces, waves, evolution, space |
Sources: CDE History–Social Science standards; CDE Grade 7 integrated science course model.
What should I do if my child is behind?
Being behind in one area is common, and fixable. Some steps that work:
- Find the real starting point. Go back grade by grade until your child gets nearly everything right. That's where to start.
- Fix the foundation skills first. In math, the big ones are multiplication facts (3rd grade), fractions (4th–5th) and negative numbers (6th–7th). Gaps there cause problems in everything after.
- Practice a little every day. Fifteen focused minutes daily beats an hour once a week.
- Keep grade-level reading going. A kid catching up in math can still read and discuss grade-level books.
- Revisit, don't just move on. Mix old skills into new practice so they stick. The Institute of Education Sciences recommends spacing review across weeks and months.
What if my child is ahead?
Let them go deeper before they go faster. Harder word problems, longer writing, real-world projects (budget a trip, design a garden) build stronger skills than rushing to the next grade's worksheet. When they truly master their grade's anchor skills, move them up in that subject only.
How Homeschool Packets uses this checklist
Every Homeschool Packet is built on these grade-level anchors. When you sign up, you tell us your child's grade and where they really are in each subject: ahead, on track or catching up. We pitch each subject separately, follow a scope and sequence so each packet builds on the last, and include an answer key so you can see right away what's solid.
- Packets for K–8 in Math, English, Science, History/Social Studies, Spanish, Art, Coding and Life Skills
- Your child's first name in the problems and a Max & Nib comic on page 1
- $7/month for one subject, $25 for any four, $40 for all eight. See plans
Try a free 7th grade sample page, or tell us about your learner and we'll start at the right level.
Checklist items summarize standards in plain language; see the official CDE documents linked above for exact wording.