I don’t think I’ve ever written a testimonial before, but I am so pleased with RightStart Math for all kinds of reasons, one of which is the program’s underlying respect for children’s intelligence and innate mathematical thinking. The curriculum works with, not against, children’s problem-solving abilities and avoids many of the common pitfalls of curricula which either confuse or bore kids (or both!). The RightStart curriculum is in some respects very sophisticated and goes beyond what children would normally be exposed to; however, it is also very straightforward for both child and adult and easy to incorporate in a homeschooling curriculum or as an adjunct to regular schooling for children who need or want more math practice. All of the introduced concepts are logical, clearly presented, and can make sense to children on multiple levels as they gain understanding. The hands-on manipulative materials (including the genius balance) and the focus on numbers as visual quantities (of fives and tens) all reflect best practices in mathematical teaching. The card games are not only an excellent teaching tool in themselves but also serve to remind children that math has everyday, practical applications (eg winning a game!) and that math can truly be fun. I’m especially grateful to have discovered RightStart Math because I have struggled to find a math curriculum for my bright 10 year old with dyslexia who has strong conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas but nevertheless struggles mightily with basic computation and working memory. As a result of this mismatch, he’s been frustrated and discouraged by math instruction in school, thinking he is a “dummy” because he struggled to memorize basic math facts while at the same time intuiting that he actually understands many complex concepts, particularly in geometry, which elude his peers. This was a setup for needless math failure, something I’ve long observed (as an educator) in many children who don’t readily fit a narrow educational mold. But RightStart Math offers a valuable approach for many children of varying abilities and learning profiles because it reflects scientific thinking about the developing brain and makes mathematical learning enjoyable and empowering. Thank you, RightStart Math!
RightStart Math has changed my life! We switched to homeschooling when my kids were in 2nd-grade math (during the pandemic). We weren’t quite up to speed with the RightStart Math way, so we played the games listed in the RightStart Math Blogpost “Dr. Cotter’s Game Picks.” That list of games helped us understand groups of 10 and place value. It helped us improve our math facts so we knew those at the same level we understood math concepts. It really helped solidify mental math skills too.
I have recommended that RSM blog post and the AL Abacus to tons of homeschooling families! It’s definitely a great way to visualize and understand math. I wonder if that blog post can be pinned to the facebook page or something? Or reposted more often? It definitely was the key in helping us get up to grade level.
I’ve got nothing but great things to say about RightStart Math! We’re homeschoolers and have used RS every year and every level (A-H). We’ve looked into other programs that were not as time intensive for the teacher/parent, but we were super disappointed with their programs. Back we ran to RS. We’ve done the online live classes every year offered too, which were great. The teachers and customer service have always been great too! Highly recommended for a different and wonderful hands-on math experience. My child is about to finish the last RS level, and we’ll miss you RightStart! : )
I have to take a minute to tell you how thankful I am for your program. Our son has dyslexia and executive function challenges. Traditional math wasn’t working and he wasn’t retaining what he was learning. It was a daily struggle, and his confidence never grew – he thought he was “dumb.” After a lot of research, I switched to RS 6 months ago. Last week he told me he loves math! He is remembering things now and progressing! His confidence is up and it is so exciting! The regular daily review, visual and hands-on approach, sprinkled with just a few worksheets, has been transformative in our homeschool. I find your program very easy to teach which is also a big win, and I love that I can easily order individual replacement manipulatives at a reasonable price for my used set.
I just wanted to thank you for having an excellent math program! As a former math teacher turned homeschool mom, I have really appreciated the depth and rigor of your program (I switch to RightStart Math this year for my kindergartner and second grader). The hands-on nature is wonderful for every type of learner. I appreciate the teacher’s book that explains the “why” that most people might not realize. I’ve found this at a minimum matches the rigor but provides much better understanding of the concepts. It also includes more geometry and measurement which the other program lacks. All that to say, THANK YOU for creating a truly great math program!!!
I wanted to drop a quick email to say a big thank you. I wasn’t invested in RightStart at first, seeing no real ‘lights on’ with my son. But now almost 50 lessons in, I can see him truly grasping patterns and really enjoying the math put out every day.
I began with my 10-year-old, back to book C (we were doing another program, which seemed like simply rote every day and she was doing fine but I could tell she really didn’t know what she was doing). And sure enough, she is really grabbing onto math concepts now (some old habits have to be tamed, like finger counting – but that will come).
I feel I can really see where this is going now and I look forward to math each day with my kids.
Thank you for providing this great curriculum. I think people need to give the program about 6 weeks to see the changes in their children.
My son (Kindergarten) and I have been using RightStart Math level A since September and we are so very pleased with this curriculum. Math was always a struggle for me; but I feel like I’m relearning kindergarten math in such an incredible way! My son is thriving with this program. All of the manipulatives and games are extremely beneficial to him. Every lesson is a new adventure and this program does a great job at keeping things exciting! We are very happy and can’t wait to order level B!
My youngest 11 year old son is on the autism spectrum. I can say RS Math is a life saver for us. We homeschool our three boys. My son was struggling just to get past the first two lessons in Level A a few years ago. Then I started doing half a lesson with him each day and we will be finishing Level A soon. This is truly a monumental achievement for us. I honestly didn’t think this would be possible. When we were stuck on lessons 1 and 2 for a while, things looked grim.
Joan Cotter, the author was very generous in communicating with me before I purchased Level A and she reassured me that RS math would work for children with learning difficulties.
A few beautiful things about RS Maths in my experiences :
– Constant but gradually changing repetitions of on concepts : They lay a solid foundation of understanding the concepts. I am teaching my son to read the clock at the moment and I understand it will be repeated in Level C!
– Quality learning tools for multi-functional purposes : One example is the tiles of different colours. They are for counting but also for learning the idea of ‘inches’. The beads in the abacus are one centimetre in diameter and can teach how long a centimetre is.
– Fun. The learning tools are fun to use. It almost has an element of behavioral therapy for my son.
– Maths games : To be honest, I don’t find all of the games exciting and they are sometimes just for ticking the boxes. However some are quite fun and I am glad I have a choice to do them.The high quality of the math manipulatives are a joy to use for their quality. For example, the drawing set, 4-in-1 ruler and geometry panels are of a rare quality to find these days. Hope RS Maths can keep up this high standard in the math manipulatives.
I also remember your staff were very helpful and friendly when we were considering to purchase the Level A.
Half a lesson takes me about 45 minutes. Some people might find the gradual pace and constant repetition boring and tedious. All I can say is RS math works for us and without it, we would be stuck. RS math is an excellent investment for our son.
Louisiana is ranked 48th in educational outcomes. Sometimes, depending on the polls, we are last. It’s no secret our state needs a massive educational overhaul. I believe RightStart Math is one of the first changes that should be made throughout our state. It’s – hands down – the best math program I have come across in my nearly 12 years teaching.
This past year, I piloted the program on my 7 year old. He went from panic to delight during math time.
We like the program so much that we are opening a micro school in Shreveport, LA this fall (2022), and we are solely using RightStart Math in all our grades. We look forward to delighting kids in math for years to come.
We are huge fans of RightStart Math. My daughters understand numbers in a way I did not when I was growing up. They truly visualize quantities and work out solutions in more of an intuitive way than I did just following steps. The lessons are not overwhelming, but present concepts in small friendly ways.
