Is my 7-year-old behind? What should a Class 2 child be able to do?
Start with the list rather than the worry. Below is what the ICSE Class 2 maths year actually asks of a child, chapter by chapter, in plain words. Read it and you will usually find your child can do most of it and is stuck on one or two things. That is the normal shape of a seven-year-old, not a child who is behind.
The Class 2 maths year, in a parent's words
These are the Council's own six chapters for ICSE Class 2 mathematics, with what each one is asking of your child.
- Numbers. Read, write and say numbers up to 999. Know that the 4 in 342 means four tens. Put a handful of numbers in order, biggest to smallest and back.
- Number Operations. Add and subtract two-digit numbers, including when you have to carry or borrow. Do some of it in their head. Turn a small story into a sum, and make up a story for a sum you give them.
- Geometry. Make a shape by folding and cutting paper. Say how many sides and corners it has. Tell a straight line from a curved one, and draw one across and one down.
- Measurement. Measure a length in steps or hand spans. Say which of two things is heavier or lighter, and check it on a simple balance. Put containers in order by how much they hold.
- Data Handling. Read a simple chart of the kind that is already on a wall at home: a height chart, a bus timing.
- Patterns. Spot the bit that repeats, carry the pattern on a few more steps, and make one of their own.
The same list, with a mark against each chapter showing what Caldra can teach today, is on the Class 2 mathematics page.
What "behind" means, and what it does not
It does not mean slower than the child next to them. Seven-year-olds arrive at the same idea months apart and end up in the same place.
It does mean something when one idea underneath is missing and everything built on it keeps falling over. A child who cannot hold "the 4 means four tens" will keep getting borrowing wrong no matter how many sums you set. That is not slowness. That is one missing brick, and it is findable.
How a first sitting finds where your child is
She listens first. There is nothing to sit, nothing scored and no result at the end. Caldra starts a conversation about something in the year, and where your child gets stuck is the answer. Then she goes back to the brick underneath rather than pushing on.
You read that conversation afterwards. You will usually be able to see the exact sentence where it went wrong, which is more than most of us get.
Two honest things
Caldra has signed lessons for four of the six maths chapters and for two reading lessons. If the brick your child is missing sits in Data Handling or Patterns, Caldra will talk about it but it has no written lesson for it yet.
And nothing here is an assessment. If you are worried about how your child hears, sees or speaks, that is a person's job, not ours.
The questions that follow this one
What should a Class 2 child be able to do in maths?
Read, write and say numbers up to 999 and know what each digit means. Add and subtract two-digit numbers with carrying and borrowing. Make and describe simple shapes and lines. Measure a length in steps and compare weights on a balance. Read a simple chart. Spot and carry on a pattern.
How do I know if my 7-year-old is actually behind?
Being slower than the child next to them is not being behind. Seven-year-olds arrive at the same idea months apart. What matters is one missing idea underneath that keeps toppling everything built on it, such as not holding that the 4 in 342 means four tens.
How does Caldra find where my child actually is?
No. She listens first. Caldra starts a conversation about something in the year and where your child gets stuck is the answer. Nothing is scored and there is no result at the end. You can read the whole conversation afterwards.