Numeracy Milestones

The Maryland College and Career Ready Standards (MCCRS) for mathematics have been revised and will be implemented in grades PreKindergarten through grade 8 beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Alongside the revised standards, Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has identified the most important math skills and ideas your child should learn by the end of each grade. These are called numeracy milestones. They help build a strong math base for future classes, like Integrated Algebra. They also help prepare your child for college, a career, and everyday life.

Numeracy is more than just doing math problems. It means understanding math, thinking about it, and using it in real-life situations. Students build numeracy over time as they learn new ideas and practice their thinking skills.

Numeracy also includes being able to show and study problems, understand number relationships, and choose the right math tools to help solve problems. A student’s feelings about math grow from both what they learn and how they learn it.

To build confidence in math, students need many chances to use math in real situations, work collaboratively with classmates, try different ways to solve problems, and think about what they learned.

Numeracy Milestones by Grade

Pre-K

By the end of pre-K, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Recognize quantities of up to 3-5 objects in familiar arrangements without counting.
Count and compare quantities up to 10.
Identify the number that is one more or one less than a given number by adding or removing from a set of objects of up to 10 items.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Use objects or drawings to determine how many more are needed to make quantities up to 5.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Sort two-dimensional shapes based on observable attributes such as number of sides or corners.
Sort and compare physical objects by size.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Sort up to 10 objects into categories using physical or pictorial representations.

Kindergarten

By the end of Kindergarten, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Recognize quantities of up to 10 without counting by visually identifying and combining smaller, familiar groups.
Read, write, compose, decompose, and compare numbers through 20, using multiple representations.
Use counting to solve addition and subtraction problems within 10.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Recognize and explain when two groups have the same amount, using objects, drawings, or equations to show equality.
Use objects, drawings, or equations to solve addition and subtraction problems16 within 10.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Sort two- and three-dimensional shapes based on their attributes.
Compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common using phrases like “holds more/less”, “longer/shorter”.
Compose shapes by combining basic shapes24 to form new ones.
Describe the location of objects using positional words such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and between.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Sort up to 20 objects into categories using physical or pictorial representations.
Order categories by count.

Grade 1

By the end of FIRST GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Read, write, compose, decompose, and compare numbers through 100, using multiple representations.
Use and compare various strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems within 20.
Use benchmark numbers (e.g., 0, 50, 100) to reason about quantities, comparisons, and relationships.
Partition rectangles and circles into halves and fourths.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Explain the meaning of the equal sign in equations.
Represent one-step addition and subtraction situations within 20 using equations with a symbol for the unknown quantity.
Determine the unknown whole number in an addition or subtraction equation within 20 using a context or situation to make sense of the equation.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Describe categorical attributes of shapes.
Estimate and order the lengths of objects using direct and indirect comparisons.
Measure length of physical objects using non-standard units.
Compose two- and three-dimensional shapes (e.g., rectangles, triangles, prisms, cylinders) to build composite shapes, and describe how composite shapes can be made from or taken apart into other shapes.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Pose questions that can be answered by collecting categorical data.
Represent collected categorical data with tally charts.
Answer questions about categorical data sets from tally charts.

Grade 2

By the end of SEcond GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Read, write, compose, decompose, and compare numbers through 1,000, using multiple representations.
Recall or quickly derive single-digit addition and related subtraction facts.
Fluently solve addition and subtraction problems within 100.
Determine when using estimation is appropriate.
Partition rectangles and circles into halves, fourths, and thirds.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Represent one- and two-step addition and subtraction situations within 100 using equations with a symbol for the unknown quantity.
Determine the unknown whole number in each step of a two-step addition and/or subtraction problem within 100 by reasoning about and solving equations based on the context.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Use benchmark measurements to estimate length in standard units (inches, centimeters, meters).
Measure length of physical objects using standard units.
Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Pose questions that can be answered by collecting numerical or categorical data.
Represent categorical data with bar graphs.
Represent numerical data using line plots.
Answer questions about numerical data represented in line plots.

Grade 3

By the end of Third GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Read, write, compose, decompose, and compare numbers through 10,000, using multiple representations.
Read, write, and communicate about fractions as equal parts of a whole.
Recall or quickly derive all products of two one-digit numbers.
Use properties of operations to solve multiplication / division problems.
Use estimation strategies to assess the reasonableness of sums and differences involving large numbers.
Represent and compare fractions by counting unit fractions, using area and length models, and benchmark reasoning.
Show that the size of a fractional part depends on the size of the whole.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Represent contexts involving multiplication and division using equations with a letter for the unknown quantity.
Solve for the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation, and check solutions to confirm the equation is true.
Recognize and describe patterns in numbers that reflect a predictable relationship between quantities (e.g., if 1 bicycle has 2 wheels, then 2 bicycles have 4 wheels, 3 have 6, and so on).

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Explain that some shapes belong to more than one category based on their attributes.
Use benchmark measurements to estimate liquid volume in standard units (e.g., liters).
Measure liquid volumes in standard units.
Apply understanding of geometric structure to:
- Determine perimeter of physical and described objects.
- Determine area of rectangles.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Determine an appropriate representation to display and interpret data based on the type of data collected.
Use patterns in data to make generalizations about the context.
Evaluate whether generalizations about the context are reasonable.

Grade 4

By the end of FOURTH GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Read, write, compose, decompose, and compare numbers through 1,000,000, using multiple representations.
Read, write, and compare decimals to the hundredths place.
Fluently solve addition and subtraction problems within 1,000,000.
Use reasoning-based strategies for multiplication / division with multi-digit whole numbers.
Use estimation strategies to assess the reasonableness of sums, differences, and products involving large numbers.
Generate equivalent fractions.
Fluently add/subtract fractions with like denominators.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Represent contexts involving combinations of all four operations using equations with a letter for the unknown quantity.
Describe and represent multiplicative relationships between two quantities using explicitly defined rules (e.g., The number of wheels is 2 times the number of bicycles; represented by the rule number of wheels = 2 x number of bicycles).
Distinguish between additive and multiplicative relationships by analyzing and comparing patterns in context.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Classify two-dimensional shapes by parallel and perpendicular lines.
Use benchmark angles (e.g., 90°, 45°) to estimate angle measures.
Measure angles in whole-number degrees with a protractor.
Find missing dimensions of rectangles using knowledge of area and perimeter.
Relate the area of a triangle to the area of a rectangle through decomposition.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Explain how changes in scale, order, or type of data visualization affect the story the data tells.

Grade 5

By the end of FIFTH GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Read, write, compose, decompose, and compare numbers through millions and thousandths, using multiple representations.
Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers.
Use reasoning-based strategies for multi-digit division.
Use estimation strategies to assess the reasonableness of sum, difference, products, and quotients involving large numbers.
Fluently add/subtract fractions with unlike denominators.
Multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Represent contexts using numerical expressions with appropriate grouping symbols to reflect relationships between quantities and ensure correct order of operations.
Use explicitly defined rules to generate input-output pairs.
Represent the relationship as a set of ordered pairs.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Classify quadrilaterals and triangles based on angle measures and side length.
Convert between different-sized units within the same measurement system.
Apply understanding of geometric structure to determine volume of rectangular prisms.
Use a coordinate system with perpendicular number lines to locate points using ordered pairs, with both values positive.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Evaluate whether a data visualization accurately represents the data it is intended to represent.
Interpret data using mode, range, and gaps in the distribution.
Determine whether a general statement about what usually happens or how often something occurs is reasonable based on the data and the context.

Grade 6

By the end of SIXTH GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Represent results of division as fractions, decimals, and percents.
Represent positive and negative numbers on a number line and interpret in context.
Fluently divide multi-digit whole numbers.
Use absolute value to describe magnitude, distance, or difference between numbers.
Use estimation strategies to assess the reasonableness of answers involving fraction and decimal operations.
Fluently multiply / divide fractions.
Fluently add/subtract multiply/divide decimals.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Write algebraic expressions using variables to represent relationships described in context or narrative form.
Represent linear algebraic expressions in equivalent forms using properties of operations.
Represent contexts using inequalities in the form x>c, x<c, x>=c, x<=c.
Represent and interpret the solution of an equation and the solution set of an inequality on a number line.
Describe how changes in the independent variable are reflected in the dependent variable.
Use multiple representations of proportional relationships, including ratio tables, to identify equivalent ratios, determine unknown values within proportional relationships, and find unit rates.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Find the area of polygons by composing or decomposing them into triangles and quadrilaterals.
Use nets to represent three-dimensional figures defined by edges and flat faces and calculate surface area.
Draw polygons in the coordinate plane and determine side length by counting units between points with the same x- or y-coordinate.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Differentiate between statistical and non-statistical questions.
Represent numerical data with histograms and box plots.
Use measures of center (median, mean) and variability (interquartile range) to describe and compare data distributions.
Use probability terms (e.g., likely, unlikely, certain) to describe the likelihood of outcomes and anticipate which responses may be more or less common in data.

Grade 7

By the end of Seventh GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative rational numbers.
Use estimation strategies to assess the reasonableness of answers involving positive and negative rational numbers.
Fluently convert between rational numbers and percents.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Represent contexts using equations or inequalities, such as px+q=r or px+q >r, where p, q, and r are rational.
Select and apply efficient approaches to solve linear equations and inequalities based on the structure of the equation/inequality.
Explain how a consistent multiplicative rule connects values in a proportional relationship.
Describe what specific points on a graph mean in terms of input/output of the situation.
Distinguish between proportional and non-proportional relationships by determining whether the ratios between quantities represent a constant rate.
Graph proportional relationships and use the graph to interpret and compare unit rates.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Apply understanding of geometric structure to:
- Determine the area and circumference of circles.
- Determine surface area and volume of cones, cylinders, and spheres.
Describe the two-dimensional shapes formed by slicing three-dimensional figures with a plane, and explain how those cross-sections relate to the structure of the solid.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative rational numbers.
Use estimation strategies to assess the reasonableness of answers involving positive and negative rational numbers.
Fluently convert between rational numbers and percents.

Grade 8

By the end of EIGHTH GRADE, students can:

NUMBER & OPERATION SENSE

Use scientific notation to express very large and very small numbers.
Apply properties of exponents to generate equivalent numerical expressions.
Use rational approximations of irrational numbers to estimate the value of expressions involving irrational numbers.

ALGEBRAIC THINKING

Represent contexts involving two related quantities using systems of linear equations.
Solve systems of two linear equations in two variables by graphing and substitution, and interpret the solution.
Determine whether a given relationship is a function.
Given a linear relationship, identify the rate of change and initial value from a table, graph, or description, and write a linear function to model the relationship.
Describe how nonlinear relationships differ from linear relationships.

GEOMETRIC REASONING & MEASUREMENT

Use angle relationship classifications (supplementary, complementary, vertical, adjacent) to find unknown angle measures.
Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find unknown side lengths in right triangles.
Find missing angles in triangles by knowing that the sum of the interior angles is always 180°.
Determine whether a triangle is formed from a given set of three angles or sides.

REASONING WITH DATA, STATISTICS, & PROBABILITY

Represent bivariate measurement data with scatter plots.
Represent data on two categorical variables from the same subjects with two-way tables
Use linear models to analyze associations between variables and make predictions.
Model the sample space for a compound event.
Determine the probability of a compound event.

MSDE RESOURCES:

Numeracy Development Framework

Family User Guide

MORE INFO?

Contact your child’s school for additional information about current math learning and/or how to support your student at home.

Numeracy Milestones

MSDE RESOURCES: Numeracy Development Framework

MORE INFO?

MSDE RESOURCES:

Numeracy Development Framework