Decimals: a learning progression
Use place value to connect decimal notation with fractions and perform accurate decimal calculations.
Before you begin
Understand base-ten place value and tenths and hundredths as fractions.
Readiness depends on the ideas you can use, not only your age or grade. Start earlier in the sequence when an example feels unfamiliar.
How the skill develops
- Represent tenths and hundredths with grids and number lines.
- Compare values by place, not by the number of written digits.
- Align equal places for addition and subtraction.
- Estimate products and quotients to check the decimal point.
What grade is this taught?
Our catalog includes this progression from grade 4 through grade 5. That is a map of the practice available here, not a rule that every school uses the same schedule. Earlier grades may introduce models that later grades formalize.
The sequence is our teaching organization, informed by the published curriculum reference. High-school courses and calculus enrollment vary; check your school’s syllabus for placement decisions.
Build your next practice steps
Mark skills you already feel comfortable with. We’ll suggest the next unchecked skills in this sequence. This is a self-selected path, not a test score.