P.S. 95-Sheila Mencher promotes good study habits, coming to school ready to learn, being respectful to others and yourself among other positive ideals to create a wonderful learning environment. Children in any one class will show a wide range of ability, attainment and learning styles, and it is difficult to cater for all their needs if a common programme is followed. Children acquire an understanding of mathematical ideas in an uneven and individual way. The issue of readiness is therefore crucial when planning, teaching and assessing the mathematics programme. It is important to build on the child’s previously acquired knowledge, and periods of frequent revision are essential. Continuous assessment is particularly useful for diagnosis and planning in mathematics. It should focus on the identification of the child’s existing knowledge, misconceptions and strategies. It should provide information that will enable the teacher to cater for individual differences in ability, previous learning and learning style, and to resist pressure to push the child to premature mechanical mastery of computational facts and procedures.
