Placement guide, math

Which level of Mr. D Math should my child start?

How Mr. D Math levels line up with school grades, how to choose a level without a placement test, what to do if your child lands between two levels, and the mistakes parents most often make.

The short answer. The sequence runs Algebra I, Geometry, then Algebra II. A student who just finished Algebra I goes to Geometry next, not Algebra II. Mr. D says Geometry reinforces Algebra I skills and prepares students for the abstract ideas in Algebra II.

Mr. D Math has no formal placement test, so the level comes from the publisher's guidance below. If you are not sure where your child really is, check their level first: it is quicker than a wrong book.

Check their level first, $9.99 →

Mr. D Math levels and the grades they usually suit

Level	Usually suits grade	Main topics
Preparing for Pre-Algebra	Not given by the publisher	First half practices basic facts and skills with whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Second half introduces integers, expressions, one- and two-step equations and one- and two-step inequalities. For students who want an extra year before Pre-Algebra.
Pre-Algebra	6 or higher	Pre-algebra course. Mr. D expects the student to be fluent with all four operations facts, experienced with fractions and decimals, and in grade 6 or higher.
Algebra I	Not given by the publisher	First-year algebra. Prerequisite is Pre-Algebra, or yes to Mr. D's six readiness questions.
Geometry	Not given by the publisher	High school geometry. Prerequisite is Algebra I. Mr. D places it before Algebra II on purpose.
Algebra II	Not given by the publisher	Second-year algebra. Prerequisite is Geometry.
Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry	Not given by the publisher	Pre-calculus and trigonometry. Prerequisite is Algebra II.

Grades are the publisher's own guide. Many children sit a level above or below, especially after switching programs.

How to choose a Mr. D Math level

There is no formal placement test.
The FAQ links to a 'best course' page with readiness checks.
Pre-Algebra expects fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts, experience with fractions and decimals, and grade 6 or higher.
For Pre-Algebra versus Algebra I, Mr.
D lists six yes or no questions: proficiency with fractions, with decimals and with percents, work with positive and negative numbers, solving 2-step equations like 2x - 5 = 13, and some graphing on the xy-plane.
Yes to all six means the student is likely ready for Algebra I.
The last two do not need to be mastered because Algebra I covers them.
Every later course requires completing the one before it.

Open the publisher's guidance

If your child lands between two levels

A student not ready for Pre-Algebra takes Preparing for Pre-Algebra first. Mr. D also runs 6-week non-credit summer readiness courses and offers course demos to try before buying. Families can contact Mr. D for help choosing.

Problems parents often run into

Mr. D says it is often asked about course order, especially why Geometry comes before Algebra II.
Self-paced access ends on March 1 of the following academic year. A student who needs longer must pay to extend, and after one extension must buy the course again.
Live classes expect weekly assignments to be done before the next weekly class. Self-paced students can follow the pace chart or go faster or slower.

Point of Progress in 20 seconds

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Switching to Mr. D Math from another program

The catalog covers grades 5 to 12, and the first homeschool math course is Preparing for Pre-Algebra. There is no Mr. D course for grade 3 or 4 arithmetic.
Gamified and non-gamified versions have the same instruction, coursework and tests. The gamified one adds badges and points for scores of 80 percent or higher.
Live courses meet once a week on Zoom for 55 minutes from mid-August to mid-May, with three extra-help sessions a week. Self-paced students get two extra-help sessions a week.
Charter-school catalogs also list 6th Grade, 7th Grade and 8th Grade with Pre-Algebra live courses, which are not in the standard homeschool sequence.

Not just a score. Every skill, and every answer.

The score, with its honest range

Grade 4Grade 6 typicalGrade 9

744, likely range 702 to 787. A good or bad day stops looking like real movement.

Every strand, marked

Number senseStrong
FractionsWorth work
RatiosStrong
ExpressionsWorth work

Five to nine strands per subject, on one scale, so the gaps inside one score show.

Question by question

Add 2/3 and 1/4Answered 3/7. Added numerators and denominators separately, so the common denominator step is missing.

Wrong

Every wrong answer, with the most likely thinking behind it.

What to do next, in order

Common denominators
Simplifying fractions
Ratio as a comparison

Ranked by how much each skill holds the rest back, then practised in the workbook.

Get the report, $9.99 →or add the ten-week workbook built from the gaps, $19.99See the full eight-page sample report

When you don't need a whole level

A placement test answers one question: which book. If your child is mostly on track but shaky in one area, say fractions or paragraph writing, a full lower level means months of review they do not need. Practising just the gaps is faster, and keeps them in the book that fits the rest of their skills.

Questions parents ask

Is it bad if my child places below their grade?

No. Programs pace topics differently, so a lower level often reflects the order things were taught, not how able a child is. What matters is starting where the work makes sense.

Do I need a placement test at all?

If you are switching programs or your child has had a hard year, yes. Starting too high is the most common reason a new curriculum stalls in the first month.

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Sources

Know where they stand before you buy the book.

About forty minutes at home, math and reading & writing, grades 3 to 10. The report is ready as soon as the test finishes.

Test your child, $9.99 →or with the ten-week workbook, $19.99

This page is Point of Progress's own research, compiled in November 2026 from publishers' websites, placement materials and parent reviews. Publishers update their products, levels, placement tests and prices from time to time, so please verify all information with the provider before you buy. Point of Progress is independent and is not affiliated with any publisher named here.