Is your 5th grader keeping up
with what they are learning now?
Fifth grade is decimals to the thousandths and fractions that are multiplied and divided, not only added. It is the last year of elementary math, and the one middle school builds on. A short check on this quarter’s topics shows where your child stands, and weekly practice aimed at any gaps fixes them now, so there is no catching up later.
Check 5th grade nowCheck now, practice the gaps, see the progress.
Buy a quarter and your child signs in on their own NY Exam account. Each of the four subjects runs the same way, on its own, for the whole quarter.
1. A quick check, first
Each subject opens with about seven questions on this quarter’s 5th grade topics, before any practice. Your child answers once and sees no scores or answers; you see the results on your side as soon as it is done, so you know where things stand before a single practice session.
2. About ten questions a week
After the check, your child gets a short session roughly once a week for the rest of the quarter — about ten questions, a few minutes. Every answer, right or wrong, comes with a short explanation, not just the correct choice. From the third week on, half of each session is aimed at whichever two topics are weakest so far, instead of spreading evenly across everything.
3. “We haven’t learned this yet”
If a topic has not come up in class yet, your child marks it “not learned yet” instead of guessing. It is never counted wrong, is left out of that topic’s score, and comes back for another try about four weeks later, by which time most classes have reached it.
4. A short check at the end, and a clear report
The quarter closes the same way it opened, with a short check on the same topics, so you can see the change. Your report shows one line per topic — On track (at least 70% right), Needs practice, or Not enough answers yet — and nothing is judged on fewer than four answers, so one bad session cannot brand a topic for the rest of the quarter.
Two real questions from the first quarter.
Not a free trial — just what a session actually looks like, with the answer and the reason shown.
Math
A place-value counter represents 7. Its nonzero entry is relocated one column right, giving 0.7. Compare the new contribution with the old one.
- It becomes one hundredth of its earlier value.
- It becomes ten times its earlier value.
- Moving one place to the right divides the digit’s value by ten. — correct
- It remains equal to its earlier value.
Dividing 7 by ten gives 0.7.
English
What action suggests Alex begins accepting the porch picnic?
- He keeps the map on his lap at the start.
- He says the porch has no picnic view.
- He adds the porch without crossing out the hill. — correct
- He assumes Rae is glad to give up the hill.
Adding rather than replacing a place reflects a broader idea of a good picnic.
What most New York 5th graders learn, quarter by quarter.
Decimal place value and powers of ten first, then long division and decimal arithmetic, then fractions as division and fraction multiplication, and volume and the coordinate plane last.
| Quarter | Math | English | Science | Social studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall September to November | Decimal place-value relationships; Powers of ten and decimal scaling; Read, write and compare decimals to thousandths; Round decimals and 1 more | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | Conservation of matter during changes; Use particle models to explain matter too small to see; Investigate whether mixing forms new substances; Identify materials from observable properties | Evaluate evidence about the first peoples of the Americas; Environmental adaptation and modification in the Americas; Compare complex societies, achievements and political organization |
| Winter December to February | Divide by two-digit whole numbers; Compute with decimals to hundredths; Evaluate numerical expressions; Write and interpret numerical expressions and 2 more | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | Trace energy in animal food back to sunlight; Evidence for plant growth materials from air and water; Interactions among pairs of Earth systems; Model matter movement among organisms and environments | Culture, identity and Western Hemisphere comparisons; Effects of the Columbian Exchange; European exploration, colonization and Indigenous encounters; Transatlantic slavery and the Middle Passage |
| Early spring March and April | Fractions as division and fair shares; Fraction multiplication and rectangular area; Interpret multiplication as scaling; Apply fraction and mixed-number multiplication and 1 more | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | Compare community methods for protecting resources; Compare Earth’s salt water and freshwater reservoirs; Earth’s gravitational pull toward its center | Western Hemisphere maps, regions and physical features; Principles of constitutional democracy; Compare government structures and founding documents |
| Late spring May and June | Convert units in multistep problems; Use fraction operations with measurement plots; Unit cubes, prism volume and additive volume; First-quadrant coordinates and context and 2 more | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | Use relative distance to explain apparent star brightness; Specify and compare engineering criteria and constraints; Represent daily shadows and seasonal sky observations; Plan controlled tests and improve prototypes | International and nongovernmental cooperation; Struggles for equality, civil rights and sovereignty; Economic systems, activities and production choices; Trade and economic interdependence |
The order follows a typical New York school year. It is our estimate, not a state or school schedule, so you can buy any quarter at any time, including one your child has not reached yet.
What 5th grade covers in each subject.
Math
Decimal place value and powers of ten first, then long division and decimal arithmetic, then fractions as division and fraction multiplication, and volume and the coordinate plane last.
English
Texts with two sides to them, where a reader has to weigh evidence and explain how ideas connect.
Science
Matter made of particles too small to see, energy traced from sunlight to food, Earth's systems and water, and the Sun and stars.
Social studies
The Western Hemisphere: the first peoples of the Americas, European exploration and the Columbian Exchange, and the governments of North and South America.
Watch decimals. A fifth grader who lines up 3.5 + 1.25 by the last digit instead of the decimal point has a place-value gap, and it spreads quickly.
Read the full guide to what 5th graders learn this year, quarter by quarter.
Before you start.
My child is good at fractions. Why practice them again?
Fifth grade asks for something new: multiplying and dividing fractions and seeing a fraction as a division. The quick check shows whether that step has landed or only the adding has.
Is this ready for middle school?
It practices the fifth grade New York standards that sixth grade math assumes. Ratios and negative numbers come next year.
How much does 5th grade practice cost?
Each quarter is 5 credits ($29.99 with the 5-credit pack) and covers all four subjects. The whole 5th grade year is four quarters, 20 credits ($99.99 with the 20-credit pack). It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.
Are the questions based on what New York actually teaches?
Yes. Every question is written to New York State's own learning standards for this grade, and is checked against them before it goes on sale.
On sale now.
5th grade practice is on sale, along with every other grade from 3 to 8. Buy a quarter, or the whole year, from the parent portal.