How to Catch and Address Math Gaps Early (Tips for Sherman Oaks Parents)

With the school year underway in Sherman Oaks, fall progress reports are often one of the first formal checkpoints parents get on how their child is doing. But by the time a lower grade or teacher comment points to a math problem, the underlying misconception may already have been affecting several weeks of learning.

At Mathnasium of Sherman Oaks, we encourage families to look for earlier clues so they can address gaps before they start interfering with new material or becoming harder to untangle.

So, today, our education specialists will show you how to spot those gaps at home, and share practical ways to address them before they start holding your child back.

Why Sherman Oaks Families Should Address Math Gaps Early

LAUSD follows California’s Common Core math standards, with the 2023 Mathematics Framework guiding how those standards are taught. 

Both place emphasis on conceptual understanding, so students are expected to:

• Explain their reasoning 

• Show how a method works 

• Apply math skills in different ways 

• Connect math ideas to what they already know

Math builds from one skill to the next. When your child understands why a method works, they can carry that understanding into new topics and more advanced coursework more easily. 

This means the better your child understands why a method works, the easier it is to carry that understanding into new topics. Because each new skill builds on earlier ones, that foundation also supports more advanced coursework. 

Let’s take a look at how that works in practice.

For example, if your student struggles with negative numbers, that gap can resurface in equations, graphing, probability, and inequalities. One shaky skill can start affecting several parts of the course.

For Sherman Oaks families, that progression often sits alongside decisions about selective school options, including:

• LAUSD magnet programs, including the Gifted/High Ability Magnet at Kester Avenue Elementary and the nearby Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (SOCES)

• Charter schools, such as Dixie Canyon Community Charter, or HighTech Los Angeles Middle School (HTLA-MS)

• Private schools, such as Harvard-Westlake, Campbell Hall, and The Buckley School

Some of these pathways consider test scores, problem-solving ability, or admissions exams with math sections, so gaps that seem small now may become more noticeable as expectations rise.

Taken together, the way math builds course by course and the demands of competitive academic programs give you a good reason to catch and address gaps before they begin affecting current work or future options.

So how can you spot those gaps before they show up in a report card or teacher comment?

How to Spot Math Gaps Before They Start Holding Your Child Back

Math gaps do not always show up as wrong answers right away. Students usually find ways to work around them for a while, so the way your child solves a problem can tell you more than the final answer alone. 

At Mathnasium, we start with a diagnostic assessment to get a clearer picture of each student’s skill level. We look beyond grades and correct answers to figure out how they think about math, where their understanding is secure, and where they may need support. This lets us build a personalized learning plan tailored to the child’s specific learning needs.

You can take a similar approach at home with the checks below. They’re designed to help you look beyond right or wrong answers and pay attention to how your child thinks through the math.

One problem doesn’t mean a gap on its own. But if you notice the same pattern across several problems or over a few weeks, pay closer attention. 

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How to Help Your Child Work Through Math Gaps

After you identify where your child needs more support, you can focus practice on those areas. Use these strategies, drawn from both our experience and educational research, to make that practice more effective. 

A. Prioritize Consistency Over Intensity

Spread practice across the week so your learner has more chances to revisit and retain a skill than with one long session right before a test. 

A 2025 meta-analysis by Murray et al. found an overall advantage for spaced over massed math practice. In other words, your child is more likely to remember a skill when they return to it several times instead of practicing it all at once. 

We recommend 20–30 minute sessions, three or four times a week. Start each session with a quick review of an earlier problem before moving on to something new.

This is what a week might look like for a 6th grader working on dividing fractions:

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B. Show One Math Idea in Different Ways to Deepen Understanding

According to a 2026 meta-analysis by Liu et al., multiple representations had a significant positive effect on students’ math achievement compared with single representations.

In other words, when your child sees the same math idea in different formats, such as a table, equation, graph, or verbal explanation, they can understand the concept more clearly. 

During sessions, our tutors help students make sense of a concept by presenting it from different angles and using visual and hands-on tools. We’ve found that certain representations tend to work especially well for specific topics. Here are a few examples: 

C. Spark Your Learner’s Interest in Math Through Real-World Math Connections

Your student is more likely to stay engaged with math when they can see where it shows up in everyday life.

That idea lines up with a RAND survey of students in grades 5–12. Roughly half of middle and high school students said they lose interest in math class at least half the time, and many disengaged students said they wanted more real-world applications in their lessons. 

At Mathnasium, we usually introduce new ideas through familiar situations before moving to symbols. That might mean using coins to make sense of decimals or a recipe to explore ratios. 

Inspired by what works in our sessions, we put together a few ways to bring math into everyday life around Sherman Oaks: 

• At the annual Sherman Oaks Street Fair, which fills Ventura Boulevard between Kester Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard, you may ask your child to compare vendor deals. For example, are 3 items for $10 a better deal than $4 each?

• At the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area: Before a walk or bike ride, have your student estimate the length of the loop, then time the trip and figure out your average speed.

• Along Ventura Boulevard: Let your learner calculate sale prices while you shop. For instance, 30% off a $60 item saves $18, so it costs $42.

• On the Fryman Canyon Loop, which climbs about 450 feet over 3 miles, ask them how much elevation you gain per mile, on average. The answer is about 150 feet.

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D. Bring in Personalized Support When Gaps Persist

If the same gaps keep showing up despite consistent practice at home, more structured guidance may help your child work through them. 

Look for support that offers: 

• An assessment first, so instruction starts from your learner’s knowledge gaps rather than grade level alone

• A personalized plan that supports both catching up and moving ahead

• Instruction that builds understanding instead of focusing only on correct answers

• Regular progress updates so you can see what’s changing

• A supportive setting where your student feels comfortable asking questions

These same principles guide how we work with every student at Mathnasium of Sherman Oaks. Take a closer look at what that looks like in practice.

At Mathnasium, students build solid understanding of math concepts step by step with guidance from specially trained tutors.

How Mathnasium of Sherman Oaks Helps Students Progress in Math

Mathnasium of Sherman Oaks is a math-only learning center dedicated to helping K–12 students of all skill levels excel in math.

We know that small gaps can become much harder to manage as math builds from year to year. That’s why we focus on finding where understanding starts to break down, rebuilding the skills underneath it, and helping students connect new ideas to what they already know.

We do this through the Mathnasium Method™, our proprietary teaching approach, which meets students where they are and guides them forward step by step.

Each student begins with a diagnostic assessment that helps us understand their current skill level, knowledge gaps, goals, and how they think and feel about math.

Using these insights, we create a personalized learning plan focused on the skills the student needs most, whether that means rebuilding earlier foundations, keeping up with current classwork, or adding greater challenge.

Our specially trained tutors follow the plan closely and provide live, face-to-face instruction in a caring and fun group environment, in-center or online. They use mental, verbal, visual, tactile, and written techniques to help students connect new ideas to prior knowledge and make abstract concepts easier to understand.

Students also get room to think through problems before tutors step in. Our tutors guide them to explain their reasoning, try another approach, and check whether an answer makes sense. This helps students build critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and greater independence in math.

Fun is part of the approach, too. We use game-based activities, rewards, and consistent encouragement to keep students engaged as they close gaps, practice new skills, and take on more challenging work.

We also share regular progress updates so families can see how their student is developing and what they are working toward next.

The impact is clear in our results:

• 94% of parents report an improvement in their child's math skills and understanding

• 93% of parents report their child's improved attitude toward math after attending Mathnasium

• 90% of students saw an improvement in their school grades

Mathnasium of Sherman Oaks is family-owned and rooted in the local community. One of our co-owners is a UCLA graduate and a Sherman Oaks native. Families can find us at 14452 Ventura Boulevard, just east of Ventura Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard.

If your child needs support closing math gaps, keeping up with current coursework, or preparing for what comes next, a free diagnostic assessment is a great place to start. Using what we learn, we create a personalized learning plan focused on the skills they need next.

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