For Kindergarten Teachers

Kindergartners can reason. They can explain it too.

Most curricula are underchallenging classrooms and underutilizing structural language and visual models.

Math Success has them see it, explain it, and defend it...and they do.

A kindergartner having an aha moment during pair and share, beaming as her teacher leans in
Pair & share: one kindergartner, her ‘aha’ out loud
  • Full K-6 curriculum + printables, download and keep them forever
  • Weekly live Office Hours with Dr. Brendefur & Dr. Ismail
  • Assessments that find the gap + the activities that close it

30-day money-back guarantee: full refund, keep everything you've downloaded

Trusted by 300+ schoolsLoved by 14,000+ teachersBuilt on 40+ years of classroom research
Get Instant AccessFull program. 30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.

Not ready? Explore some free lessons, prep, and practice →

+39pts
SBAC gains*
300+
schools
40+ yrs
of classroom research

*Iowa Elementary, Nampa, Idaho: 16% to 55% SBAC math proficiency over four years. read the principal's account →

Sound familiar?

The kindergarten classroom is a special place.

“Do I look forward to math? Well....”
“I like math, am not a “math person”, but I do enjoy teaching it. There's just something missing...”
“That lesson was AMAZING! I can't wait for the next one. I could do this all day!”
Children have more fun, get enthusiastic about math, and build the confidence to speak up and engage, setting a course for the years ahead.what kindergarten math can feel like

What five-year-olds can actually do

Counting is one thing, using a strategy to do it quicker, and explaining your strategy, then verifying it works and showing it with a model; that's different.

When “how do you know?” is a normal question at five, reasoning becomes a habit for life.

Two topics quietly predict the power levers: spatial reasoning and measurement.

Students who memorize facts but never build spatial reasoning hit a wall in the upper grades. Students with shaky facts but strong spatial reasoning catch up easily.

And it can be learned: every DMTI lesson has five-year-olds building, drawing, and explaining with visual proportional models.

That modeling is the practice, along with measuring, comparing, and composing shapes.

Two words do heavy lifting: unit and compose.

The most powerful vocabulary in kindergarten is not a sight word list. It is the precise language of mathematics, and these two words appear everywhere from here to college.

unit

The thing being counted or measured. A unit of 1 vs. a unit of 10 or 100. Fahrenheit. Watts. Halves. Quarters. Unit. A kinder through forever word.

compose

To put together. Kindergartners compose 6 from 4 and 2, compose shapes from pattern blocks, compose tens from ones.

compose is everywhere: compose numbers compose shapes compose music compose a story a composition book

Because the words are precise, they align teachers with student thinking and the focused concept. When we're consistent with compose, decompose, unit, iterate, partition, equal from kindergarten on, the math conversation never has to restart. It's the same through college and beyond.

See the language in a free insight →

What happened in Rosie's classroom

Real teacher. Real students. Rosie Ashcraft says it better than anyone: watch her kindergarten class go from counting to explaining.

25% → 85%
students at Tier 1, September to May, in Rosie's kindergarten class
2.71
effect size (Istation), nearly unprecedented in math PD research
+30%
growth in early-math skills over the year, Istation

In plain terms: picture a class going from running an 11:30-minute mile on average to a 5:30. That’s what a 2.71 effect size looks like — growth at this scale is nearly unheard-of from a single school year.

“It is so fulfilling to send them away with real foundational skills. I'm so happy to be able to teach this way.”

ROSIE ASHCRAFT · KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
The Story Mat · What do you notice?

Students read the scene and say the math out loud: three and two composes five.

CLASSROOM MOMENT · MS. ASHCRAFT'S CLASS

“It's amazing to me how much those kindergartners understand. People say don't use big words with these little kindergartners. Yeah, they can, and they actually love them, because that makes them feel so smart.”

MRS. HOCHSTRASSER · KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
Mrs. Stucki teaching a kindergarten math lesson at the carpet Mrs. Stucki · Kindergarten

“I haven't had to pull kids through math for probably the last four or five years... we give them the language they need to express their thinking.”

MRS. STUCKI · KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

Before DMTI: “Great math instruction in kindergarten was extremely boring. If you follow a box curriculum and repeat counting to 100 a thousand times across the school year... the students aren't growing: they can't visualize or see what's happening within the mathematics.”

After one year: “Math became my favorite part of the school day... it made a lot of sense to the students, and my students started growing within just a couple of months' time. They were already hitting end-of-the-year benchmarks.” Rosie Ashcraft, from her interview above

“[The training] helped me understand the math at a deep level, so that students understood what the numbers were doing instead of just writing numbers and trying to put them together. That really filled my heart, because I knew the struggle that I had had, and I know a lot of people have had struggles with math.”

Mrs. Hochstrasser · Kindergarten Teacher

“My students understand the First-Grade math standards a lot better. The lessons are thought out and sequential. They push a lot of higher-order thinking, which has helped them to be stronger math students.” Katherine Saunders · 1st Grade Teacher, Sacajawea Elementary

“Before, math was my least favorite subject to teach. Now, it is most definitely my favorite.” Emily · Elementary Teacher

Principal Chinita Irby

“In 14 years, I've never seen a company come in and support the children directly. DMTI works with the teachers and the students side by side.” Principal Chinita Irby

Who benefits most? The students furthest behind. In the peer-reviewed cluster-randomized study (25 schools, 4,618 students), the students who started with the lowest math performance made the largest gains.

Independent evaluation (RMC Research): 79.2% of students in DMT classrooms proficient or advanced vs 65.7% in comparison classrooms, with DMT schools serving more students in poverty and more English learners.

The kindergarten class on this page, mostly English learners in one of Idaho's highest-poverty districts, several nonverbal in the fall, is that finding in one room.

Get Instant Access$21/month. 30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.

This year is the course-setting year.

Early math does more than hit benchmarks: it jumpstarts reasoning itself. The language (unit, compose, decompose) and the models (number line, bar model) a child learns at five are the same ones that carry them through fractions, algebra, and college. Nothing to unlearn. Everything builds.

in kindergarten

Number seen, composed, and explained out loud

in elementary

Fractions, place value, multiplication: same words, bigger numbers

in high school & beyond

Reasoning that scales: models still work, language still precise

Dr. Jonathan Brendefur laughing with math manipulatives
Dr. Jonathan Brendefur, founder

40+ years of research.
And he still answers the weekly call himself.

“I felt the frustration too. Kindergarten deserves better than 'counting to 100.' Let me show you what five-year-olds can actually do.”

Our service promise to teachers

  • Real people answer: portal Q&A and live weekly Zooms with Dr. Brendefur & Dr. Ismail
  • Start yourself today. No contract, no district decision, no purchase order
  • One click to leave: cancel anytime, no forms

Not a program. Actual math learning experts, on your side.

The people behind 40+ years of classroom research don't hand you a binder and disappear. They're in the portal, on the weekly calls, and, when you need it, building a plan for your students with you.

A DMTI math specialist teaching an open number line lesson: students' hands up, everyone in Coach in the room, number line up
Dr. Jackie Ismail and Dr. Jonathan Brendefur (DMTI founder) coaching a teacher over Zoom, the real weekly virtual session Real coaching, live over Zoom
Dr. Sam Strother teaching fractions at the board Fraction questions? He's got them.
1

We listen first

Your classroom, your students, your constraints. You tell us what Tuesday actually looks like, and we start there, not with a script.

2

We build the plan together

Diagnostic → instruction → intervention, mapped to your roster. You'll know exactly what to do tomorrow and why it works.

3

We stay in the room

Weekly live calls with Dr. Brendefur & Dr. Ismail, portal Q&A answered by people who've taught the lesson. When you hit a wall, we're there.

Dr. Jonathan Brendefur
“Effective mathematics instruction isn’t more complicated. When teachers understand the mathematics and what to look for in student thinking, they can focus on what matters most, and the work gets easier, not harder.”

Every teacher is in a different place. Our goal is to meet teachers where they are, help them better understand the mathematics and their students’ thinking, and make good decisions about what to do next.

Tell us about one student who is stuck, or one lesson that keeps falling flat, and we will build the plan with you. That is the partnership: teacher-led, expert-backed. We do not push a system downward; we listen, advise, question, and support.

Dr. Jonathan Brendefur, founder, DMTI

Everything below is included. Here's the value math.

Pretty sweet deal, if you ask us =)

Complete K-6 curriculum & unit resourceslesson plans, printables, varied practice: print them and keep them FOREVER$250+
Foundations Masterclassthe full research foundation, taught by Dr. Brendefur$895
MLP Assessments with targeted intervention strategiesfind the gap, teach the gap$1,495
Games & Reportsmathematical play that reinforces the ideas$195
Coaching, live & on demandreal math experts on the weekly calls (coaching runs $100/hr elsewhere)$100/hr
The Coaching Natalie series8 full coaching sessions, from flat scores to breakthrough$395
All of it, valued atover $3,000
Yours included: $21/mo or $210/yr

Plus at least an hour of expert time free, and as many questions as you can ask, answered. Join today, and everything you download is yours to print and keep. FOREVER.

It's the level of a Masters program: PD content and discourse for $21, month to month.

You don't need one more thing on your plate. You need a clearer path. Start with one today. Paso a paso.

Join Office Hours

Live every Monday, 3:30pm Mountain.
Bring your questions.

Free weekly Q&A with Dr. Jackie Ismail and Dr. Jonathan Brendefur, the researchers behind the program. Kindergarten questions welcome: a stuck lesson, a student who puzzles you, a routine you want to sharpen. Send your questions ahead of time or drop them in the YouTube chat during the call.

Join Office HoursFree · every Monday · no signup needed to watch ▶ Subscribe on YouTube for the reminder

“Bring one stuck lesson,
leave with a plan.”

Questions teachers ask before they join

Straight answers, the same ones we'd give you on a call.

Does this replace my district's required curriculum?

No, it supplements it. The models, routines, and assessments deepen how your students think about the math you're already required to teach, alongside your adopted curriculum.

Is it aligned to my standards?

The lessons target the concepts your grade-level standards expect (number sense, place value, the operations, fractions), and we'll help you map them onto your district's pacing.

How much prep does this take each week?

Less than you'd think. Lessons come with plans, printables, and practice built in. Most teachers start with one routine a week and grow from there.

Do I need special tech or a printer?

Printables print on any printer; the demo lessons and interactive games run in your browser. Nothing to install.

What if I can't make the live calls?

Coaching is live and on demand. Sessions live in the portal, so you can catch up whenever it works.

How does billing and canceling work?

$21/month or $210/year, month to month. Cancel anytime in one click, and everything you've downloaded is yours to keep. If it doesn't make your teaching clearer within 30 days of your first charge, we refund you. No forms.

Are you ready for Math Success?

Teachers don't need another commitment. Start free, see your students connect ideas, feel more confident walking into class tomorrow.

Get Instant Access$21/month. 30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.

30-day money-back guarantee: full refund, keep everything you've downloaded

Month to month · no contract · cancel anytime.

Plus the 30-day money-back guarantee: if it doesn't make your teaching clearer within 30 days of your first charge, email us and we refund you. No forms, no explanation required, and you keep the materials you already downloaded.

P.S. for the skippers

Here's what you get instantly when you join Math Success by DMTI ($21/month):

The Kindergarten Pack, free on this page: The Five Counting Principles, Early Predictors, Foundations in Number Sense, yours either way.
Full K-6 curriculum map + lesson example videos from real classrooms: exactly how to teach each lesson, not just what to say.
Weekly Office Hours + diagnostics & intervention activities + varied practice sheets & games: understanding, not repetitive worksheets.
Get Instant Access$21/month. 30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.

30-day money-back guarantee: full refund, keep everything you've downloaded

See it for yourself. Free.

A lesson, an activity, and the PD behind them: the full kindergarten experience before you spend a dollar. Yours to keep either way.

Watch a free Kindergarten lesson

A complete kindergarten lesson taught start to finish: the models, the questions, the student thinking.

Watch it free →
The Beach Scene Mat: a beach with countable palm trees, beach balls, chairs, umbrellas, starfish, shells, and coconuts

Play the Beach Scene activity

The Story Mat in action: students observe a scene, make math statements, and reason about quantity, comparison, and composition.

Play it free →

Take the Foundations PD

The free 7-part course on how children actually learn mathematics, taught by Dr. Jonathan Brendefur.

Start it free →

Read: The Five Counting Principles

What number sense actually is, and the routines that build it in five-year-olds.

Read it free →

Read: Early Predictors of Math Success

The kindergarten moves research says matter most for the years ahead.

Read it free →

Read: Foundations in Number Sense

How to see the math in your own classroom, starting this week.

Read it free →
Want to see the teaching live? Weekly Office Hours: bring one stuck lesson, leave with a plan.

Not ready to subscribe? The free stuff is still yours. No card, no signup.

Try the free Kindergarten demo lesson  ·  Take the free Foundations course

Both open with an email. That's it. Yours to keep either way.