🔢 ABE Math & Numeracy
A respectful, self-paced Adult Basic Education course in everyday math — built for grown-ups, from the ground up. Twelve real lessons take you from counting and place value all the way to money, fractions, percents, measurement, and reading a real paystub with confidence.
📚 About This Course
This course is for adults who want to feel confident with numbers — whether you're starting close to the beginning, filling in gaps from school, or knocking the rust off. It's for you, and it treats you like the capable adult you are.
Everything here is practical and real: the numbers come from actual adult life — prices and receipts, bills and budgets, wages and hours, measurements and recipes, schedules and calendars. No childish word problems, no talking down. Just clear, useful math, one step at a time.
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Read, write, and compare whole numbers using place value
- Add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers
- Handle money — add prices, make change, and build a simple budget
- Work with fractions, decimals, and percents (sales, tax, and tips)
- Measure length, weight, and volume in both common systems
- Read clocks, calculate elapsed time, and follow schedules
- Read a bill and a paystub, and comparison-shop for the best deal
Who This Course Is For
- Adult learners building everyday math confidence at their own pace
- Tutoring and classroom programs — every lesson includes paired and group options
- Tutors and teachers looking for a ready-made, sequenced adult numeracy syllabus
💡 You belong here
If math has ever felt stressful, that says nothing about your ability — plenty of capable adults were rushed past the basics. All you need is a little time each day, a pen and paper, and a willingness to take one step at a time. A basic calculator is welcome too; understanding comes first, and the calculator is just a tool.
📖 The 12 Lessons
Work through the lessons in order — each one builds on the last.
Module 1 · Numbers & Counting
The foundation: what numbers mean, and how to add and subtract them.
Module 2 · Times, Sharing & Money
Multiplication, division, and putting them to work with money.
Module 3 · Parts of a Whole
Fractions, decimals, and percents — the math of sales, tax, and tips.
Module 4 · Real-World Math
Measurement, time, and a capstone that ties money and numbers to daily life.
🗺️ Where This Fits
Math & Numeracy is one course in a growing Adult Basic Education program. Here's where it sits alongside the others:
| Course | Focus | You can… |
|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing | Foundational literacy | Read everyday texts, write sentences & paragraphs, handle forms |
| Math & Numeracy | Everyday math | Handle money, measurement, time, and basic calculation |
| Digital & Life Skills | Modern basics | Use a phone, email, and online forms with confidence |
| GED / HSE Prep | High-school equivalency | Prepare for the high-school-equivalency exam |
| Workforce Readiness | Getting & keeping a job | Find work, apply, interview, and succeed on the job |
| Financial Literacy | Managing your money | Budget, bank, save, handle credit & debt, avoid scams |
| Civics & Citizenship | Civic life & the path to citizenship | Understand U.S. government & rights, navigate your community, prepare for naturalization |
| Career Exploration & Pathways | Choosing & planning a career | Explore careers, research the job market, and plan an education-to-career path |
| CDL Pathway Bridge (IET) | Reading & math for trucking | Build the skills to succeed in CDL training and a driving/logistics career |
| Healthcare / CNA Bridge (IET) | Reading & math for caregiving | Build the skills to succeed in CNA training and a healthcare career |
| Manufacturing & Trades Bridge (IET) | Reading & shop math for the trades | Build the skills to succeed in trades training/apprenticeships and a career |
| Workforce Digital Skills | Job-ready digital skills | Use office software, email, spreadsheets, video meetings & online applications |
| Health Literacy | Understanding & using health information | Read labels & forms, navigate care & insurance, and talk with your doctor |
| College & Career Transition | Reading & study skills for the next step | Read & study at a college level and transition to postsecondary study |
New to the basics of reading and writing too? Start with ABE Reading & Writing — the two courses work well side by side.
🧭 How to Study This Course
- One lesson at a time, in order. Don't rush. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
- Work it out by hand. Each lesson has real problems; doing them on paper is where the learning sticks.
- Use real numbers. Bring in your own receipts, bills, and schedules — that's what makes it matter.
- Keep the journal. Five minutes of reflection after each lesson doubles what you remember.
- Review often. Go back to earlier lessons. Repetition is how math becomes automatic.
🧠 A word before you begin
If math has scared you before, that's okay — a lot of people carry an old bad memory of it. You are not behind, and you are not "a math person" or "not a math person." You are simply someone building a skill. Add the word yet to your doubts: "I can't do this yet." Let's begin. 🌱