Answer key: Counting Change (within a dollar)
Companion answer key for the printable worksheet "Counting Change (within a dollar)" — Common Core CCSS.MATH.K.MD.A.2, Beginner difficulty. Use it to spot-check during the lesson or grade afterward.
Sample answers
| # | Question type | Sample answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 + 14 | 59 |
| 2 | 28 + 7 | 35 |
| 3 | 36 + 7 | 43 |
| 4 | 9 + 4 | 13 |
| 5 | 47 + 38 | 85 |
| 6 | 34 + 50 | 84 |
| 7 | 14 + 48 | 62 |
| 8 | 33 + 30 | 63 |
How to grade this worksheet
This answer key is intentionally short — eight items or fewer — so you can spot-check during the lesson rather than waiting until the end. For Math worksheets at the beginner level, we recommend the following grading flow.
- Pencil-only spot check. Walk by every five minutes and circle (lightly) any item that looks off. Do not announce the score.
- Self-grade. When the student finishes, hand them this answer key and let them grade their own work in pen. Self-grading produces about 30% better retention than parent-grading at this age.
- Two-question debrief. Pick the two items they missed and ask: "Walk me through what you tried." Their explanation usually reveals whether it was a careless error or a genuine concept gap.
- Log the score. Note the score, the date, and the standard code (
CCSS.MATH.K.MD.A.2) in your portfolio. Three data points across a month is enough to know if the standard is mastered.
If the student misses more than half of the items, do not reteach the same way. Switch modalities — manipulatives, a drawn diagram, a verbal walk-through — and revisit a fresh worksheet on the same standard the next morning.