The DISTAR Arithmetic programs teach the fundamental skills and concepts of math that are critical for students’ success later in school. Level I is typically used with Kindergarten students, but is also effective with high-performing preschoolers through low-performing grade 2 students. Level II is usually for first graders, but is effective for students through grade 3. All skills and concepts are presented to small groups in a fast-paced, motivating lesson format and are continuously integrated into more sophisticated review and application exercises. Lessons are designed around major skill tracks. Strategies and concepts are linked from one lesson to the next, and everything taught is continuously integrated and practiced in increasingly complex applications.

The focus of Level I is basic addition and subtraction operations. Students master rote, rational, and ordinal counting; algebraic operations; concepts of more and less; and simple picture and story problems. In Level II, students practice extensions of what they mastered in Level I, learn to solve column addition problems (with regrouping), and work with multiplication and fractions.