Implementation is terrible though. The only explanation I have for the terrible tests given at my kids' schools is that they are to test the teachers not the s

Implementation is terrible though. The only explanation I have for the terrible tests given at my kids' schools is that they are to test the teachers not the students. For example, the curriculum indicates a teacher must teach 4 strategies for multiplication. Totally reasonable. But then the test will have questions like "Perform this multiplication using strategy foo" which seems like putting the cart before the horse. Isn't the whole point of teaching multiple strategies is so that at least one sticks? [edit] And no, they aren't doing times (nor even addition) memorization in school. We did them at home and the benefits were absurd.