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[quote=Anonymous]The back and forth about math facts reminds me of similar debates on whether or not MCPS taught grammar.  In that case, although MCPS’s curriculum discouraged formal, systematic grammar instruction, teachers often compensated for the shortfall. I know this because I was on the curriculum committee, and when I asked my children’s teachers every year on back to school night whether they taught grammar, they’d usually hem and haw a little, maybe glance around, and then say because they realized it was important they made a point to teach grammar (while trying not to criticize MCPS). I even had one teacher say that she used the grammar curriculum from the private school her daughter attended. While my child, and many others may have had grammar instruction, possibly at a high level, that instruction was in spite of MCPS, not because of it. Moreover, it was entirely teacher dependent. If a teacher wasn’t strong, themselves, in grammar, or didn’t want to risk career problems by diverging from MCPS’s official curriculum and practices, their students might not have been so fortunate.  (This was under an old curriculum.  I don’t know the current status of grammar instruction under the new curriculum.)

With the disagreement about whether or not math facts are required, we may be facing a similar situation.  MCPS may not require memorization of basic facts, but many teachers may do it anyway. Conversely, the situation might be that MCPS wants students to memorize basic facts, but for whatever reason an individual teacher might have, they’re not requiring their students to do so.

If you feel this is a relevant issue for your child, I highly recommend you directly ask the teacher if they will require your students to memorize the basic facts. [/quote]

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