Common Core Math: 3×4=11 is Ok?

Filed in Common Core State Standards by on August 19, 2013 2 Comments

The Daily Caller highlighted the video below.  I had seen it before and I posted on this already at, but I haven’t here and wanted to make sure our readers have seen this (even though I a, sure many of you probably have).

A little context.  This is a video taken of Amanda August who is the curriculum director for the Grayslake D46 school district in Grayslake, IL northwest of Chicago.  She is explaining the focus of Common Core Math.

Here is the transcript:

Amanda August: “But even under the new common core if even if they said 3 * 4 was 11, if they were able to explain their reasoning and explain how they came up with there answer. Really in words and oral explanation and they showed it in a picture but they just got the final answer wrong. We’re more focused on the how and the why.”

Parent: “Will we be correcting them?”

Amanda August: “Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. We want our students to compute correctly. But the emphasis is moving more to the explanation, and the how, and the why, and can I really talk through the procedures that I went through to get at this answer — and not just knowing its 12, but why its 12. But the emphasis is really moving on toward the explanation and the how and the why and can I really talk through the procedures that I went through to get the answer.”

You can watch the full video here.

Even though yes they want their kids to compute correctly they’re “more focused on the how and the why.”  This is the primary difference between Common Core Math, which is reform math, and how most of us learned it.

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  • Dawnielle Penn

    Are you kidding me??? So if a child gets an answer wrong, as long as he or she can explain how they got it then it’s ok???????? Also, why are they starting so early preparing for Algerbra???? K-5.

  • Perso Nasplit

    oh, you showed up? heres your trophy, your college degree, and your white collar job.

    Oh, you DIDNT show up, we have all that waiting for you if you do.