California is one of the 45 states that have accepted the new hands on, problem solving based standards that have teachers and students not entirely sure what they were doing .This is the first dramatic change in the curriculum since 1997.An example is that kindergarteners have to count to 100 by the end of the year instead of thirty, also times tables is no longer a second grade standard but a third grade one. The new standards routinely call for students to solve problems that require a strong grasp of mathematical concepts and to explain their reasoning.Lillian Mongeau wrote an article for Edsource.org and she quotes Jeanie Behrend, an education professor focused on math education at California State University, Fresno. Behrend states this "Making this shift in the classroom – from focusing on computation to focusing on problem solving strategies – stands to be one of the biggest challenges teachers face as they work to implement the new standards. Students will take practice tests aligned to the new standards this year in preparation for the first statewide assessment tied to Common Core in spring 2015. While some teachers are ready to tackle the new standards, others said they have received scant training in how to teach math as a hands-on, exploration based activity." The article, written January 20, 2014 seems to have no relevance now three years later but teachers in other states dissagree seeing as they are still adgusting.
