When we went to school, math was taught by rote.
Everyone solved similar problems on the board, and if a student was having problems with a concept the teachers would work on that concept and also assign other students to help.
If a student never got it then they repeated the grade.
Nobody failed in secret.
Now they teach using an absurd methodology, records are sealed, and many of them can’t solve a simple quadratic equation.
I finally was able to figure out the common core math to help my kids. The one kids could do it both ways, and the other just the “normal” way. But she did well - and got the right answers.
We got called in for a parent-teacher thing and the teacher told us our daughter was getting “F”s because she didn’t do it the common core way.
“But they are the correct answer- right?”
“Well, not really because...”
“No, we get that - but the ultimate answer is correct - right?”
“Well, yes, but...”
“GREAT! That’s good enough for us. If you need to keep giving her “F”s, so be it. And I doubt they’ll hold her back for fifth grade because of it.”
It then got into a discussion with the teacher that it was against the district policy to teach the kids math facts. So my wife and another mom went to the school (trading off days) and spent an hour every day during math class out in the hallway with the kids and flash cards. Spent a few minutes with each kid, and if they passed then they would get a new set of flash cards to work with at home.
Even the principal was for it. Then another math teacher joined in and allowed his kids to go. But all of them said “If the district board finds out, we might all be toast.”