1.An overemphasis on paper-and-pencil arithmetic.
Are they saying that kids should know how to to arithmetic by memory and doing mental math? If so, then that’s a good thing. I have found that a lot of the curriculums do not teach this.
2.Inadequate exposure to concepts of data and probability.
At what age? Early math it doesn’t matter, but probably does matter in higher math classes.
3.A disregard of existing and emerging technology.
I don’t think this matters in early math classes, but the closer you get to calculus the more this matters.
4.An outmoded approach to geometry.
?? Don’t know about this. I think geometry is geometry.
5.A neglect of applications of mathematics.
I do think this is important. Some kids tune out to math because they think it’s not relevant. They need to see how math is used in things like cooking to baseball stats.
6.An interpretation of “focus” that ignores how people learn.
Learning styles is important. My daughter had a hard time with Saxon math because she has speech and language problems. Saxon math is very wordy. My daughter switched curriculums and is doing very well. Not all kids learn the same way.
7.An overemphasis on teaching by telling.
I like the use of manipulatives for some kids. However, my kids didn’t need to use manipulatives because they were good at math. I like the use of different curriculums for different kids.
I forgot to add that the standards should be the same. How kids achieve those standards can be changed.
For example, some kids need to use manipulatives when learning about multiplication and some kids do not. As long as they both learn to multiply, it doesn’t matter how they learned it.