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My kids were not permitted to use calculators until 7th grade when they were well into algebra and they needed it for the time saver that it was.
But by then, they KNEW all their multiplication and addition facts and knew how to use them to also subtract and divide.
My criteria for them being allowed to use calculators was that they had to demonstrate to my satisfaction, that they knew their math facts and could use the, all in their heads.
I tutor Middle Schoolers, mainly English and math. I have a No Calculators desk, and they hate it. Some of the ‘really good’ students do not know their multiplication tables by the time they get to 8th grade. I have to review flash cards with them to get the back to where they should have been in 4th grade.
Tsk tsk. The multiplication facts simply need to be at their fingertips as a foundation for any further math. The math teachers have drunk the KoolAid imho. Why DO they permit this? Rely on this? Perhaps they don’t know theirs.
Call me old-fashioned. We are supposed to USE our brains, not just carry them around.