I have been frustrated with the past Math Standards in California. They go for breadth, verses depth and mastery. Where Singapore that has a world class math program goes for depth and mastery of an area. I have felt with my daughter's math classes her textbooks are running a race. The problem is it looks better to have covered a lot more areas, then fewer. The real issue is the more areas covered translates into less mastery.

It's a crime when 40% of students in California who take Algebra in the 8th grade as required, are not proficient by year end. And 50% don't even take it in the 8th grade. Yes, my daughter took Geometry in the 8th grade. What is happening is the better schools can meet the standards, where the majority get left behind.

'Common core standards': education reform that makes sense - LA Times
The standards revolve around the fundamentals: what students should learn, and how they should learn it.

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