There Is No New Math

Alternate Title: There Is Nothing New Under the Sun

The scan above is from book 1 of Mental Arithmetic by D.E. Wiedman, a classic from right here in Washington State. It was published by Union Printing of Bellingham in 1928 and used extensively in schools on the west side of the state; my particular copy is a leftover from the Arlington School District. The piece I'd point out is the first grade math standard: "45 fundamental combinations, no sums greater than 10."

Now consider the new math standards for Washington State, developed over the course of 15 years at an investment of tens of millions of dollars. After all the sturm un drang and teeth-gnashing and study and analysis, what did we come up with for first grade?

Quickly recall addition facts and related
subtraction facts for sums equal to 10.

Truly, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Back to basics, indeed.