[publius911]

“But rather than, say, count on a number line or use objects, Common Core’s standards mandate teaching first-graders to ‘decompose’ two-digit numbers in an effort to emphasize the concept of place value. Thus 13 – 4 is warped into 13 – 3 = 10 – 1 = 9. Decomposition is a useful skill for older children, but my first-grade son has no clue what it is about or how to do it. He can, however, memorize the answer to 13 – 4. But Common Core does not advocate that tried-and-true technique.”

Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.

It's the New Math, all over again.
Same idiots, different, newer batch.
You just can't fix stupid.

Every new generation of professional educators (the dregs of the university population) believes that civilization begins when they are born, and that they have all the answers, and they all try (incompetently) their "new" thing, and they all fail.
The true and tried methods of several hundred years are abandoned, and they screw things up all over again.
Unless parents get serious and lean on their individual school boards, this stupid process will keep repeating forever.

[RinaseaofDs]

“13 – 3 = 10 – 1 = 9”

There is no more powerful symbol in all of writing in any language than the equal sign.

Look at what these ‘educators’ are doing with it:

‘13-3 = 10 - 1’

What in the name of communication and clear understanding is the idea of the above collection of characters?

Orwell, may God rest his prescient soul. A man dead at 48 not so much out of misfortune at a life cut short, but out of the mercy of a God that would not subject him to witness the inexorability of his prophesies.

Now, finally, 2 + 2 indeed now somehow equal 5.