Did your child finish Algebra 1 this year?
Algebra 1 is the base for higher level mathematics. Truly, the study of Mathematics contains two sides.
First, calculations:
Learning our math facts and calculating quantities is an essential skill that we focus on in elementary school. Once a student starts Algebra, he starts to see all of the difference procedures that can be used for computing. For example, in 5th grade, you learn the process of long division. In Algebra, you do the same problem by factoring, but then use the long division procedure for polynomials. Knowing which procedure to use and how to use it are a key part of an Algebra 1 education.
Second, problem solving:
Knowing calculations is useless without knowing how or when to use them. Analyzing a problem to asses what you know, what you don't know, what you can figure out from what you know, and how you might use this information to figure out what the author wants you to discover is a vast concept. You simply don't learn how to solve problems quickly. It takes practice and patience. The problems in Algebra are designed to teach children how to use what they know about the characteristics of calculations to solve problems. This is quite possibly the number one goal of a higher math education.