The times, they are a-changin'. Gone are the days of red exes and letter grades. Rather than a generating a year-long holistic grade, more and more schools are moving toward Common Core-based grading, in which students are assessed on their ability to complete specific tasks. Nowhere is this more evident than in math.

In first grade alone, there are more than 20 math standards including "Tell and write time," "Order three objects by length," and an array of others. Common Core controversy aside, many districts are adopting these standards and using them to align their instruction. However, schools are finding that assimilating Common Core methodology into everyday classroom pedagogy presents new and unique challenges to their teachers, students, and parents. In this series, I want to focus on some of those particularly tricky math standards that seem to have the education community stumped, and shed light on (or justify the opacity of) why the common core is taught the way it is.