First-grade basic facts: An investigation into teaching and learning of an accelerated, high-demand memorization standard

California is one of 4 states that have accelerated addition and subtraction basic-facts memorization. This article reports on teacher practices, first-grade achievement of the standard, and a broader conception of basic-facts competence. Even among students from the highest performing schools, fewer than 11% made progress toward the memorization standard equivalent to their progress through the school year. Several negative correlations between instructional strategies and student retrieval suggest that teachers may benefit from professional development targeted at basic-facts teaching and learning. Textbook reliance was negatively correlated with basic-facts retrieval, suggesting that educators and policymakers may want to reexamine assumptions about the efficacy of traditional first-grade textbooks. This study's findings may prove useful to teachers, professional development trainers, and textbook publishers as they consider ways to improve basic-facts learning among early elementary children.