“OK, now do problems 1-25 on page ____.” I heard this almost every day as a student when my teachers assigned math problems--odds in class, evens for homework--at the end of each section in ...

Cindy says she found a shortcut for doing multiplication problems. When she multiplies 3 Ö 24, she says, “3 Ö 4 is 12 ones, or 1 ten and 2 ones.

Your Dec. 1 article, "Questions Raised on Graduation Test," noted that many school officials believe that the current proposed exam is too long and difficult.

DeAgostini/Getty Images. ... she used the abacus-based approach to solve math problems. ... and after a few classes — and a good amount of practice — math seemed a little less frightening.