itional ▁home work ▁assign ments ; ▁its ▁high ▁cost ▁( a ▁concern ▁mainly ▁of ▁home - school ing ▁parents ); ▁and ▁other ▁factors . ▁ ▁A ▁common ▁compla int ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁curr icul um ▁does ▁not ▁teach ▁any ▁of ▁traditional ▁arithmetic ▁methods ▁familiar ▁to ▁those ▁taught ▁in ▁other ▁nations ▁and ▁to ▁parents ▁with ▁as ▁little ▁as ▁an ▁elementary - school ▁education . ▁The ▁critics ▁assert ▁that ▁" the ▁T ER C ▁computational ▁methods ▁are ▁cum bers ome , ▁in efficient , ▁and ▁only ▁work ▁for ▁carefully ▁selected ▁simple ▁problems " ▁and ▁that ▁" cons cious ▁thought ▁is ▁regularly ▁required ▁for ▁both ▁T ER C ▁method ▁selection ▁and ▁T ER C ▁method ▁execution " ▁even ▁at ▁the ▁simplest ▁levels , ▁thus ▁pre cluding ▁automatic ity ▁and ▁the ▁ability ▁to ▁focus ▁conscious ▁thought ▁on ▁higher - level ▁cogn itive ▁tasks ▁later ▁on . ▁T ER C ▁def enders ' ▁response ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁traditional ▁arithmetic ▁methods ▁familiar ▁to ▁Americans ▁are ▁not ▁necessarily ▁those ▁used ▁in ▁other ▁nations . ▁Research ▁has ▁shown ▁that ▁students ▁are ▁capable ▁of ▁developing ▁algorithms ▁that ▁are ▁as ▁correct , ▁efficient , ▁and ▁general izable ▁as ▁the ▁" standard " ▁algorithms . ▁ ▁A ▁common ▁parent ▁compla int ▁is ▁that ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁recogn izable ▁arithmetic ▁and ▁that ▁home work ▁is ▁frequent ▁and ▁very ▁time - consum ing , ▁with ▁some ▁tasks ▁requiring ▁help ▁from ▁family ▁members ▁and ▁cutting , ▁past ing , ▁and ▁color ing , ▁whereas ▁a ▁traditional ▁works heet ▁may ▁take ▁little ▁time . ▁Other ▁critics ▁claim ▁that