As we rely more on technology these are the results.  No need for math skills when a computer can do it for us.  My son is in third grade, and i cant believe how they teach math these days. No need for writing skills or spelling, spell check can handle this.  And with the popularity of text messages, spelling is not an issue. If you can comprehend what is being presented in short hand, why waste your time with all those unneeded consonants and vowels?  I can understand why people do not like the wasl, but when high school graduates can’t read, write, or perform even simple arithmetic something has to give.
Who is to blame you ask? We are.

I teach physical chemistry at WWU, and I can say that this is very relevant. There are a lot of good students for sure, but there are a significant number who can’t do what I would expect, just as we would expect anyone could multiply 20 x 1.5.

In defense of teachers, there is a lot more to teach now than there used to be. I do think there are some priority issues however, and I am sure these are being debated at all sorts of levels as observations like this are made….

I do agree with Jeffrey in that, the more you are forced to do math (and spelling) in your head, the better you will be at it. It is made very easy by technology - sort of like the old science fiction film (or maybe it was an episode of the twilight zone) where some previous generation made a bunch of robot servants, but now, many years later, no one knows how they work….

I agree with what Jeffrey and Tom say, but perhaps it’s possible that this young adult has a learning disability.  Learning disabled students are often left behind by many school systems.  As the parent of a child with math related learning disabilities I try not to jump to conclusions.