Addition and subtraction, 100 problems with 100% accuracy in 5 minutes started here in 2nd grade. 3rd grade was multiplication facts by individual numbers (x2 or x3 etc) through x12, with a mixed multiplication test at the end. Same goal- 100 problems with 100% accuracy in 5 min.
The 3rd grade teacher was very, very high pressure and made a giant to-do about it with a star chart on the front board and a big ceremony every week after the timed tests. She also would stand at the whiteboard and write down 4 minutes. 3 minutes, etc, until she got to 30 seconds, then she would count aloud. That sent my perfectionist, anxious kid over the edge. Then the following week she would go through and say "Okay, Billy, Joe and Betty are only on their x2s, they'd better practice at home and catch up!" or the worst for my kid "___ is supposed to be so good at math but he's stuck on his x8s, no star again this week!"
And that is 1/3 of why we're now homeschoolers. Forced timed tests, combined with her attitude really destroyed him. We begged her to stop counting down, making a scene or to, at a minimum, let him count UP instead of down. No.
http://mathsolutions.com/documents/9781935099031_message18.pdf
