Does anyone remember first grade? My son is currently in first grade (state) and they are learning simple multiplication, like 4 x 4, and one of the words he had to learn to spell this week is "turquoise".
I don't recall first grade being so hard. 
I remember first grade, NSW primary school. We learned subtraction. Learned about addition in kindergarten. Multiplication was learned in 2nd but really got into maths in 3rd class with a great teacher.
Don't think I learned about turquiose back then. Actually I still don't know what turquiose is.
I remember having to spell Celery in year 1. i spelled it Selery and got really bummed when the teacher went crook. WTF.
I s'pose that's why i burnt the school down [}:)]
We did advanced thermodynamics in first grade at my school.
It's all about how your bum gets hot when it's being wacked by an angry teacher.
It was quite complex and took years to understand so they kept the lessons going right through until 7th grade.
I think I would have rathered learn how to spell turcoise,.. turquoyse,.. tirquoise,.. sh!t,.. greeny blue.
You may need to explain to the principal that turquoise is not a colour, it is a hard shelled reptile.
He is your son, so that makes him male (obviously); it is a well known fact that males only see in 24 colours, just like windows default mode! 
I remember first grade at North Perth primary school very well,
Only 3 in my class spoke English-myself and a girl and the teacher.
The rest of the kids were "New Aussies"
Our teacher, Miss Wendy Best was a brand new teacher straight out of college, she had long legs, and a really short skirt.
Stephen
Panda mine is in Y2
He is doing multiplication this year but I think they touched on it briefly at the end of last year.
Turquoise is pretty full on. Even if they are doing phonics and the class is doing really well figuring out how to pronounce things they may bring in the "qu" sounds and "oi" sound and also silent "e".... MAY.
But asking them to spell it - bloody hell. To get them to read the word and figure out how to pronounce it - maybe Y2. Not spelling it in Y1
Caveat: I am not a teacher.
We learnt the multiplication tables to 12, reciting them by rote.
Something about "A" is for apple too.
I'm a teacher. Have taught year ones twice and now am year threes. The new curriculum is not good in that it pushes them way too hard way too fast all in an attempt to jump some NAPLAN hurdles by year 3. It is ruining kids and pushing stress onto kids that you wouldn't subject adults to. Kids learn a lot through play and in my opinion, kids (particularly boys) are not ready for formalised learning until at least year 2 or sometimes year 3. Traditionally in WA formalised leardning has started in year 1, but now we're in line with eastern states and it is being pushed from Pre Primary.
I am telling you straight up now, route learnt procedures does not work. Instead, they need the hands on materials. If you are going to fundamentally shift a person's way of thinking (example: any is spelt a n y, not e n y) then you need to do a lot more than throw a text book at them.
Kids need to be motivated to learn and learn through real life experiences. NAPLAN is a poor representation of overall success. How many of you would sit a 40 minute test and then be judged by everyone for the next 2 years based on the findings?
To answer the question:
Has year one gotten harder: Yes
Are the kids smarter: No
Is the teaching better: No
The problem though is not the system. It is society and its demands on workers and then the subsequent time they have for their kids. All kids want is time. They don't need a flash boat, they'd be just as happy at the park making a paperbark boat with you.
What I mean is, schools in Australia have NEVER had a more under-parented generation of students attend than there is now. Even twenty years ago when I went to school, Mum was mostly there to help me. More and more often, parents work and their kids are left. Kids are falling behind and having social problems because of the under-parenting.
I'm a parent of one (soon to be two) kids. I will be trying to spend time with my kids, rather than working too hard. If we could go back to older style parenting, where kids can play and build cubby houses, then they will improve.
First lesson for a grade 1 student is how to **** off any apple product e.g Ima****enrippoff Ima****enwellmarkededproduct and waiver paying for **** that is completely free on windows.
Second lesson is mum and dad cant afford the latest and greatest cause they have a mortgage and money dont grow on trees They cant afford to update an iphone every 1 month because of clever marketing
