I've seen several examples of math problems in the Common Core curriculum, and even when trying to give it the benefit of the doubt I still come up with a WTF? I think this stems from a faulty premise, which is that rote memorization has no benefit in the learning process. I remember being in school having to do stuff by rote and thinking it was pointless, but later when I got into higher maths I began to understand how that rote memorization had built up an area of "working memory" that I could use in the more advanced problems.
So yeah, I think the process of learning involves synthesis and rote memorization. These Common Core problems seem to me that they're trying to put the cart before the horse, and demanding these kids develop an abstract understanding of the problem before they are even comfortable working with the numbers.