I ask them too because I teach alg, these problems become more complicated as the year moves on and they need to write their steps down because there are multiple steps. The ones that have been doing it in their heads for years suddenly cant seem to do that anymore and find themselves in a tricky situation because they don't know how to show their work.
The NJ DOE Office of Assessment prepared this slide show about the Spring 2014 NJ ASK. This document is a PDF version of their PowerPoint, and its relevant sections will be shared with you at CPT and department meetings.
How can you answer the perennial math question: "Am I ever going to use this in real life?" PBS's "Get the Math" website is a great way to show students how math is used in areas like music, fashion, and video game design. Thanks to Emily B. for sharing this one!