Teaching Textbooks question - advice needed!!

[NatYoung17]

Hello!

 

I'm struggling to decide if I want to keep using Teaching Textbooks or not and I'm hoping to get some advice...

My dd (10) just finished TT5 and her average score is 92%, but she still struggles with multiplication and division and I don't think she's a 92% student in Math. It seems that it's too easy to get a good score ? I just had her do an assessment for a summer Math program through tenmarks.com, so she could practice some of the things she needs to improve before the next school year. There seem to be a lot of things that were not covered in TT5 and she is really getting frustrated with it. :-( And so am I!

Has anybody used TT through Highschool successfully? Is it a good enough program to graduate High school? My dd hates Math, so I'm not looking for something above and beyond, I just want to make sure she will learn all she needs to graduate HS once she's old enough. I liked TT because I don't have to teach it, since we both get frustrated with it, but if there's any other program that's better and still more of a self learning program I'd rather switch now than later...

Thanks in advance!!

 

P.S. She started out using Calvert Math from K- 2nd grade (we had received it from a friend) and started with TT in 3rd.

[rutheart]

To get extra practice with math facts, we do TT on Mon-Thurs, then do xtramath.org on Fridays (our co-op day). You could easily supplement something else on the 5th day if you notice any gaps.

Ruth

[OneStepAtATime]

Some have used TT successfully through High School.  Some have not.  Some have found that for their student they did not actually retain much.  Many find they need additional practice and sometimes something more conceptual paired with it.  It is a good program for many, though.

 

My suggestion?  Do what was mentioned above, try and pair it with something else on Fridays.  

 

I would maybe consider doing something else over the summer, though, to solidify missing pieces and maybe try out something else to see if it is a better fit.  

 

Have you looked at CLE?  The program is written to the student and instructions are pretty easy to follow.  Lots of spiral review.  Also, math facts receive targeted review in every lesson through grade 5.  It was a huge help here.  I like TT, and if I were doing things again, I probably would have continued using it on the side.  That being said, TT did not work for us as a stand alone because there was not enough spiral review.  Even though they got great scores, they did not retain the material.   We are using CLE and it has made a lot of difference here.  

 

Give the placement tests.  They are free.  Just download them off of the website. It has a different scope and sequence.  Wherever she places, skip the first Light Unit and just cross off some of the review problems in each lesson.  Do the new material from two lessons and the review problems from the second lesson.  That way she can cover twice the material in less time.  Skip quizzes and tests.  See how you both do with this over the summer, just maybe doing 2-3 days of math a week.  You might consider pairing it with Khan Academy for some free computer based math reinforcement.

 

https://www.clp.org/store/by_grade/21

 

Good luck, whatever you decide.

[Pat in MI]

We use TT, but I do have dd do additional facts practice, but I think it is my child and not the program because we used MUS prior to TT and she still didn't have the facts down.    Here is a post about TT success:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/551372-teaching-textbooks-success-x-post-gen-ed/

Blessings,

Pat 

 

[shinyhappypeople]

Is this the only year she's used TT?  Did she take a placement test?  When you say she's struggling with division and multiplication, do you mean the basic concepts or stuff like long division?  

 

Even though she's averaging 92%, is she using a lot of second chances to get that score?  I really, really wish there was a way to disable the second chance option or, at least,  have second chance answers receive only half credit.

 

 

 

 

[NatYoung17]

Thanks for all your advice! I think we will try using xtramath or something similar on Fridays to supplement during the school year and just work on some practice sheets and xtramath over the summer... It's mainly long multiplication / division that she has trouble with and it's usually a simple mistake that gets her on the wrong path... She did the TT6 placement test and passed... but there are lot of times where she has to use the "second chance" during the lessons...

Thanks again!