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MEP to AoPS Transition


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I have a rising 5th grader who I've homeschooled since 2nd grade using MEP. She is very strong in the conceptual understanding of math (math thinking, as I call it). She is decent at calculating too. 

I am looking ahead to her transition from arithmetic to Algebra and beyond. I've always imagined that after MEP Y6 she'd transition into AoPS so I would have more support in teaching her and she could have an increased independence, although I am a mathy person so she won't be fully self-taught.

But today as I looked at AoPS sequence I realized that they actually offer 7 years of math and if she starts Pre-Algebra in 7th grade after MEP Y6, then she's only got 6 years and would not be able to complete a high school level Calculus course if she desires. I hate feeling like I'm already making that choice for her in these late elementary years by default because of when I have her cut over to AoPS.

If you have been a MEP family and completed MEP Y5 and/or Y6 and then transitioned into AoPS can you give me some input on what you think is the best transition plan?

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I don’t know when the best time to transition is, but here is my family’s limited experience.

 

Oldest ds completed year 5 and most of 6A.  While he liked MEP through year 4, he started complaining of boredom with it in year 5.  We talked about it and he decided he wanted to stick with MEP.  Year 6 started off great. Unlike previous years in which first several weeks reviewed the previous year’s material, year 6 incorporated new material from the start.  All was well for a few weeks.  Then the lessons became mostly review with minute amounts of new material tossed in.  Ds complained that math was too easy and boring. The new material was so integrated that I could not separate it.  I considered skipping 4-6 weeks ahead and seeing if that helped, but ds really wanted to try a different program. 

 

In January, Ds decided to try AOPS pre-algebra.  He completed chapters 1-4 and started 5. The format was daunting at first. It was so different from MEP.  We worked through it together.  Ds understood the math, the challenge for him was the amount of writing.  I scribed a lot.  (I hope to move him toward more independence this year.) He loves the videos.

 

He will continue AOPS pre-algebra next year.  We will jointly decide whether to continue AOPS after that or try something else for algebra.

 

Tentative plans for my younger son are for him to complete MEP 5 next year and then decide whether to do year 6 or move on AOPS or another program.   I am tempted to offer Beast Academy 5 as an alternative to MEP 5.   

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I"m not specifically an MEP family, but I've used it a lot intermittantly.

 

As far as AoPS, it is really hard to schedule by year or too far in advance. I'll give you some thoughts and I"m sure others will chime in also.

 

AoPS Prealgebra - start whenever you child is ready; most can finish this in a year

AoPS Intro to Algebra - this book basically covers Algebra 1 and 2; some people add a little more for algebra 2, others don't (If moving on to Intermediate algebra or a good precalculus then I don't really think you need to cover anything else for algebra 2)

AoPS Geometry - big, long book; not everyone can finish in a year; many people think this is the hardest, but my kids have found it the easiest

AoPS Counting  and Probability - bonus book that can be covered in a semester

AoPS Number Theory - bonus book that can be covered in a semester

 

I mixed multiple books as we did them. We'd cover a chapter in one and then a chapter in a different book (while working on the review problems of the first)

 

AoPS Intermediate Algebra - this used to be called Algebra 3 on their website and this is what I called it; This is a great book for talented math students, but the intermediate series is too hard for many. I think you can go straight from the algebra book into a solid precalc book.

AoPS Precalc - my favorite of the intermediate series. 

AoPS Calculus - this is my least favorite AoPS book and we went to a different calculus book

 

Son #1 - did all the AoPS books as well as multiple online courses; covered all the intro books in middle school and took 2 credits of math yearly in high school; this is the kind of kid that AoPS is perfect for

 

Son #2 - Did prealgebra in 6th; algebra and geometry books in 7-9th; Derek Owens precalculus in 10th; moving on to AP calculus next year - this boy is very good in math (perfect math ACT), but AoPS is not the way he learns best

 

Daughter - Did SM, MEP, Derek Owens prealgebra then AoPS Prealgebra (finished in 8th). Has started the AoPS geometry book and is doing very well with simply an AoPS prealgebra background; will start the algebra book in 9th and will find the algebra more difficult than the geometry book (she is highly visual spacial)

She ought to be able to finish the intro books, but will not move to the intermediate books.Her high school math looks like Algebra 1 and 2, geometry, and probably precalc.

 

I've tutored students through the Intro books; some move on to the intermediate books, others move on to a more traditional math book.

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My rising 8th grader also finished MEP 5 and then moved to AoPS. I think there was something that she either didn't remember or hadn't been covered in MEP.  It might have been multiplying and dividing decimals. I taught her that and she continued on.

 

 

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