Thanks to all of you for your many helpful comments and insights! We're really unsure as to which direction this child should go. His passion is really for writing, but his father (history professor who formerly taught at an Ivy) feels that he just won't get enough aid in this area, not to mention he'll having trouble supporting himself. We would certainly qualify for need-based aid, but don't want to take out loans of any significant size. Ds should have no trouble getting into our good state university (Indiana), but my instinct is that he might find a better fit at a smaller liberal arts college. (His father and I both went to Oberlin.) Maybe we just need to have him apply to a range of schools and see what the aid packages look like.

Thank you, creekland! Very helpful. It's hypothetical anyway since he is only a sophomore, but how does one predict the likelihood of being commended vs. semi-finalist vs. finalist, etc.? Our state has a cut-off this year of 215, and his score was 222. Our real concern is less about acceptance and more about getting aid (not loans though) at selective schools. I do realize how incredibly competitive it is out there, but I am hoping that by getting some attention from schools outside of his home state, he will be willing to think a little more ambitiously and believe in his own abilities a little more.

Scores arrived in Indiana yesterday. I realized as I was trying to explain how the process works to my husband and son that I didn't truly understand whether each state's cut-off would put a student in the commended, semi-finalist, or whatever category. My son is just a sophomore, so this was just a dry run for us -- though I was thrilled with his scores (well above our state cut-off, much to my surprise). Another question ... My humanities-oriented son, in a particularly unaware moment, checked Student Search Service, but said he was interested in philosophy. Even though my husband and I have been telling him he would need to declare interest in a STEM field in order to attract scholarship money at selective schools, he clearly has not been listening. Does the College Board actually release PSAT scores or just SAT scores? I'm guessing that if he receives any mail at all from schools, it will be because they are truly interested in him (and that would have to be because of his scores).

Thank you so much, Sebastian and snowbeltmom!

Can anyone tell me whether, as homeschoolers, we will receive our children's scores as "guidance counselors" or just as students? My understanding is that reports go out to schools earlier than they go to individual students (meaning early December rather than January)? Not sure the wording above makes much sense, but it's early ...

Very interesting. Thank you!

What do you feel BJU adds to your child's math program? Also, how much teacher involvement do you find you need with TT? Thanks again for all your assistance, Tiffany

Yes, there is a free version of the app, which I plan to get in a few minutes. I currently have my daughter working on MUS Pre-Algebra because we had an extra copy in the garage. She completed 100 lessons of Saxon 87 this past school year. (With 20 or so lessons to go, she just seemed to hit a wall.) Do you strongly feel that TT Pre-Algebra would be more effective than MUS Pre-Algebra?

Thanks for the suggestions! I've never heard about HOE, but am in the process of checking it out. (Just when you think you've tried every math program out there, you discover you're wrong.) Tell me more about your experiences with it. Would just getting the app(s) suffice? And to clarify, my daughter is almost ready for algebra. She did take the TT algebra placement test, and if she'd gotten one more question correct, she would have placed into algebra. Knowing her math issues though, I'm not going to have her move ahead until we can address a few of her weaknesses over the summer. She's not actually dyslexic -- she's really just clueless when it comes to math, plus very insecure about it and quick to get frustrated because she's been banging her head against the math wall for her whole life. Her father (a brilliant historian and author, if I do say so myself) was the same way. He took algebra twice as a teen -- once in 8th grade and once in 9th, and actually did worse the second time. DD has the same math brain as her dad: math just doesn't compute without good explanations, lots and lots of practice, and plenty of time. She will never be on a science/math track, but she will want to go to a selective school, and she knows she has to at least jump over the SAT math hurdle in order to achieve her other goals. Tiffany

Thank you, OhElizabeth! In our case, I'm thinking I would try to use the MUS videos to supplement TT as the core. My daughter doesn't seem that motivated to use the blocks herself, but I know they are useful. Conveniently, we already own all the relevant MUS DVDs. I'm just trying to evaluate how successful she would be with TT. I think the interactive component would be great for her.

Anyone? Has anyone else considered this approach or something close to it? My 13yo dd struggles with math and has made great strides with the extra practice and constant review of Saxon. However, when new concepts are introduced, Saxon doesn't give her enough of a conceptual understanding. I could do that (as her teacher), but I have a lot of extra responsibilities with a very ill father to care for, and I want to make sure her math program can teach her without me as a necessity. Tiffany

I know this is a very old post, but I am considering the same thing: combining MUS and Teaching Textbooks at the Pre-Algebra or Algebra I level. We used MUS for several years, but switched to Saxon two years ago for a variety of reasons. For this particular child, I need to be creative in finding ways to help her understand and master math. DaisyMay, did you end up combining the two programs? If so, how did it work for you? Tiffany

Thanks again for sharing. Tiffany

Thanks for sharing. So helpful to hear another interesting perspective. What did you use for test prep? Tiffany

Very interesting! I will try this and see how it goes with my son. Thanks again for your advice. Tiffany