CLE Math ?

[Teresa in MO]

my ds did A Beka math for K-3. I switched him this year to Horizon and Math Mammoth. It is not working. It is my fault I think because I have done a little in Horizon, then a little in Math Mammath and back and forth. When I was deciding last summer what to use, I was choosing between Horizon and Mm and CLE. I am thinking of switching mid-year to CLE. My question is CLE pretty much on grade level? Can I just put him in 401 I looked at the samples online and it looks like I could. There might be things I will have to go over with him, but I think he could do it. I really don't want to put him in the 300 level. He knows his multiplication and division facts well.

 

I know there were alot of people switching to CLE Math last summer. Can you tell me after using it a half of year if you are happy with it? Thanks.

[Melissa in St Louis]

Hi there!

 

Yes, after using it for a little over 6 months, I am VERY happy with it! :001_smile: Do you know about the placement tests and the samples online? That should help you to find exactly where he should be placed. The publisher says repeatedly on the yahoo group that the "levels" are not meant to be "grade levels" per se. Starting where the child is comfortable then progressing from there has prevented frustration for my son. :001_smile: HTH!

[mom2jjka]

We have been using CLE for 3 1/2 years - and I still LOVE it! :-)

 

When we first started homeschooling I wasn't sure what to use.

We tried Saxon, Abeka, SOS, and R&S - all without success.

Then I heard about CLE. It was literally the answer to my prayers!

 

I love it because it's easy to use. (Instrutions are written directly (and clearly!) to the student. I am not a math-minded person myself, (actually I'm somewhat math-phobic) but with CLE I feel like the pressure is taken off of me. Most of the time my kids pick up the concepts all on their own. Once in awhile I'll have to re-read the instructions to them or go over some of the sample problems together - but for the most part it allows them to work very independently. (For larger families like mine, so that is a huge bonus!)

 

Yes it's not colorful, or 'fun' like some of the DVD or computer math programs out there, but it is thorough, wholesome, and I think the cost of CLE is fairly reasonable, too.

 

I don't see our family changing any time soon. ;-)

[MIch elle]

Try CLE 4 and just go over what your dc doesn't know. If the 401 seems too hard than skip it and go to 402 because the explainations will probably be better than the review unit (-01). That's what we did when we switched to CLE math 5 from R&S.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

We really like it too. Love the gentle spiral teaching and the scripted lessons since I'm math phobic as well.

[Mom_Abear]

Ditto to what the others have said! We switched (from Saxon) at the end of last year, and we are very happy with CLE!!

 

My son was finishing Saxon 2 last year in 1st grade, but I put him in the middle of CLE 2 when we switched. Some of it was a little easy at first, but it was a good transition for him to start loving math again!

 

Here's a blog post I wrote about it early this school year.

[Melissa in CA]

We really, really like it. I would recommend the math charts that they sell as well. They have helped eliminate some issues we had with concepts CLE drills in their daily "Mastery Drills" section, that my ds did not already know from previous CLE years.

[mama25angels]

Has anyone used/looked at the highschool CLE math levels? Are they as good as the elementary levels? Thanks

[mom2jjka]

I haven't used them - but I do know that the math above grade 8 has not been revised to the "Sunrise" editions. They are basically less colorful versions of AOP Lifepacs. (CLE even recommends buying the TE from AOP if you need more than their keys.)

[mama25angels]

well, that kind of sucks!! I'd really like to try CLE, I guess i'll have to try AOP for the upper levels

[G5052]

well, that kind of sucks!! I'd really like to try CLE, I guess i'll have to try AOP for the upper levels

 

I was not impressed with the explanations and overall approach, and the CLE version of AOP is visually cramped and not paced and presented as well as their Sunrise versions at all. They're working on Sunrise Algebra I, but with no release date and will eventually also do Algebra II, but not beyond that. We are a science-oriented family and need math through pre-calculus at least. I could have started my oldest on Algebra I this year, but decided to run him through a year of pre-algebra while we figured out what to do and to give him a little more time to mature. He should finish Math-U-See pre-algebra sometime this spring, then I'll have him do LOF pre-algebra and start LOF Algebra I in the fall. And we'll figure it out from there...

 

We've loved CLE Math for the last 3+ years, and I've used grades 2-6th now. RightStart was great at the beginning for the hands-on, but going to self-taught workbooks with lots of review was the way to go after that. They complain about all the review, but I like the content and their standardized test scores are wonderful. So we deal with it.

 

Math!

[mama25angels]

Do you know if the AOP Teacher editions have the complete step by step solutions in the guide?

[Tiramisu]

We switched from about 1/3 of the way through ABeka Arithmetic 3 into CLE Math Light Unit 308 last fall so we've been doing it for over a year now. I just looked at the scope and sequence and decided where I should place her based on what she already covered and what I felt she would benefit from going over again. The transition was very, very easy. Of couse, CLE covers so many topics so there were things she hadn't seen before but she picked them up easily with the daily review. Dd can get very frustrated with multi-step problems. Based on advice I got here, I only have her do a limited number of the same type of mult-step problems per day in the Skill Builders section. Since I started that she doesn't get nearly as frustrated, and life is better for everyone. CLE is excellent, and I have never regretted the change.

[TracyR]

I wouldnt' worry about the upper level maths quite yet.

As for the math. I would have him take the placement test. My reason for recommending this is that many people feel that they are putting their children in grade levels and put their child in the 'grade' level they believe their child SHOULD be in. Then failure occurs and everyone involved gets frustrated.

 

CLE's math involves much more than multiplication and division. CLE's LIght Units span many grade levels. Not just 1. Believe it or not my 11 yr old did the 400 level last school year. When she tested she scored at a 5th grade level in math ( after some remediation and that wasn't bad for her). She fought me tooth and nail to try a different math and after looking into 6th grade math programs here the 400 level of CLE math covered most of the material that most 6th grade math courses cover. The only thing she didn't know was square roots at the time because we didn't make it to that Light Unit before the end of school. So in reality the 400 level covered material that you would see in 4th , 5th and 6th grade math programs. So skipping levels or assuming just because he went through a 3rd grade math program already isn't an indication that he's ready for the 400 levels.

 

Another thing that many people feel hung up on is the levels. They are just that. Levels, nothing else. As Mr.Glick (one of the CLE reps on the yahoo group) says don't look at the numbers. Erase them from your thoughts. Those numbers are there for brick and mortar schools and have no meaning to homeschoolers at all. You place your child where the placement tests tell you.

If you have a child that does well on the test, scores a tiny bit below and you see a bit of material that you could easily go over with him. Then I would say " Yeah go ahead with level 400.)

If he has an ify score on the 400 level placement test I would go ahead and get it and then just have him take the Light Unit tests until you reach a point that he has difficulty.

 

Other then that CLE has free placement tests on their website. Have him take that and then start him where he NEEDS to be. Don't look at the numbers. They mean nothing.

[HeatherM2]

I wouldnt' worry about the upper level maths quite yet.

As for the math. I would have him take the placement test. My reason for recommending this is that many people feel that they are putting their children in grade levels and put their child in the 'grade' level they believe their child SHOULD be in. Then failure occurs and everyone involved gets frustrated.

 

CLE's math involves much more than multiplication and division. CLE's LIght Units span many grade levels. Not just 1. Believe it or not my 11 yr old did the 400 level last school year. When she tested she scored at a 5th grade level in math ( after some remediation and that wasn't bad for her). She fought me tooth and nail to try a different math and after looking into 6th grade math programs here the 400 level of CLE math covered most of the material that most 6th grade math courses cover. The only thing she didn't know was square roots at the time because we didn't make it to that Light Unit before the end of school. So in reality the 400 level covered material that you would see in 4th , 5th and 6th grade math programs. So skipping levels or assuming just because he went through a 3rd grade math program already isn't an indication that he's ready for the 400 levels.

 

Another thing that many people feel hung up on is the levels. They are just that. Levels, nothing else. As Mr.Glick (one of the CLE reps on the yahoo group) says don't look at the numbers. Erase them from your thoughts. Those numbers are there for brick and mortar schools and have no meaning to homeschoolers at all. You place your child where the placement tests tell you.

If you have a child that does well on the test, scores a tiny bit below and you see a bit of material that you could easily go over with him. Then I would say " Yeah go ahead with level 400.)

If he has an ify score on the 400 level placement test I would go ahead and get it and then just have him take the Light Unit tests until you reach a point that he has difficulty.

 

Other then that CLE has free placement tests on their website. Have him take that and then start him where he NEEDS to be. Don't look at the numbers. They mean nothing.

 

:iagree:

[lejardin]

Since I'm looking at other math programs for 4th gr next year, I appreciated reading everyone's comments on CLE as it is one of our top contenders. We are currently using Abeka 3 and although DD has done well it just seems too intense with long lessons. I have learned to cut it down and that has helped but CLE just looks "right" for us at this time. IF anyone else has more to say about it, I'll be reading!:001_smile:

[ballle_98]

Can anyone direct me to the free online placement tests for CLE? I am not seeing them on the website. Thanks.

 

Nevermind. I found it. I didn't see the download option. Thanks.

Edited March 22, 2010 by ballle_98
answered my own question...

[Elinor Everywhere]

IF anyone else has more to say about it, I'll be reading!:001_smile:

 

Okay! We used Right Start for the early years (loved it), tried Singapore both in 1st & 4th (hated it....tears and an intense dislike of math, none of which were apparent with Right Start), then found CLE. Next thing I know, math is back to being a fave!

 

It's thorough, it's interesting (all the little boxes with information about different countries and cultures never cease to cause my kids to just "have" to tell me about it), and the material is at grade level or above. Both my kids *love* CLE.

 

Also.....my dd is bright & doesn't need all of the review. I have her do one full lesson of CLE, and then the next lesson with only the new information (about a page or less). Because she does 2 lessons a day, it leaves us plenty of time to supplement with Life of Fred - not because CLE needs to be supplemented, but because LOF is so darn fun!

[m0mmaBuck]

Okay! We used Right Start for the early years (loved it), tried Singapore both in 1st & 4th (hated it....tears and an intense dislike of math, none of which were apparent with Right Start), then found CLE. Next thing I know, math is back to being a fave!

 

It's thorough, it's interesting (all the little boxes with information about different countries and cultures never cease to cause my kids to just "have" to tell me about it), and the material is at grade level or above. Both my kids *love* CLE.

 

Also.....my dd is bright & doesn't need all of the review. I have her do one full lesson of CLE, and then the next lesson with only the new information (about a page or less). Because she does 2 lessons a day, it leaves us plenty of time to supplement with Life of Fred - not because CLE needs to be supplemented, but because LOF is so darn fun!

 

We do the same with DS's CLE math lessons... We do a full lesson and then the next lesson but the new information and any problems he has shown he needs extra practice with. It works really well for us.

[TN Mama]

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

[lejardin]

Thanks Elinor! and Michelle!

What you wrote seems to be more confirmation. I like being able to work ahead at times too. I have printed the diagnostic test to double check where to start DD. Oh, and I enjoyed reading all those little tidbits of information in the samples and DD just loves that kind of stuff LOL

[Brindee]

 

As for the math. I would have him take the placement test. My reason for recommending this is that many people feel that they are putting their children in grade levels and put their child in the 'grade' level they believe their child SHOULD be in. Then failure occurs and everyone involved gets frustrated.

:iagree: We liked CLE okay, but I hadn't seen the placement test somehow, and got a level too high for my dd. She knew stuff, but not at the level she needed to. I think things would have gone much more smoothly if we'd gotten the level lower than what we did.

[skaterbabs]

We've used an entire level and half of two others since last year and I'm really pleased. I would strongly recommend you give your DC the diagnostic test before placing an order because it's very common for children to place a level below their grade level in CLE. Yacko (7th grade) is working in the 600 level, and Wacko (6th) is working in the 500.