Can someone compare BJU Math and Chalkdust? And maybe Saxon?

[Country Girl]

I'm a little early posting to this board but I'm looking for some information regarding the future path we take regarding math. My ds is finishing up with the BJU 5 math program this year (supplemented with LOF fractions and decimals). We've been doing the program on our own, without the DVD's or online program. However, as I'm adding more kids to our school day and as his math is getting more advanced, I'd like to start using a video program to help out with math. I've heard good things about Chalkdust and actually have the Basic Math program ready for next year because I figured that is what we would do and continue through the program. However, someone asked me today why I wasn't just going to continue with BJU and start using the DVDs. Well, I don't know why but for some reason hadn't really thought about that option. So, now I'm thinking about it. The one drawback I see with BJU is that there is no Calculus program while Chalkdust goes all the way through Calc. The other down side I see with BJU is that I can only "rent" the DVDs.... I wouldn't get to keep them to use for my youngers. However, these are only minor drawbacks and I'm more concerned about the quality of the programs. So, can anyone compare these programs?

 

The other thing to throw a wrench into things is that my ds actually asked to try Saxon. He says he gets bored with the way BJU does the same thing over and over (especially the Reviews book). He likes the spiral concept of Saxon..... getting to do a bit of this and a bit of that every day. So, can anyone give any comments on this program and how it compares to BJU or Chalkdust?

 

I'm willing to make a change from BJU to another program if I feel it is something we can stick with. With math I'm not really willing to jump around much (we've done BJU since the beginning) but feel a switch at this point (entering the upper level sequences) would be okay if it is a switch we plan to stick with through until the end. This way we'd use the same program for the entire Algebra/Geometry/Calc. sequence.

 

 

Thanks!

[Susan C.]

Well, I have used all three programs. All kids are different, but I'll tell what happened here. Saxon was bad because of the spiral thing, we never did one thing long enough to master it, and the review of everything else every day was too much. And there was no logical order to how concepts were presented. Chalkdust was too hard to do, too hard to decide what problems to do, too hard to test (if you skip problems, they may show up on the test...). Also, this one is hard to explain, but Chalkdust didn't have enough instruction and review, one lesson in Chalkdust was 3-4 in BJU, and BJU had problems to learn tasks necessary to do the concept being learned where Chalkdust assumed you could figure this out. (I hope I explained this, it is the main reason I left Chalkdust). I always shunned BJU because of the dvd rental, but I ended up paying more (trying several programs). BJU ended up being a very good fit for my kids. It does all of the teaching, review test prep, reminding of past concepts needed, etc. My son used Saxon (54-76), then Chalkdust Prealgebra (took 3+ hrs./day), VideoText (not good), Chalkdust Geometry (not too bad), he tried Chalkdust Algebra 2 and hit the wall, and we had to ditch math the rest of that year because he was so stressed. I got BJU Algebra 2 the next year, and he loved it, finally the amount of explanation he needed at a speed he could process it. I used BJU from 3rd grade through Algebra 1 with our daughter and avoided all of the problems we had with my son. I tried Chalkdust Geometry this year (because I own it), it was a disaster, so I got BJU Geometry w/dvds. Much better. I'm staying with BJU! (we used the dvds from Algebra 1 on, before that, we didn't need them).

 

Good luck!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

Edited June 7, 2013 by Paisley Hedgehog
forgot something ...

[MIch elle]

Do a board search & you'll find LOTS of posts about Chalkdust.

[Teachin'Mine]

Can only comment on Saxon as I've never even seen the others, but my daughter loves Saxon! I think if she did just one topic for a long time, and then went onto other things, she'd forget what she had learned a while back. The repetition of a variety of topics has kept her skills sharp on both algebra and geometry - she's in Algebra II now.

 

If your son wants variety in his everyday math problems, that's exactly what Saxon provides.

[Tamarind]

I have no experience with BJU, but thought I'd chime in on the other programs.

 

One daughter used Saxon 5/4 through Calculus. Math took her 2 hours a day, from grades 5-12. It was her weakest subject academically, and she never grew to enjoy math. I think this had more to do with her temperament than with Saxon. One plus with Saxon, though, is that the teaching is in the text, and an independent minded student with strong reading skills can read the Saxon lessons independently.

 

My younger daughters used Calvert Math primarily for elementary math, with about a year of Oak Meadow Math thrown in there. Each of the three younger daughters tried Saxon around the transition to middle school and ditched it after a couple of weeks--they couldn't stand it.

 

My middle daughters have used the Jacobs and Forester texts for Algebra 1 & Geometry. These are good texts BUT hard to use unless the teaching parents is well versed in these subjects. The Solutions Guides do not solve all problems or show all steps. (Saxon actually does a better job of showing step by step solutions than do most programs; and I am curious to see reviews of the new Saxon Geometry.)

 

Now my youngest, my 12yo daughter, is using Chalkdust Prealgebra. She is about 2/3 the way through the book. She enjoys it and is doing really well with the program. With Chalkdust, the parents does have to be a bit more involved in scheduling the lessons. This is the format I use:

 

Ask child to preview lesson in text, watch DVD (10 to 30 min usually) and then assign 3 to 8 "You Try It's" (sample problems in text). Next day, assign 25 to 30 problems from lesson (usually every fourth problem in a set of 100 problems). If my daughter understands the work, the next day she goes on to the next lesson; otherwise, we spend another day on the lesson. Using this system, I schedule 1.5 hours for math each day.

 

The Chalkdust format works really well for us and I am planning on using it next year for Algebra 1 & 2.

[Country Girl]

Thank you everyone for your input, it is really helpful. That doesn't mean I've made a decision :D, but it is helpful to hear why each program has or hasn't worked for you family.

 

The problems that some of you have mentioned with Saxon are some of the concerns I have had based on other things I have read or learned about Saxon. Although, the teaching in the text is something I really liked the looks of when I quickly looked through the books last summer at our conference. Also, like TeachinMind mentioned, the variety is something that my son is looking for and Saxon seems to have this.

 

Shari, I am also concerned about the maturity of the CD texts. My son is a bit on the young side for the target age for this program and I think that compounds the problem. I'm also not sure my son is ready to sit through a 20-40 minute instructional video. I'm also a bit nervous about scheduling... I like the way BJU is nicely laid out to do one lesson a day.

 

He has been doing BJU 5 almost completely on his own this year per his request and seems to be doing well. However, I realize BJU isn't really designed to be used without a "teacher" which is why I'm leary to continue on this path without adding in the DVDs. He is also doing LOF on his own and seems to enjoy that format. So now I'm thinking maybe I should be looking for a good, solid text that includes all of the teaching right in the student book. Then we could easily go through the teaching together (without me actually having to present material). I've been scouring these boards and it sounds like Lials may fit this bill so I guess I'm adding that one to my list of choices as well.