Oh NO! I think I really screwed up...

[Wee Pip]

Looking at our state standards for math, my 7 1/2 yo appears to be almost 1 year behind. We're in end of 1st gr/beginning of 2nd gr stasis. We tried too many math programs, I read too much Mary Hood (relaxed homeschooling), & we battled a big disciplinary problem at the start of our year.

 

Our current math (Developmental Math) is great! Mental math, mastery focused, great story problems & money problems...not sure we'd get that anywhere else. We probably won't "catch up" using this program, though - it ignores geometry, measurement, telling time, & a billion other things listed on our state standards. Part of me thinks - who cares? At the end of the series, my kid can probably go right into pre-alg or algebra & be just fine. OTOH, state standards really freak me out and I can't get beyond them. I feel like I'm doing a really lousy job here; I certainly haven't given my dd the superior education I had originally set out to give her. Dh would like us to test yearly (not a state requirement, thank goodness), so I'm worried about that, too.

 

So, my options -

1. try to work thru the state standards at home with manipulatives & then move her into a traditional 3rd gr text in the fall.

2. start using a traditional 2nd gr text now (I'd pick BJU)

3. keep using Dev Math (we like it & state standards are a waste of time)

4. finish this year with Dev Math & then put her into a 2nd gr traditional text in the fall.

5. am I missing something here?

[kaylk in tx]

or a teacher's store for small, cheap workbooks that address those other topics like telling time, measurement, etc. with my ds 7, we use mastering mathematics which does not address those topics either. i just teach them using other materials and rotate practice pages in his review work. (he has at least 1 math review paper to do each day as part of his independent work)

 

and :chillpill: you really don't have to switch curricula again... :)

[Chloe]

I agree with Kay. It can be very difficult to find a good fit in a math curriculum. If you found one you like and works, stick with it. The other stuff can easily be added with "dime-store" workbooks.

[JESSICAinMD]

I would continue with what you are doing if it working for you. Just because you aren't covering everything in the order your state does not mean that you are behind. The kids in PS probably aren't as advanced in word problems as your child. Since you took time covering the material, your child probably has a better grasp of the material. If you are concerned about certain areas, you can always set aside 15 minutes a day for those concerns and check them off as you master them. There are tons of free worksheet sites online or you can order something a Rainbow Resources to supplement. Don't worry too much about following the states order and your own math sequence. You didn't screw anything up!

[JFSinIL]

Developmental Math with my youngest for 2nd and 4th grade - I supplemented with Key To...series for the topics not covered by DD and it worked well. Don't switch again! Just add in the topics (maybe the first book in each of the Key to..series you feel you kidlet needs) and let it go.

[WTMindy]

Deep breath! You can not have really screwed up a 7.5yo!! :001_smile:

 

Just keep working the same program and the concepts and just keep the standards in the back of your mind, not as a law-book, but as more of a guide-book.

 

It sounds like you are making good progress now, and I would just stay with what is working and make sure that math is a priority until he is back to where you would like him to be.

[nmoira]

 

5. am I missing something here?

Do you think your child isn't going to learn to tell time? or do basic geometry? or to measure things? Or that children who learn to tell time at 5 become more proficient time telling adults than those who learn at 8? If your child is going to be ready for higher math at then end of his elementary years, that's all that really matters, not which standards she meets now. If you were meeting state standards and then moved somewhere else with different standards, would you worry that you were doing your daughter a disservice by not meeting every state's and countries standards? :) Of course not.

[PeterPan]

If she's 7.5, then does she have a fall birthday? She could just as easily be considered a 1st grader, meaning she's right on track. You can't rush stuff like math; it clicks when it's ready. I'd make sure you're calling her the most conservative grade label possible and test according to that. ;)

[MelissaMinNC]

Everybody else has given you great advice and wise words. I would just like to reassure you on one point, which I suspect you already know: not meeting all the state standards is not equivalent to not giving your child a superior education. Finding a curriculum that fits you and your child, and tailoring the education and materials to fit that child, so that he's learning, he's confident, he's happy - these are the marks of a superior education.

 

If your dh really wants the testing, then I'd do it, but I'd add the disclaimer (which I've already told my dh also, though testing is required here) that you KNOW your child will probably appear "behind" in some areas of the test, because you took the time and care to pick a curriculum that suits you both so well, but doesn't strictly line up with the scope and sequence of the standardized test. And there's nothing wrong with that!

 

Deep breaths, deep breaths! It's a marathon, not a sprint. It's all good.

:)

Melissa

[LizzyBee]

Are homeschoolers required to meet state standards in your state? Most state math standards are "a mile wide and a foot deep," meaning that lots of topics are covered each year, but they are not covered well. Because so many topics are taught each year, there is not enough time to master the topics. Then kids get to jr. high and many of them do not have a foundation in basic arithmetic that allows them to understand pre-algebra and algebra.

[Ellie]

#2.

 

I wouldn't worry about state standards for a nanosecond. If you like Developmental Math, stick with it. Your dc will be fine. Really.:D

[Ravin]

If you've found a curriculum you like, stick with it. If you really are concerned about the state standards, make a list of those topics and use something like the Key to... books, discount store enrichment books, games, or some of the ideas off of http://www.livingmath.net/ to supplement DM.

 

Personally, I think state standards in my state are 98% gobbeldygook (I know this because I tried to read them), and I don't really care much about the other 2% because in the long run my own standards are going to be higher, even if they don't match up in the early grades. :tongue_smilie:

[Homemama2]

I've also been curriculum jumping this year...it seemed like everything I tried was too easy or too hard. The only thing we've been consistent on is playing math related games-at least a couple times a week but often times more. Simple things like war, uno, yatzee, and one I just got at Rainbow Resource called Sum Swamp. My ds has learned a TON without even trying this way...in fact I borrowed my friends Saxton 1 (my ds was in K this year) to check it out for next year, and we've already covered it all! So he must have learned it throught the games cuz our mishmosh of curriculum has left even my brain fuzzy!! LOL!:tongue_smilie:

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Everybody else has given you great advice and wise words. I would just like to reassure you on one point, which I suspect you already know: not meeting all the state standards is not equivalent to not giving your child a superior education. Finding a curriculum that fits you and your child, and tailoring the education and materials to fit that child, so that he's learning, he's confident, he's happy - these are the marks of a superior education.

 

If your dh really wants the testing, then I'd do it, but I'd add the disclaimer (which I've already told my dh also, though testing is required here) that you KNOW your child will probably appear "behind" in some areas of the test, because you took the time and care to pick a curriculum that suits you both so well, but doesn't strictly line up with the scope and sequence of the standardized test. And there's nothing wrong with that!

 

Deep breaths, deep breaths! It's a marathon, not a sprint. It's all good.

:)

Melissa

 

When our boys were 1st and 2nd grade, they were subjected to an intensive testing of aptitude and achievement. We had to laugh because they were both able to do advanced word problems in their heads, but couldn't identify a picture of a quarter or give its value. At the time, we were living in Germany and any US money that we had was carefully hoarded for use in math lessons.

I am happy to report that both boys were able to overcome this lack of math education once we returned to the US. They have even been able to make their own purchases at flea markets and garage sales.

Stick with what is working well. Indulge in a couple nice manipulative sets like play money and pattern blocks (or ask for these for gift holidays) and don't worry too much about matching a set of exterior standards. Use them as a reminder, not as a reason to beat up on yourself.