The different scope & sequence between publishers s***s!

[home4school]

I have absolutely. HAD. IT. with. math!!!! My ds is in 8th. We have tried every math program out there. Nothing clicks with him. He's bright. He just "forgets". EVERYTHING.

 

Tried spiral. Every other problem he's asking me, "How do I do this again?" Thought mastery would be the way to go. On cumulative reviews, he couldn't remember anything.

 

Needless to say, he's behind. Not as much as I thought until today though. We left CLE 6 and went to TT7. I found he wasn't applying his math in the real world. Picked up MM, had to go back to 6. That's ok as long as he's learning. I already had CD prealgebra and the MM actually lines up chapter for chapter almost. So, we work thru MM6, then do the cooresponding chapter in CD prealgebra. We're not too far behind, right?

 

Well, I started looking at the test prep book I want him to start and online tests. HOLY COW!

 

Got to thinking about CLE and how I wish I would've stayed with that, he can't remember from one thing to the next anyway. Went and looked at samples online, HOLY COW, again. Without actually doing the placement test, it looks like we would need to start back at 700.

 

I just want to scream.

 

How can there be sooo much discrepancy between scope and sequence?

 

So, what do I do now? Keep my head down and continue with MM and CD? Jump back to CLE and do the 700 level then try to go to Algebra 1 in 9th? Put him in school and quit messing up his education?

 

After all these years, all these programs, you would think I would know what to use with my younger son. Nope. Still do not know. All the programs looks soooo good. Until.

 

If there is only one piece of advice I can offer to a new hsing mom, figure out early which math you will use and stick with it. Don't look at what so & so is using. The grass is always greener, you know. DO.NOT.JUMP.AROUND.WITH.MATH!

 

Thanks for listening,

Kim

[Corraleno]

Are MM and CD Prealgebra working for you? If they are, why would you want to change yet again? Looking at the table of contents or scope & sequence of a math program doesn't give you a complete picture of that program. The ToCs of two programs may look the same, but one may provide in-depth conceptual explanations and challenging problems, while the other just has kids memorizing the algorithm and doing a set of simple problems that look just like the samples. I'm not surprised that MM6 lines up with CD Prealgebra; MM & Singapore tend to run about a year ahead of US programs, and TT runs a year or so behind. (My DS tested into TT Prealgebra after MM5.) Grade levels on math programs really don't mean anything.

 

I'm not sure what you're seeing in CLE700 that you think won't be covered in CD Prealgebra. Plus, if the reason you left CLE to begin with was because CLE wasn't working, then why would you want to go back to CLE 700? Both MM and CD are very rigorous programs; if your ds gets through those, he should be more than adequately prepared for Algebra I in 9th.

 

Whatever you do, don't get so hung up on grade levels that you try to push your son forward before he's ready. Even if he's still doing Prealgebra in 9th and does Alg I in 10th, or spreads Alg I over two years in 9th & 10th, if that means he actually understands what he's doing, then that's the only thing that matters. Truly. It's better to get through Alg I & Geometry and know what you're doing than stumble through 4 years of math, to trig or calc, and have no clue what you're doing.

 

Jackie

[home4school]

I know, you are right. It just scared me looking at the test prep. He's not ready for the 8th grade test. Hopefully, if I schedule the test on toward the summer, he will be more prepared.

 

Going back to CLE was just a thought bc while he is retaining MM from day-to-day, the cumulative reviews throw him for a loop. CD is set up the same way.

 

Its just so frustrating that he never really "gets it". He always has to ask me what to do next. I could try to make MM more spiral by working across lessons. I suppose we could try that approach.

 

The length of CLE lessons was killing us as well. They took forever, even when I marked out a lot of the review, which truthfully, he did need because he couldn't remember.

 

I just feel like I've really let him down. In trying to find what would work for him, I feel like I've hurt him more.

[thowell]

If he is having this problem at home with you where he is getting one on one attention, I can promise you it would not be better in school where he wouldn't get half the help and attention he gets from you. Ok, so you jumped around some. Oh well, nothing you can change now. I agree with other poster stay put where you are. Also, with my oldest I had to realize some are just not good in math. EVER! He is a very smart boy, who loves history and science. Can get through grammar easily enough but always struggled with math. So what is there to do? Sometimes we have to be willing to except what and who they are. That doesn't mean they aren't as great as any other kid just not a math genious. Oldest ds is now going in the Airforce. He wil study mechanics and is soooooo happy. It took him any extra 2 years to finish HS but that was his best. I finally decided he may never do my taxes for me but he will fix my car when I need it. lol

[home4school]

Your ds sounds a lot like mine. The only use for a book for him is to use it to make a ramp for something or maybe to fix a wobbly leg! But, he a more "common" sense than me. I'll be doing something one way and he'll say, "Why didn't you do such and such?" Well, because I didn't think of doing it that way, which btw, was the better way! So much for my Bachelors Degree!

 

I'm going to stay put with him and see where we end up. But, I do think I may put my youngest ds12 back in CLE. He liked it when we used it and doesn't seem to be doing as well in MM. I may just pick up the 600 LU and see how he does in it for a month.

 

Thanks for your reply. It does make me feel better. I know I'm giving him more attention here than he would get elsewhere. Who else would turn themselves upside down and inside out over math.:001_huh:

[SailorMom]

You may want to google dyscalculia. Even if it isn't a perfect fit - you may be able to use the same suggestions. My DS is dyscalculic (among other things) and while he understands math and math concepts easily - immediately - he forgets them if we don't work on them all the time. He'll look at problems as if he's never seen anything like it before:tongue_smilie:

 

I agree that PS is not the answer!!!