Chris in PA Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Hi all, My son (7th grade) is using Saxon 87. Last year we did Saxon 76 and he did fine. We have been ok up until a couple of months ago. He is routinely missing 5-9 problems in the problems set and test scores have be 75-80%. We review the problems he misses and he seems to understand but then the next lesson back to the same..... I am starting to question whether or not the incremental approach works for him. He is a great math student. I just received he IOWA test scores and he is in the 98th percentile for math. For those of you who used Saxon and switched, how did you know it wasn't a good fit for your dc? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karensk Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Just wondering....can you tell if he's missing the problems due to carelessness/forgetfulness (like forgetting to bring down a 5) or due to not understanding a concept? As a kid, math was my strongest subject, but I wouldn't have been able to learn as well with the Saxon format. I needed more concentrated time on one topic at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I am not an expert AT. ALL. but I wonder if it is his age? My husband and I have talked a lot about algebra for our sons... He has shared that he took alg 1 in 8th grade (as did I) and struggled his way through. It just didn't make sense- and then took it again in 9th and whizzed through. He went on to become a CPA- and he is a tax analyst so numbers are definitely his thing. I have read that 87 includes a lot of Pre-Alg? Maybe he just needs to developmentally "grow" into it?? We use saxon but are only in the 65 level- so take it for what it is worth... I have read that not everyone is ready for Alg 1 in 8th grade (developmentally) I don't know if I would move foreward with the lessons if my son was making less than 80 percent on the tests. I might go back and literally redo the prior work. I haven't been in that position yet... but I think I would do that. I also make them go back and correct every mistake in their homework and then recheck. The problems they miss that second time- I teach to them and we work it together. We also support with D.I.V.E. Just some thoughts, Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Some of it is careless errors. Some of them he doesn't seem to understand but then when we talk through the problems he tells me he understand them. I feel like the algebra concepts Saxon introduces would be better understood by my ds by teaching them all at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karensk Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Some of it is careless errors. Some of them he doesn't seem to understand but then when we talk through the problems he tells me he understand them. I feel like the algebra concepts Saxon introduces would be better understood by my ds by teaching them all at once. ...it seemed to get better when I assigned 20-30 of the same kind of problems to my ds. That way, he'd do the same thing over and over again, and somehow that got into his brain better. The problems at this level are longer than before, so a lot of it is just remembering all the steps. You might try doing that for a week or so before switching to another program, to see if it actually helps or not. Maybe just pick one specific type of problem to work on, and find about 20 of them to assign. Have him demonstrate to you that he can solve a couple/three correctly before sending him off to do them independently, kind of like how we took turns working problems on the chalkboard in math class. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 We used Saxon 8/7 and it did not work for us- we switched programs after that book. Our kids did well on the problems, but they were not satisfied: 1. they disliked the incremental spiral and would have preferred to work on a topic comprehensively, instead of switching gear every day and just getting little bits and pieces at a time. (We ended up re-grouping the lessons which was a pain and took a lot of time) 2. at the same time, they found the practice problems very repetetive (even if the lesson mixes up the topics, the questions for each topic were always of the same style - once they mastered the drill, they did not have to think) 3. They did not have fun. They know from us that math is an exiting subject that can be done with joy - the joy was missing from the book, and it was very uninspired. My kids just went through the motions and hurried to finish up the book as quickly as possible. If you want to stick with Saxon, you may want to try to regroup the lessons to keep topics together (yes I know this is not the way the book was intended to be used - but the way it's intended did not work for us either. drove us parents nuts.) Or your son may do better with a mastery type program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Hi all,My son (7th grade) is using Saxon 87. Last year we did Saxon 76 and he did fine. We have been ok up until a couple of months ago. He is routinely missing 5-9 problems in the problems set and test scores have be 75-80%. We review the problems he misses and he seems to understand but then the next lesson back to the same..... I am starting to question whether or not the incremental approach works for him. He is a great math student. I just received he IOWA test scores and he is in the 98th percentile for math. For those of you who used Saxon and switched, how did you know it wasn't a good fit for your dc? Thanks When you go over something he missed, do you explain it to him or does he reteach it to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 The daily meltdowns were what did it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Some of it is careless errors. Some of them he doesn't seem to understand but then when we talk through the problems he tells me he understand them. I feel like the algebra concepts Saxon introduces would be better understood by my ds by teaching them all at once. I really like Saxon 54-87, but once my kids hit high school math I tended to feel just like your sentence that I bolded. However, I am also a firm believer in pubescent brain fog. If the problem is careless errors, it could be that right now he would be doing this with any program. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeautifulLife Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 The daily meltdowns were what did it for me. Same here!! And coming from my son who formerly LOVED math - I had to switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omma Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I am not 'there' yet with my dc, but I heard an Emergency Room Physician/homeschool dad speaking at a homeschool conference who said that you should not teach algebra until after a child goes through puberty. That's when they'll be developmentally ready to handle that subject. I've tucked this info back in my brain for when I'll need it. Also, I can relate because I had Algebra in 8th grade and saw my grades on tests and quizzes slide from 95 to 85 to 70 and then I asked to be moved out of that class to a 'regular' math class. I took Algebra again in 9th grade and ended up with 98 or 99 on my report card every quarter and adored Algebra from then on. That doctor's advice rang true in my case. Blessings, Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. After reading all your replies and discussing them with my dh, I really feel it is a combination of readiness and hormones. My ds says he really likes Saxon and doesn't want to quit the program. We are going to stick it out. One thing is for certain. This has definitely made my decision about whether or not to place him on Algebra 1/2 or Algebra 1. It will be Algebra 1/2. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 We just started 87 Monday so far dd likes it. However she has taken pre-alg up until last week when we moved from her private school. I haven't had to "teach" anything she is flying right through so far I think its all review of concepts she already knows I feel she will be ready for Alg 1 in the fall but I don't think I will be using saxon for it. Nothing against Saxon I just feel their are better alg programs out their. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I am not 'there' yet with my dc, but I heard an Emergency Room Physician/homeschool dad speaking at a homeschool conference who said that you should not teach algebra until after a child goes through puberty. That's when they'll be developmentally ready to handle that subject. Every child is different. As with any advice, it refers to the average and allows no prediction about an individual child. There are also people who claim a child is not ready to learn to read until the first teeth start falling out... some kids are way into Dickens with all their baby teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Contact Art Reed and ask for suggestions. He does free phone consults (send him your phone number and he'll call you). I found him to be very helpful. http://www.homeschoolwithsaxon.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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