robbie Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 (edited) Does anyone have any experience switching from BJU Math to CLE? If so, can you please share your experience with me, and what light unit you started with? We finished BJU 4, and the TM was way too time consuming for me. We need to simplify things this coming year. I appreciate any help! Blessings, Robbie Edited July 29, 2011 by robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 yes, we have and my oldest is doing so much better. In order to place them in the proper level with CLE you need to have them take the diagnostic test that they have on their website. http://www.clp.org/product/math_100_400_diagnostic_test_1658 Click where is says samples and files and download and print. Don't be surprised if your child tests in a lower level. CLE introduces more advanced topics very early on that BJU does not. My daughter had used BJU up to 6th grade yet tested in the CLE 400 level. Which if you used Saxon would be the equivalent to Saxon 6/5. So don't fret about the level. Just start them where they need to be and move on from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Thanks Tracey! How teacher intensive is CLE? I would really like something that my ds can work more independently:) Blessings, Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 From about 200 and up its pretty independent. Though I do take the time to make sure my daughters understand the material in the Light Units ( workbooks ) first before I send them off to do the work. CLE is MUCH less teacher intensive than BJU math. I spent quite a bit on BJU math with my daughter before we even hit the lesson. The nice about CLE is that the instruction for 200 and up is in the Light Unit. Either the parent can sit down with the child and read and discuss it together ( which is what I do), or the child can read it and work the math themselves. Either way its much less instruction because you are teaching concepts in small increments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Thanks Tracey, this is very helpful. I was unaware that the instructions were in the Light Unit itself. How was the transition from the mastery to the smaller increments? Would you mind comparing the encremental vs mastery as far as the benefits? Thanks again for your time! Blessings, Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 We are doing that this year for the very same reason. And, FWIW, CLE isn't incremental spiral, just spiral. It introduces a topic and does quite a bit on that topic then spirals to the rest, unlike Saxon which is incremental spiral. CLE is much less incremental and pretty basic spiral. So far dd likes it better. It gives just enough lessons without killing the subject then moves on to review. Teacher time is much, much less. I got bogged down with visuals and instructional aides and a bunch of verbage that I found useless in BJU. I never had the right visual or printout or whatever. Drove me batty. Not that's its not good, just really intensive. I found CLE to be pretty close in comparison to BJU. There were a few things we didn't hit upon in BJU for the simple reason we didn't get to it at the end of the year, or I skipped it for time sake. So for that reason I backed up a bit in CLE, and to get dd used to the way CLE does things. So a few light units using them as review and intro and to touch upon some topics we didn't get to so there was no frustration in switching. I would definitely take the diagnostic test though. It's pretty right on. My only concern is that I may not understand some concepts whereas BJU does a fantastic job of explaining. I'm just worried we may need more help when it gets dicey. But for now, it's a go. Oh and we're going into 4th math for BJU, but backed up to 305 for some concepts in CLE. I'm sure we'll skip oodles though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 (edited) My daughter needed a little time to transition at first. BJU contained less problems per page so when she saw a full lessons worth of problems it overwhelmed her at first. But I just had her do a few problems per day until she could work herself up each lesson to do more, and it worked. Other than that, we had no other problems switching. As for help. Should you need it. There is a group for those using it on Yahoo. Its called Christian Light Families. its a great group and there is a CLE representative on there, and other families to help should you need it. As for mastery some children can only focus on one set of concepts at a time, which is fine. Incrementally CLE teaches a concept then builds upon it even more later on. For example in my oldest's daughter's light unit 409 she is learning to add time and subtract it. First they learn to add simple problems such as 1 hr 5 minutes +2 hrs 3 minutes ______________ Then they practice this concept for a while. Then in the next Light Unit it has them in lesson 3 learning to add those hrs and minutes but now they are carrying. Then they practice those for a while and in lesson 7 they are learning to subtract time with borrowing ( or regrouping whatever term you want to use). So they build on the concept a little at a time. This works for some children and not for others. You will just have to see how your child transitions to it. But CLE does it in such a way its so simple for them to learn the concept. Edited July 30, 2011 by TracyR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 We are doing that this year for the very same reason. And, FWIW, CLE isn't incremental spiral, just spiral. It introduces a topic and does quite a bit on that topic then spirals to the rest, unlike Saxon which is incremental spiral. CLE is much less incremental and pretty basic spiral. Thanks for clarifying this. It makes more sense now:) So far dd likes it better. It gives just enough lessons without killing the subject then moves on to review. Teacher time is much, much less. I got bogged down with visuals and instructional aides and a bunch of verbage that I found useless in BJU. I never had the right visual or printout or whatever. Drove me batty. Not that's its not good, just really intensive. I totally agree! I found CLE to be pretty close in comparison to BJU. There were a few things we didn't hit upon in BJU for the simple reason we didn't get to it at the end of the year, or I skipped it for time sake. So for that reason I backed up a bit in CLE, and to get dd used to the way CLE does things. So a few light units using them as review and intro and to touch upon some topics we didn't get to so there was no frustration in switching. I would definitely take the diagnostic test though. It's pretty right on. My only concern is that I may not understand some concepts whereas BJU does a fantastic job of explaining. I'm just worried we may need more help when it gets dicey. But for now, it's a go. Oh and we're going into 4th math for BJU, but backed up to 305 for some concepts in CLE. I'm sure we'll skip oodles though. We will probably back up to 304 or 305 also just to make sure we didn't miss anything. Before we jump in, do you know if Sunrise Math 6-8 are still manageable for a non-mathy teacher??? Thanks for the help:) Blessings, Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I don't know anything about Sunrise Math. The Yahoo group may if you don't get an answer here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 Tracey, thank you for sharing the experience that your daughter has had with switching programs. It has been very helpful! I definitely need to back-track a bit after reading your comments on Light Unit 409:) Blessings, Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 As for as I see it still seems to be managable. Don't see anyone on the group complaining that they aren't able to do it at all. I guess we'll find out pretty soon as my daughter will be in that level this year. But I do recommend having your child take the diagnostic test. All children test differently into the curriculum. No two children test the same.I know there is a lot more geometry in CLE so some of it may not make sense to your child if you just jump in. Don't go by what others have done either. It may or maynot work for your child either. Then what happens is total frustration then the parent believes the curriculum isn't working for the child when in fact they are in the wrong level to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 Tracey, thanks for the advice! Do you have plans for the upper grades yet? Blessings, Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I plan on using CLE for math , La and Reading as long as it works for my girls. I know currently the Algebra is in beta testing. I'm hoping when my oldest is ready for it the program will be all ready. I believe CLE will be only going up to Algebra 2 before they stop making the Sunrise edition for math. I'm hoping we can get through that far without having to switch to something else as I'm not very strong in math myself. I guess as long as I have a teacher's manual with solutions we should be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Tracy, that's good to know that The Sunrise Edition will be going up to Algebra 2! Thanks again for your input! I'm still deciding here... Blessings, Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diaperjoys Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 We were using BJU for 1st. Then, halfway through the year I realized my son wasn't memorizing his math facts. We switched to CLE, and it is working much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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