Teaching Textbooks reassurances needed! ...

[hsmamainva]

This would be for my oldest son, who'll be 14 tomorrow, and will be a 9th grader in the fall. He's finishing up Teaching Textbooks PreAlgebra, and doing very well, after using Math-U-See since Kindergarten.

 

(I switched from MUS to TT because *I* was lost! Math was my worst subject in school and I never made it past Algebra I myself)

 

He likes math, but he needs a program that moves s-l-o-w-l-y, so he can grasp each concept, with lots of built-in review, so he doesn't forget what he's already learned.

 

He also has Asperger's Syndrome / high functioning autism.

 

He's thrilled with TT, but I've read many reviews on this site that say that TT isn't rigorous enough for a college-bound student. My son is planning on college, but, so far, he's planning on majoring in either art or architecture -- something along those lines, as, to him, architecture *is* art -- just drawing buildings instead of other things. :)

 

And I want to make sure that, if he continues TT through PreCalculus (which he's on track to complete by the end of 12th grade) that he'll be prepared enough to score well on the SAT and pass any math placement tests at college that he might need.

 

Should I stick with TT or try something else?

 

Please keep in mind that I would need something that is very parent-friendly, as my math skills are weak (as I pointed out above) and preferrably something that won't break our bank account, as my hubby is self-employed!

 

Thanks in advance!

[hsmamainva]

Oh! I forgot...another reason that I'm looking for reassurance and / or questioning TT is because my oldest daughter (who'll be in 12th grade this fall) used TT from Algebra 1 on and failed the math placement test at the community college this past April!

 

She used TT Algebra 1 and Geometry and was halfway through Algebra 2 when she took her placement test and she tested into PreAlgebra -- and she can't take developmental math as a homeschooler...so she's re-doing all the TT textbooks now (from PreAlgebra through Algebra 2) and she's going to try the placement test again in the spring -- so this fall, she's taking Psychology and English Literature at the community college, because she couldn't pass the placement test to get into any of the math or lab science classes.

 

That means that her dream of going off to college after hs graduation can't happen! (Her favorite college wanted her to take English - which she took this past year - history - which she took this past year - math and a lab science at the community college and that can't happen!!)

 

Math hasn't been her best subject either, so we've been looking at *her* as the one with the problem, but, after what I've read about TT on this forum, I'm wondering if it's the *curriculum* and, if it is, I certainly don't want to put my son on the same path!

 

If it's not the curriculum, and my son will do fine with TT, then let me know that, too!

 

I hope that adds more clarification -- and if anyone has any ideas for my oldest daughter -- who's trying to get from her current PreAlgebra level to a past Algebra 2 level for the community college, please let me know! (Even her SAT math score didn't help! She needed a 500 on the math section to skip the math placement test at the cc and she scored a 440)

 

Thanks again!!

[asta]

Systematic Mathematics has been a lifesaver for us.

 

The program is a series of DVDs that you can watch on either the TV or the computer, along with one-two page lessons that you print off of a "data-disc". They are in .pdf format, so they work on any computer.

 

The program is an actual math teacher, "Paul" being filmed in front of a couple of students (who definitely don't always "get" what is being taught). He is writing out the problems on a chalkboard, very slowly, step by step. If you understand the concept (only one concept per lesson - yea!), you can simply turn it off and do the worksheet. Each worksheet is printed in large type and only has 10-20 problems.

 

This program builds incrementally, so as not to confuse students (and not to scare them, I think). My son never really realized he was "learning" things because he was never forced to memorize anything. He just now "knows" everything up to algebra (which we are starting tomorrow).

 

Paul's Algebra program is A-D and is equivalent to Algebra 1 & 2 at the high school level. He doesn't offer geometry, unfortunately.

 

Oh - it is "old math" -- as in, the type that was taught in the 1940s, etc. before the US educational system went down the tubes. My son can convert recipes, figure displacement of objects in water, covert pints to bushels, and do complex word problems. Even I can now do weird word problems - I never could before.

 

 

asta

[Chris in VA]

Hi Kelly,

Has your dd done any math prep from an SAT study book? I say that because her score could be low, not because of TT, but simply because of the way the SAT questions are worded, and the way the writers try to make it tricky. She might benefit from doing some prep work over the summer and retaking it.

 

FWIW, ds will do TT precalc, but I'm having his dad do it with him, since I'm hopeless at that sort of thing. Can Dad step in to help? Or someone else?

[greenwillow]

I sure hope to see you get some reassurance here, since this has been the one curriculum that my dd has actually done well with!:sad:

[Kathleen in VA]

this is one of the replies I received. It was posted by "Christy."

 

"My two siblings and I have all finished TT Algebra 1 and 2 and Geometry. My brother has since gone on to college and got the highest grade in his College Algebra Class. He says he thinks that the explanations and real life examples in TT really helped him in College Algebra. I recently took the ACT and scored a 30 in the math section. I really liked the program, my only misgiving being the fact that the Algebra 2 course pretty much repeats everything from Algebra 1 and adds a few more topics. Apparently, the Pre-Calculus program includes some of the things that are not taught in their Algebra 2 course. None of my siblings or I took Pre-Calculus, and we are all still living, but I think it would definitely be a good idea to take it. I almost think a student could skip Algebra 1 and go right into Algebra 2 since all the same topics are covered (just in a shorter number of lessons).

Another point, I personally only used the textbook in TT without the CDs and liked it a lot. That would bring the price down."

 

HTH

[Love2Learn]

... and her child's experience with TT was wonderful. Their child CLEPed out of College Algebra from TT. They encouraged me to call the authors directly if I had any misgivings about the scope and sequence of the program. We used the program this year for Pre-Algebra and our experience was positive as well. I have spoken to many mom's & children who are now excelling in math (using TT) when it was a struggle before.

[ga girl]

he also has AS and we switched from Saxon to TT. We LOVE it! He even asks to do math now. I think it's the combination of visual, auditory, and fine motor tasks that somehow make it click for him.

 

I think that everyone has a different learning style. Some do very well with Saxon or with Jacob's and it takes a totally different type program with others. IMHO, find what your child loves ( or dislikes the least) and go with it. He'll learn much more that way.

 

Connie:patriot:

[hsmamainva]

Thanks for the reassurances everyone!!

 

I'm going to continue with TT! He *does* love it!

 

I'll still be on the lookout for something extra as a supplement, and perhaps something for my oldest, at our homeschool convention next week!

[Chris in VA]

Kelly,

You might try Aleks as a supplement. I think you can still get a month's free trial.

[greenwillow]

Thanks for the reassurances everyone!!

 

I'm going to continue with TT! He *does* love it!

 

I'll still be on the lookout for something extra as a supplement, and perhaps something for my oldest, at our homeschool convention next week!

 

 

Ditto for me.....math is not the chore it used to be for dd since we began TT, and for the first time in her life she feels like she actually is understanding math.

[hsmamainva]

I will certainly look into Aleks -- someone else recommended it as well.

 

Does it cover the entire upper level math sequence? (She's currently halfway through her review of TT PreAlgebra and needs to go through Algebra 2 by the spring, so she can re-take the math placement test at the cc)

[Brindee]

I will certainly look into Aleks -- someone else recommended it as well.

 

Does it cover the entire upper level math sequence? (She's currently halfway through her review of TT PreAlgebra and needs to go through Algebra 2 by the spring, so she can re-take the math placement test at the cc)

A previous poster mentioned how alike Algebra 1 & 2 are in TT. Perhaps your dd could then skip TT Algebra 1 and head straight to TT Algebra 2? That might relieve some of the pressure, and help her be able to feel freer to really learn the material?

[hsmamainva]

A previous poster mentioned how alike Algebra 1 & 2 are in TT. Perhaps your dd could then skip TT Algebra 1 and head straight to TT Algebra 2? That might relieve some of the pressure, and help her be able to feel freer to really learn the material?

 

Oh!! I like that idea!!

 

Thanks!!! :D

[Ms. Riding Hood]

Systematic Mathematics has been a lifesaver for us.

 

 

 

Asta, thanks for posting this. It really sounds like something my dd could use, and I've been looking for her "next step" in math. I'm reading all about it now.

 

Plus, there was another

on their website. Maybe not as good as "I will derive"...but still good!

[Jan P.]

Hi,

 

My ds did TT Algebra 2 his junior year. His senior year he took a college algebra class at the local community college. He aced the class easily. He said that he couldn't believe that there were older people there flunking the algebra class. TT prepared my ds well for his college math class. He is a humanities major, though.

 

HTH,

Jan

[chessrascal]

We've had great experience with this course and were reading some nay-sayers on this board, so I wrote to the authors and asked some questions. Here's their responses. It's long, but worth the read.

 

************************************************************************

It may help to give you a little background on the TT series. We first developed the curriculum while running a school for academically-gifted students. We used the same techniques with them that are now used in the TT books. The academic performance of our students was outstanding. Their test scores were extremely high and a large percentage ended up attending very prestigious colleges. For instance, one student went to Dartmouth where he made the highest score in history on their math placement exam. Four years later, he graduated first in his class in math, and he s now getting his Ph.D. in math. With this background, it should be obvious that we would never produce materials that are not college prep.

 

As for our personal backgrounds, I have two degrees from Harvard and tutored graduate students in statistics, probability, and game theory while I was a student there. My brother attended Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, which is one of the very best colleges in the country. We both have 12 or 13 years experience teaching math, and several of those years were spent teaching homeschoolers exclusively. So we are very familiar with homeschoolers unique needs.

 

A few people asked whether TT would prepare a student for college algebra. The series will not only prepare a student for college algebra, but he/she may be able to test out of that course, because there is a lot of overlap between high school Algebra 1 and 2 and college algebra.

 

You asked why our Algebra 1 does not include quadratic equations. It absolutely DOES include quadratic equations. A quadratic equation is just a second-degree equation. We have an entire chapter on that subject in Algebra 1 and all the subsequent chapters of the book review quadratic equations (in the problem sets). Quadratic equations are covered even earlier in our Algebra 2 book.

 

It is true that we don t cover logs. But that’ s only because the TT series is not finished yet. The same is true of the 2 or 3 other topics that were mentioned. Our Pre-Calculus is coming out next year and that book will cover all those topics extensively, along with many others. The TT series, once it s finished, will cover ALL of the topics that a student needs, no matter what his/her future career plans (including science, engineering, medicine, etc.).

 

Why is it that we put some topics in Algebra 2 instead of Algebra 1 or vice versa (or wait to do logs until Pre-Calculus)? We introduce topics in the order that we think will help the student learn the most. And we ve had quite a lot of experience teaching math, as I ve discussed. I don t think the goal should be to race through the most number of topics in the shortest time. What s more important is to really learn what you cover. Our approach is to help students gain mastery over foundational areas before moving on to new things.

 

More generally, there are always differences in the sequencing of topics when you compare publishers. For example, to get through all of Saxon s geometry lessons you would have to take Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Advanced Mathematics. And even then, you wouldn’t get a complete high school geometry course. Videotext covers Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 in only 180 lessons, whereas most books take about 260 lessons to cover the same material. But I’ m not saying that Saxon or Videotext is bad because of their sequencing or the small number of lessons. When choosing a curriculum I think it makes more sense to focus on how well the book EXPLAINS the concepts, rather than just count up the topics. If topics covered were so important then public school students would have high test scores. That s because the public school books are full of topics. In reality, of course, many public school graduates can t multiply or divide or solve even the simplest algebra equation. And the U.S. is near the bottom of the international math rankings.

 

The biggest problem we have in math education is not that topics aren’t introduced early enough. It s that the books don t give enough explanation and the instruction they do contain is usually very poor (maybe because mathematicians are often bad communicators.) Inadequate explanation is an especially big problem for homeschoolers, who are often studying independently once they reach middle school age.

 

The TT series is designed to deal with this problem. We cover all the major topics and we do so in depth, with full explanation so much explanation, in fact, that the student can pretty much teach himself! I am convinced that a student who uses the TT series will be BETTER PREPARED for the SAT and ACT and for college than if he/she uses any other series on the market. And the reason is the quality and quantity of our instruction. It doesn’t hurt that we make math enjoyable either. Everybody knows that the more interested a student is in a book, the more he s likely to learn.

 

As for the Jay Wile e-mail, I already told you that we will cover every one of the extra topics he mentioned in our Pre-Calculus product. And for those students who don t want to go all the way through our Pre-Calculus, we’ll post certain topics (like logs) on our website for all users to access.

 

The physics lesson that was mentioned was not on imaginary numbers. It was on complex numbers. A complex number can be viewed as a vector in 2 dimensions (and in the lesson we used a two-dimensional example). Also, the addition and subtraction of complex numbers and vectors are the same. This gave us a rare opportunity to show, in a way that a high school student can understand, how complex numbers (a very abstract and difficult concept) could actually be used in a real-world context. Other math authors have taken a similar approach.

Greg Sabouri

************************************************************************

[chessrascal]

Sorry - the 2 letters wouldn't fit on one post. Here's the other letter from the authors.

 

Janet,

Thank you for allowing me to respond to this. Let me start by saying that the Teaching Textbooks series covers all of the major topics required by state standards. It's true that there are some differences between publishers as to which books contain which topics. For instance, Saxon Math doesn't have a separate Geometry book, so they mix Geometry with their Algebra and Advanced Math (Pre-Calculus) books. That means you won't get all of their Geometry lessons until you've finished Pre-Calculus. But generally, most publishers cover the same topics when you go through their complete series. TT does this as well.

What's unique about TT, I think, is that our books are written in a clear style that's easily understandable to a young student (a rarity in math texts!). Also, we introduce topics when we think the student is best able to truly comprehend the material. This gives students a chance to consolidate their understanding of basic concepts before moving on to more advanced material. In short, the TT series is designed to help students really learn math conceptually.

Equally important is that the TT books give a full explanation of every technique covered. There's nothing more frustrating for a math student than to be introduced to a new technique, but not receive any explanation of what that technique means, why it's important, what it's used for, and how it relates to what the student has already learned. It gives them the impression that math is just a bunch of meaningless techniques to be memorized but not understood. The public school textbooks are notorious for introducing techniques but leaving out the explanation. And it turns most students off of math long before they ever get through high school.

By the way, the reason public school textbooks cram so many topics in their books so early has nothing to do with sound teaching methods. It has to do with the publishers' commercial interests. Public school publishers want to sell one book nationally. But to do that they need to be approved by the textbook committees in all states. So they stuff their books with every topic that's required by all these state committees. If one state requires the topic of probability in 4th grade and another requires it in 5th grade, the publisher just puts probability in both its 4th grade and 5th grade books. The end result is a book that weighs a ton, is stuffed full of repetitive topics, but has no room for explanation.

In my view, the real issue that we face with math education is not what topics are being covered at what age. The real issue is that our students aren't learning the major math concepts that they need to know, ever! That's why 50% of college freshmen are required to take remedial arithmetic and algebra courses before being admitted to the college-level curriculum. Keep in mind that these are students who, for the most part, have used public school texts that cover lots of topics at early ages. And, even after their remedial courses, most of these students never gain mastery over basic math concepts. That's one of the reasons why we have so few Americans majoring in math, science, and engineering.

One interesting thing about the public schools, though, is that even they are starting to see the light on this issue. A recent Math Advisory Panel of U.S. experts, appointed by President Bush, concluded that the range of topics in U.S. math texts should be narrowed in order to improve test scores. They specifically called for shorter textbooks that concentrate on basic conceptual understanding. Math experts are realizing that there's not enough explanation in the books and that force-feeding hundreds of topics with no supporting instruction doesn't work. I believe that this is one of the main reasons why U.S. students rank so low in math internationally. By contrast, Asian countries have more narrowly-focused books, and are at the top of the international rankings.

Finally, I would ask those who are unsure about TT to have a little faith in us. We have years of experience teaching homeschoolers, and we designed all of our products from the ground up just for you. Rather than slavishly following every detail of the often misguided standards of the public school system, we created products that work. The TT series will teach your students what they need to know to be fully prepared for college and beyond. We are a relatively new curriculum, but because of our popularity there are already thousands of students who have used TT and are now succeeding in colleges and universities at all levels, from community college to the Ivy League. Thanks again for allowing me to comment.

Greg Sabouri

Teaching Textbooks

866-867-6284

[Handmaiden]

As for the Jay Wile e-mail, I already told you that we will cover every one of the extra topics he mentioned in our Pre-Calculus product. And for those students who don t want to go all the way through our Pre-Calculus, we’ll post certain topics (like logs) on our website for all users to access.

 

What Jay Wile email is he referring to?

[TRILLIUM]

The one thing that strikes me as the authors loudly states that the program is definitely for college bound students is that it does not go far enough for a student who is planning on attending a competitive school in engineering. In researching such schools it appears that unless you want to attend summer school you need to have finished first semester calculus. Postponing the introduction of logs is a big issue for any one who planning of taking college chemistry. Algebra II is the math level usually required, but it is assumed that logs have been covered.

 

So the fact that the sequence is not conventional and not finished is a big issue for anyone with a math/science oreinted child.

[Tap]

Oh! I forgot...another reason that I'm looking for reassurance and / or questioning TT is because my oldest daughter (who'll be in 12th grade this fall) used TT from Algebra 1 on and failed the math placement test at the community college this past April!

 

She used TT Algebra 1 and Geometry and was halfway through Algebra 2 when she took her placement test and she tested into PreAlgebra -- and she can't take developmental math as a homeschooler...so she's re-doing all the TT textbooks now (from PreAlgebra through Algebra 2) and she's going to try the placement test again in the spring -- so this fall, she's taking Psychology and English Literature at the community college, because she couldn't pass the placement test to get into any of the math or lab science classes.

 

That means that her dream of going off to college after hs graduation can't happen! (Her favorite college wanted her to take English - which she took this past year - history - which she took this past year - math and a lab science at the community college and that can't happen!!)

 

Math hasn't been her best subject either, so we've been looking at *her* as the one with the problem, but, after what I've read about TT on this forum, I'm wondering if it's the *curriculum* and, if it is, I certainly don't want to put my son on the same path!

 

If it's not the curriculum, and my son will do fine with TT, then let me know that, too!

 

I hope that adds more clarification -- and if anyone has any ideas for my oldest daughter -- who's trying to get from her current PreAlgebra level to a past Algebra 2 level for the community college, please let me know! (Even her SAT math score didn't help! She needed a 500 on the math section to skip the math placement test at the cc and she scored a 440)

 

Thanks again!!

 

Let me see if I understand. Dd is in 11th going into 12th. She is looking into college in 2009-10. The college she want to attend in '09 wants some prerequisites completed at a jr. college. DD was hoping to get her prereq done by the end of 12th grade. Two of the prereq she has completed, two (math & lab science) she hasn't completed. She can't get into them because she didn't pass the entrance exam on the math portion.

 

Have I got it? I am assuming from your discussion your primary focus now is getting her to pass the test next spring, and maybe delay getting into her chosen school a year.

 

Here is our experience with TT. Ds13 has done Algebra 1 and 2 and will start Geometry in the fall. He tests out well and we feel he is doing great with the program. We are part of the homeschool/public school program in our state so he takes the same assessment tests as the public schoolers. He tests out "advanced" in math, which is the highest rating they give. We do have a homeschool rule that he has to get an 80-85% on all assignments and tests to go on the next lesson. He will also go back and spontaneously review lessons when he feels like he is struggling with a concept. If he missed problems because of a silly mistake we treated them as typical errors, but if he didn't understand the problem or totally got it wrong, and it happened on similar concepts, we went back and reviewed until he understood.

 

How did you handle the material that your dd was struggling with? You say that "math wasn't her subject". How did you work to strengthen her skills along the way. If there was a concept like Pathogen's Theorem, and she really didn't get it, did you allow her to just continue on or did you stop the program and make sure she understood? Did you use any methods for checking her work? If she missed a problem how did you make sure she knew the material?

 

Pre-algebra is 2/3 basic math and 1/3 algebra. Is she struggling with basic math concepts.....I am wondering why she is redoing pre-algebra? Did she just forget how to add/subtract fractions (or other basic math skills)? The basic math skills are used all throughout Algebra1 & 2. If she is struggling with basic math then her Algebra will be week, no matter what program she is using. Did she use MUS for basic math? If whe is now doing Okay with basic math using TT, I would continue with TT. If she is struggling with basic math concepts, you may switch her to a series that teaches concepts separately like the "Key to... " series. Use these to boost her basic math skills. Then move her back into the TT series.

 

This is why I honed in on basic math skills: Ds was in private school in 4th and started hsing in 5th. He was doing great hsing but all of a sudden he started tanking in his math program. We were using Saxon math and in Saxon they have a unique feature. Every problem has a little number beside it that corresponds to the lesson it is taught in. I created a little chart that had rows of boxes numbered for him, and he would mark on the chart what lesson numbers he missed. His math skills rallied and he started doing good again, but then periodically he would have unexplained problems again. When I went back and looked at his chart the answer was clear. He routinely got problems wrong that had to do with a shape. He could see a box and know it was a square, but he didn't know what a square really was. So if he had a problem like: a square has a side that measures 4" , what is the perimeter? He couldn't answer it because he didn't know that a square had 4 equal sides. Some where along the way (2 public and 1 private school), he didn't learn the attributes of shapes. His missed problems had nothing to do with the lessons he was learning, he missed them due to something he should have learned in 2 or 3rd grade. We went back and addressed the missing information, and then he never had the same problem again.

 

Depending on your finances, you may want to hire a tutor for her. She may need a different teaching style to get her through the material faster. A tutor can help to move her along by allowing her to skip material she already is confident in and help her with the concepts she is struggling with. If you can't afford a tutor, then you may want to switch to a different program like the Key to... series or even Saxon. Aleks math is a good option, but is quite expensive and for your purpose I would prefer a tutor.

 

If you cover the basic skills and then move her up into Algebra, I would do it differently that the others have suggested. I would use TT Pre-algebra, then go into Algebra, but start at about lesson 25 (skip the review), and then use Algebra 2, again starting at lesson 25. TT Algebra 1 and 2 are very different from one another. The concepts are much more difficult in Algebra 2. I would not skip Algebra 1, especially if the child was struggling. For a confident math student it may be an option, but not a struggling one. If you want to speed up her course work, I would allow her to listen to 2 lectures a day, and do the new concept problems on the fist lesson and all the problems for the second lesson. If she misses ANY due to misunderstanding the material, she can't just say "oh, well" and keep going. Have her stop and relearn the material until she gets it right! Math is not a subject that you can limb on and expect to come out the other side with a firm grasp of. I would wait on Geometry until after Alg 2.

 

Assuming she can retest in 10 months, and she is doing school in the summer, she easily has time to complete 200 Algebra lessons in TT (Pre-algebra, Algebra 1 & 2). Each level has 125ish lessons. If you skip 50problems on levels 1 & 2 (review lessons) and if she has already completed 75 lessons, she has enough time to complete the series again by doing 7 lessons a week (with a few holidays thrown in). That is very doable!

 

To add in Geometry, she needs to do a combined total, with Algebra, 10 lessons a week. How did she do with Geometry. It can be so different than Algebra for some kids.

 

If she seemed Okay with Geometry, then I would have her do it separately than the Algebra. Finish Algebra 2 then move on to Geometry. That way, if she can't get all the way through something it is Geometry (which she may be strong at)

 

If she is weak in Geometry, then have her do a lesson a day with the Algebra, and don't allow her to skip problems in either series. It sounds like she may be a bit ahead in her other courses and I know a lot of students who have taken both Algebra 1 and Geometry simultaneously. It can be done only because they are independent of one another.

 

I hope this isn't too long, and that I haven't lost you. But it sounds like she is gifted in LA and History and just faltered a little in math. It is a very common strength/weakness combination (it sounds like you may be similar). I would just take a year and regroup. She can do it! Just make sure to address problems as they arise and not let them get passed over. It is easy to let a kid miss a problem, and then for them to say "oh, I understand now" and let them keep going. Don't allow it! Stop them, make them keep doing the same types of problems until they can prove to you they have got it. There are some good worksheet generators out there on line that you can create what you need with for extra practice.

 

 

Good luck! I hope you all get your 'math groove' on this year and blaze through!

 

Were all here if you need us, just ask

 

Tap

[Brindee]

Great advice Tap! I'd go by what you say, since you have much more of a handle on it than I do! :) Thanks for sharing!

[hsmamainva]

Wow, Tap!! Thanks!

 

Exactly right! She's always been very gifted in English and History...

 

She has basic math down (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing...she has decimals down pat)...she's tricky with fractions, although that's coming back to her -- one thing that tripped her up with the placement test at the cc, is that as soon as she missed 4 problems in a row, it turned off and she was done. She'd been working on Geometry and then starting Algebra 2 last year -- and, during the placement test, she completely forgot how to multiply fractions! Or how to figure out what 5/8 of 72 is -- and, of course, the placement test started with basic math!

 

And, she'll be the first to admit that, before this point, she did her math only when forced to do so. She now has something to strive for and she's working harder on math now than she ever has before -- and making better grades, too!

 

She's halfway through PreAlgebra TT (she just completed lesson 60 of I think 120). I love your idea of skipping the first 20-25 lessons of each TT book!

 

She's completing 3 lessons of TT each day (except for the weekends) and she's averaging 95-100% accuracy. Our plan is to get her through TT Algebra 2, and have her re-take the placement test at the cc in February / March, so she can register for a Biology and Math class at the cc in April for next fall. And, yes, it will delay her entrance into a 4-year school for another year...but...in the grand scheme of things, it's not that bad (she gains the experience of a few more cc classes before she hits a university with 18,000 students!)

 

Thanks again for your great response! I'm printing it out to share with my dd!

[harbke]

My son remembered more math using TT than the Chalkdust he had been using.