If you have used both Saxon and CLE math, can you comment on the differences?

[HappyGrace]

What did you find to be the similarities and differences? What grades did you use, which did you like/not like, and why?

[Tenaj]

I've used both . . . my current 10 yods did Saxon 54 last year (well, he did half of it because that's as far as we got) then he tested into CLE 3 this year and he loves it and I'm happy that he's happy. Both programs are fairly independent at that age but my ds seems to like the workbook format of CLE. I also don't think that CLE jumps around *quite* as much as Saxon from day to day. It is spiral but not quite as incremental as Saxon - at least that's my opinion.

 

I also switched my 6yo to CLE 1. He did Saxon K last year and having taught several times through Saxon 1, 2 and 3 I was just dreading the thought of the time commitment. Several posters here told me that the time was much less in CLE 1 and that is what I've found. I really appreciate the way CLE is really deliberate about moving even the first graders towards independence. We have some counting exercises, then a portion of the light unit is teacher supervised, we do the flashcards and speed drill and then there's a section for the child to work on independently. Saxon always seemed like overkill to me on the drill, drill, drill. CLE has a lot of drill but it's not overwhelming on a daily basis. It takes me maybe 15 minutes to get him going on his math as opposed to the 30+ minutes that Saxon would take.

 

I'm planning on using CLE for the future unless something drastically changes in the upper grades. I'm disappointed that I can't use it for my 7yods but he's ahead of my 10yo in math so I have him in a seperate program so that the comparisons aren't quite as obvious.

[TracyR]

I have used both. Saxon is very time consuming to use in the lower levels. I have used Saxon K, 1,2 and 3. 5/4 becomes more independent but then there is the pain of getting them to write outside of the text.

I know the newer editions seems to like to throw problems in the exercises that haven't been taught yet, or throw them in there that were either really poorly taught or taught a long time ago and the child doesn't remember it. I know we have encountered this with the newer editions in the upper levels (from 5/4 up) .

 

CLE just seems to have a better format. I can't explain it, but it just does. Lessons are also way less time consuming. And it really starts to get them to become more independent in their work early on. I like the word problems better in the CLE math. They are written in real life circumstances. They aren't the boring formulatic word problems like Saxon has.

I like the fact its in a workbook. No stray pieces of paper hanging around the house. All the work is in the book.

 

In all actuality though , its your call. They both have their pluses and minuses. What we see as pros you may see as cons.

LIke for example Saxon has videos and CD's for their upper level math. Some people feel they need this for whatever their reasons maybe. Where as CLE does NOT have this feature with their math program. If your having a hard time understanding the math yourself, as a teacher , you need to find some other resource, albeit your husband, a youtube video, etc.

CLE's math , their Sunrise edition only goes to Algebra 1 as of right now. I believe they are going to go up to Geometry and that's where they are going to stop. So if you don't care for the Nonsunrise version, know that at some point your going to have to switch math.

Again most people don't care and they feel they will deal with that when they cross that bridge. Some families want to stick with the same program throughout.

 

It just all depends on what you want. Honestly they are both good math programs, and either way children learn math well. I know for us, CLE's math is more ahead in some areas that Saxon would be. So I needed that for my youngest daughter.

[Vida Winter]

I don't care for the scripted lessons in Saxon (levels 1-3). They do not fit my teaching methods. It took way too much time to complete a lesson that could have been short.

 

In the higher levels of Saxon (5/4 and over) there is a great deal of writing -- copying the problem from the book and then solving it. It is so much easier in the lightunit format. I also think that CLE covers more. I have not compared scope and sequence so I may be wrong -- but it seems that way to me. CLE also sneaks in a ton of practice on little things that make the harder things easier later on -- things like converting decimals and changing from fraction to percent.

 

For us the perfect combination is CLE + Life of Fred as supplement. I also like the AOPS Kitchen table math series (what I have seen as samples) and am thinking about buying it but right now can't justify the cost of yet another math supplement.

[jer2911mom]

We used some of Saxon 1 last year and are using CLE 1 this year. I much prefer CLE. The Saxon worksheets are thin and the newsprint paper quality is poor. The TM scripting was long and drawn-out and hard to sort through as you were trying to see what you were doing for the day. The CLE scripting is much easier to follow and it is so much easier to see exactly what is being covered for the day and how. The Light Units give my dd a sense of accomplishment as she finishes each one and we get out the new ones. The drill in Saxon was just overwhelming for her. They would put the same problem on there several times, which was just silly. She would do one and then copy it the rest of the places. CLE seems much smoother in its flow. It doesn't jump from day to day like Saxon. It builds on what you've been doing already. CLE is very gentle but at the same time it covers things that I wouldn't have thought about doing in 1st grade, like drawing lines/connection points with rulers, working on number lines with various scales, and identifying congruent shapes. It clips along at a pretty fast pace and covers a range of topics in a short amount of time. I think it covers place value very well. I was disappointed that Saxon did not cover it at all during the time that we used it. CLE also uses a version of the number bond concept by having a triangle with the whole and two parts inside the 3 points. They use this to teach fact families and it is right in line with what my dd has learned in Singapore and RightStart.

 

Saxon does use manipulatives more than CLE, but it is not hard to add them in to CLE if your child needs them. We use the base 10 blocks for the place value work more than the suggested toothpick bundles.

 

Saxon has the meeting book, which gets pretty tedious. CLE has the My Calendar Book, which I prefer over the meeting book. The My Calendar Book has your child record different data each month and graph it at the end of the month using different types of graphs. I really like the work done in this book. CLE also has the My Counting Book, where the child learns to write numbers to 1,000.

 

I also really like the CLE flashcard system.

 

Kathy

[HappyGrace]

Thank you-this is so helpful! I've been thinking of switching from CLE to Saxon since it continues to the upper levels. These comments were very helpful to me! Thank you for being so specific-that is what I needed.

 

I'm still not totally sure what to do, as Saxon has more help in the upper levels.

[G5052]

We actually used RightStart for K-2nd, but I've used CLE's Math 3-7 now, and plan to continue. I like that they are portable and don't require copying the problems down.

 

Then we go to Saxon, starting at Algebra 1/2 or Algebra 1 with DIVE, and it has gone beautifully. In style, Saxon is very similar and by Algebra, they are fine with copying the problems by then. I tried other choices for Algebra, but Saxon has worked best for us.