Do we scrap this year's math plan and start from scratch?

[ciyates]

DS is in the 10th grade using Chalkdust Algebra 2. His PSAT in math was terrible and his latest SAT was 520. He is struggling so much with Algebra 2 right now. His average is about a 70. I had him complete a few placement test (Teaching Textbook and Math U seee) and he could not place into Algebra 2. I am so frustrated and so is he. If it isn't a problem he is very very familiar with he can't figure out how to do it. My instinct is to start over at the beginning of Algebra with something like TT. I have always stayed away from TT because I thought it was too light. Now I realize he is missing some of the fundamentals. How did we get this far along and I not realize it?

 

 

By the way we used MUS for Algebra 1 and his grade was a 91.

 

What do I do?

 

P.S. If you show him how to do the problem he can work it fine. He is currently doing Apologia Physics and once he knows which formula to use he doesn't have a problem. The real problem seems to be analyzing the problem to figure out what to do.

Edited December 16, 2011 by ciyates
additional information

[Annie G]

I'm using Lial's Intermediate Algebra to tutor a student who struggled through algebra 1. She's made HUGE gains using this book, which is generally used as remedial alg 2 in colleges. It's very inexpensive to buy used, which is always a plus. She started in August and is finishing chapter 8- nice progress!

[Night Elf]

My dd13 used MUS for Algebra 1 and did very well. Because we use an accredited high school program, I chose to have her repeat Algebra rather than ask them to give her credit for the MUS. I'm glad I did. There are things in that traditional textbook that she didn't cover in MUS. She obviously didn't have as great a foundation as I thought she had. But she will do the traditional path like my ds15 did. After Algebra 1 we do Geometry and then go into Algebra 2. My ds15 is doing well in Algebra 2 but it isn't coming as easily as Algebra 1 and Geometry did.

[ciyates]

Annie,

 

Which edition should I get?

[SailorMom]

We are using Foerster's Algebra 1 right now and loving his clear ways of explaining things. He has an Algebra 2 book out....

You may want to get Algebra 1 (Foerster), and go through the chapter reviews. Wherever DS has issues, stop and go over that chapter. Then move on to the Algebra 2 book.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Yes, I think you should scrap it. I don't have much to offer in the way of advice. We struggle here at times with math, and my dd took a second year of Alg 1, using Lial's (Introductory, I think). Lial's was great. She's using something else this year for geometry but will go back to Lial's for Alg 2.

 

I kept hoping dd's first year of algebra would click (she used Life of Fred), but it never did. I don't want to say it was a wasted year, but I should have stopped and switched early on.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I am hugely in love with Art of Problem Solving (AOPS) algebra. Not only does it really work through the whys of how algebra works, but the problem sets require the student to really consider what a problem is asking and use all of his math brain tools to solve them.

 

I don't think that AOPS would feel repetitious because it is so different. And don't feel bad if he covers chapter 1, then hits 2 and realizes that he didn't understand 1 nearly as well as he needed to.

[DianeW88]

VideoText is another program you may want to consider. We've loved it and my kids scored well on the ACT in math. Neither of them are particularly "mathy" kids.