If you use Saxon a year ahead

[ALB]

If you use Saxon math a year ahead, as in doing Saxon 1 in K and Saxon 2 in first grade, do you ever get to a point where your dc are not developmentally ready to move up to the next level? They would reach Algebra really early, like in 7th grade, wouldn't they?

 

We have finished Saxon 1, and my dd did pretty well with it. She hasn't memorized the facts yet, but she understands how to find all the answers and gets the problems mostly correct. So, I guess we should go ahead with Saxon 2...? I have it all ready, and it looks like there is quite a bit of review in the beginning.

 

I'm just wondering if others have successfully used it a year ahead all the way though, or if there is a point where most people have to slow down that pace.

[Chris in VA]

We used it a year ahead from preK to 2nd. In 2nd, dd hit a bit of a wall with Saxon 3. We took a small break for about 4 or 5 weeks, IIRC. We just slowed down and did a little jogging in place, so to speak.

 

FWIW, she went to ps for 3rd, 5th and now is in 6th, and was in advanced math each year (about a quarter of the kids in the grade go up a level each year, but they don't use Saxon). She needed a 92% pass on the Iowa test of Algebra readiness (don't know the official name) in order to qualify for Algebra in 7th grade; she made an 87.

 

You can always take 7th grade (or any grade, really) as a review grade. Saxon has a way of taking an extra year in 7th or 8th grade by doing both Saxon 8/7 and Algebra 1/2, if your child truly wasn't ready, so you wouldn't even have to switch programs (but I think I'd switch for that year, just to build skills).

[edeemarie]

You can always take 7th grade (or any grade, really) as a review grade. Saxon has a way of taking an extra year in 7th or 8th grade by doing both Saxon 8/7 and Algebra 1/2, if your child truly wasn't ready, so you wouldn't even have to switch programs (but I think I'd switch for that year, just to build skills).

 

This is what I have heard people have done if their children need extra review. If your daughter needs practice with her facts you may want to look into www.xtramath.org and that should help her learn her facts. My kids really like it and it seems to work well- and it's free:)

[Deniseibase]

We used Saxon up until last year, and are going back to it next year. There are indeed plenty of people who use Saxon a year or more ahead - my DD did Algebra 1/2 last year, in fifth grade, so I spent a LOT of time last year worrying about exactly what to do for this year!! :) Fortunately, there are several spots in the Saxon sequence where it is EASY to spend a year playing 'catch up' if you find you have gotten ahead of yourself -

 

 

- you could use Saxon Intermediate 3 after 'regular' Saxon 3. It covers a lot of the same material, but adds more problem solving, measurement, etc. It's in a different format too, since Intermediate 3 was first designed for public schools. I have not used Intermediate 3 myself YET, but I've spent some time looking at it as a possibility for my son. You could really use any of the intermediate public school texts after the corresponding homeschool version, they are plenty different - there are Intermediate 4 & 5 (go after Saxon 54 and 65).

 

- if you are using the old, hardback versions of Saxon 76 & 87, you could follow up with the newer, paperback versions. They cover the same basic topics, but in a very different way.

 

- you could use both Math 87 AND Algebra 1/2. They both cover basically the same as a pre-algebra course. Most Saxon users do one or the other, but there are plenty of people who do both if they feel the pre-algebra skills are not strong enough.

 

- you could add in the public school text Course 3 as an additional pre-algebra year. Course 1 and Course 2 are identical to the newer, paperback versions of 76 and 87, but Course 3 has no direct equivalent (unless there is a paperback version of Algebra 1/2 out there somewhere that I have somehow missed!!).

 

- you could use the fourth edition Algebra I - Geometry - Algebra II sequence instead of the third edition Algebra I - Algebra II where the geometry is incorporated in. That will add a year, and there are a lot of interesting problems in this sequence, HOWEVER this series was originally designed for public schools and the homeschool solutions manuals were not vetted very carefully. There are mistakes in the solutions manuals for all three books - not in EVERY lesson, maybe a couple dozen problems wrong per text. So if you go this route you HAVE to be confident enough in math yourself to be able to say, "No, the solutions manual got this one wrong" and know that you are right (or have access to someone who can do that part for you!! :) )

 

- you can add a separate geometry text in between Algebra I and Algebra II. A lot of people use Jacobs Geometry for this. I don't think Saxon is weak on geometry without doing this, but if you have a child who struggles with geometry, this can be a good option to let them focus on a problem area for a year.

 

- you can spend more than one year doing Advanced Mathematics - LOTS of people do this one :)

 

 

Hope that is what you were looking for! Otherwise I just wrote a book for no reason!!! :lol:

[Meriwether]

We use Saxon a year ahead. The kids have been fine so far. My oldest is using 6/5. We haven't had significant issues. Next year will be her last year with Saxon. After that we will use Dolciani, Jacobs, or AoPS. She will be ten at the time, but I'm not terribly concerned. Ds7 is in Saxon 3. He takes so long to do his work and makes me wonder if it would be faster or easier to be doing Saxon 2 right now. It isn't an understanding issue, though, just a diligence one. Ds5 is finishing Saxon 1. I don't see any issues with proceeding to Saxon 2. I was going to go directly into Saxon 2 next week but have decided not to since we are moving this spring. He will do some Miquon and Singapore that we have around instead.

[ALB]

We used Saxon up until last year, and are going back to it next year. There are indeed plenty of people who use Saxon a year or more ahead - my DD did Algebra 1/2 last year, in fifth grade, so I spent a LOT of time last year worrying about exactly what to do for this year!! :) Fortunately, there are several spots in the Saxon sequence where it is EASY to spend a year playing 'catch up' if you find you have gotten ahead of yourself -

 

 

- you could use Saxon Intermediate 3 after 'regular' Saxon 3. It covers a lot of the same material, but adds more problem solving, measurement, etc. It's in a different format too, since Intermediate 3 was first designed for public schools. I have not used Intermediate 3 myself YET, but I've spent some time looking at it as a possibility for my son. You could really use any of the intermediate public school texts after the corresponding homeschool version, they are plenty different - there are Intermediate 4 & 5 (go after Saxon 54 and 65).

 

- if you are using the old, hardback versions of Saxon 76 & 87, you could follow up with the newer, paperback versions. They cover the same basic topics, but in a very different way.

 

- you could use both Math 87 AND Algebra 1/2. They both cover basically the same as a pre-algebra course. Most Saxon users do one or the other, but there are plenty of people who do both if they feel the pre-algebra skills are not strong enough.

 

- you could add in the public school text Course 3 as an additional pre-algebra year. Course 1 and Course 2 are identical to the newer, paperback versions of 76 and 87, but Course 3 has no direct equivalent (unless there is a paperback version of Algebra 1/2 out there somewhere that I have somehow missed!!).

 

- you could use the fourth edition Algebra I - Geometry - Algebra II sequence instead of the third edition Algebra I - Algebra II where the geometry is incorporated in. That will add a year, and there are a lot of interesting problems in this sequence, HOWEVER this series was originally designed for public schools and the homeschool solutions manuals were not vetted very carefully. There are mistakes in the solutions manuals for all three books - not in EVERY lesson, maybe a couple dozen problems wrong per text. So if you go this route you HAVE to be confident enough in math yourself to be able to say, "No, the solutions manual got this one wrong" and know that you are right (or have access to someone who can do that part for you!! :) )

 

- you can add a separate geometry text in between Algebra I and Algebra II. A lot of people use Jacobs Geometry for this. I don't think Saxon is weak on geometry without doing this, but if you have a child who struggles with geometry, this can be a good option to let them focus on a problem area for a year.

 

- you can spend more than one year doing Advanced Mathematics - LOTS of people do this one :)

 

 

Hope that is what you were looking for! Otherwise I just wrote a book for no reason!!! :lol:

This is VERY helpful! Thanks for taking the time to answer.

Thanks to all the posters, too. We went ahead and began Saxon 2 today, and I feel very "at peace" with the pace we have, especially knowing there are so many options in the future if we need extra work at some level.

[kmacnchs]

we use Saxon a couple of years ahead but after finishing a Saxon year (b/c it never takes us a whole year), we move on to MEP. This is helping to 'slow' dd1 down & MEP challenges her in new ways (just don't drop the facts drill! btdt). I am hoping that after this year of doing 2 curricula, she will only be a year ahead in Saxon.

[famof5redheads]

All three of mine started Saxon a grade ahead (K with Saxon 1). My oldest (5th grade in 7/6) is the only one still in Saxon, and, for him, I love it. The middle child went through Saxon 3. We never hit a point when I felt like they were being moved too quickly or weren't ready for what was being asked of them. (I switched the girls out of Saxon for other reasons, part of which was Mom teaching Saxon three times a day is a looooong day.) I plan for ds to stay with Saxon, and I like feeling that I have the option to linger over certain areas if the need arises or spend a year doing a supplemental study to stretch him a little. (We all have this option no matter at what level we start, of course, but I am more tightly-wound than I'd like and view it as giving myself guilt-free permission if needed).

[ALB]

All three of mine started Saxon a grade ahead (K with Saxon 1). My oldest (5th grade in 7/6) is the only one still in Saxon, and, for him, I love it. The middle child went through Saxon 3. We never hit a point when I felt like they were being moved too quickly or weren't ready for what was being asked of them. (I switched the girls out of Saxon for other reasons, part of which was Mom teaching Saxon three times a day is a looooong day.) I plan for ds to stay with Saxon, and I like feeling that I have the option to linger over certain areas if the need arises or spend a year doing a supplemental study to stretch him a little. (We all have this option no matter at what level we start, of course, but I am more tightly-wound than I'd like and view it as giving myself guilt-free permission if needed).

Good to know! It seems like each book does significant review, which is nice. I can imagine that teaching 3 different levels would be very time consuming!

[crazyfordlr]

I had the good fortune of working at Saxon in the early 90's. Back then 87 was a "filler" text ... for those who'd completed 76 but weren't ready for Algebra 1/2. Clear as mud?

[craftyerin]

Pre-kids, I taught 3rd grade at a school that used Saxon a year ahead, so my class had 5/4. I found that roughly a quarter of my class struggled in January/February, when we started long division. The bulk of them pulled through in the end with some extra help.

[Melanie]

We didn't use the lower grade books, but my son started Saxon 5/4 in 3rd grade, and my daughter started 5/4 in 2nd grade. We skipped Algebra 1/2. They both use Saxon for self-study; I don't teach the lesson, but am available if they have questions. Neither child is particularly "mathy."

 

My son had some trouble with algebra, but it turned out to be a hormones/discipline issue. He was just fine by December. Also, he ended up doing the Advanced Mathematics book twice - he'll start calculus next year as a junior. He didn't make bad grades or anything; we just thought he needed more time to digest the pre-calculus concepts.

 

My daughter is doing Algebra 2 as a 7th grader. She hasn't had any problems yet, but I fully expect her to spend two years on Advanced Mathematics.

[Brooketopia]

I've been in your shoes!

 

Stop worrying about it and just push forward as your children need to push forward. I tend to get caught up in the whole grammar/logic/rhetoric development stage question, but if your child is handling a different level's work just fine, then they are developmentally ready for that level.

 

There are kids who develop slowly in math and we think nothing of going at their pace. There are kids who develop according to the "normal" average rate of development and we keep them on-grade level. There are also kids who develop quickly in certain areas and we owe it to them, just as we do to slower- and average-paced developers, to let them go at their correct pace.

 

You'll know what they need. You get that insight because you are their mother. You'll know what to do if you hit a bump. Just let your child go at their correct pace, whatever it may be.

 

(Slightly off-topic--if you are moving ahead, make sure to run the fact cards with your kid everyday YOURSELF. Don't let them go do it themselves because if they're like mine, they'll goof off because they think they're math geniuses and don't need to work at it. Grrrr. Quick learners, but still 6/7/8 years old and on-level maturity-wise. I leave that with you as my cautionary tale. Because I now spend twenty minutes a day going over fact cards with my 8yo because...yeah.)

[ALB]

I've been in your shoes!

 

Stop worrying about it and just push forward as your children need to push forward. I tend to get caught up in the whole grammar/logic/rhetoric development stage question, but if your child is handling a different level's work just fine, then they are developmentally ready for that level.

 

There are kids who develop slowly in math and we think nothing of going at their pace. There are kids who develop according to the "normal" average rate of development and we keep them on-grade level. There are also kids who develop quickly in certain areas and we owe it to them, just as we do to slower- and average-paced developers, to let them go at their correct pace.

 

You'll know what they need. You get that insight because you are their mother. You'll know what to do if you hit a bump. Just let your child go at their correct pace, whatever it may be.

 

Thanks for this! I know its true. Sometimes it feels more acceptable to go slower, or start later, or be more relaxed. My kids seem to thrive working ahead in most areas, and I should stop worrying about whether we're doing the right book for -- grade!

[amselby81]

I have a question that kind of fits in this thread. I've thought about beginning Saxon K this summer, but how would I do the meeting book if I don't begin in August or September, or whenever the meeting book begins? I don't actually have the curriculum, but a friend let me look through their Saxon K.

[Gailmegan]

Both my older boys have been using Saxon two years ahead. There is so much review that they haven't struggled with the concepts at all.

 

Our biggest issue was switching over from Saxon 3 to 5/4 when there were no longer worksheets with the problems on them and the boys had to use notebook paper to solve the problems. We used quad ruled paper, which really helped with columns, but I found that I had to number the notebook paper for the first year or so until their writing/planning skills caught up with their math skills. Oh, and that reminds me that in the early years my second son could answer everything orally, but struggled writing the answers down because his handwriting skills weren't strong.

 

My oldest used Saxon through 76 and is using Dolciani Pre-Algebra this year. The next son will follow the same path. If I weren't so in love with Dolciani I would have continued with Saxon, since it worked so well for both of them.

[momto4kings]

Algebra in 7th grade is perfectly fine. If the child is getting it, what's wrong with working ahead?