minchenk Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Hi, I have a 1st grader to be who is very advanced in Math. I had him do the placement test for Teaching Textbooks Math 5 today and to my surprise, he passed the placement test. Shall I have him go ahead to do TT Math 5? Or shall I hold it for another year? I'm kind of hesitant since he is not even a 1st grader yet. He is doing Singapore Math 2B and will be going to do 3A soon. He is sometimes bored with the repetition and wanted to learn new stuff. I am afraid he may miss somthing so I still "ground" him in 2B. I plan to buy TT Math 5, since he LOVES it so much after trying the online demo. He begged me to buy it right away. But before go head to purchase it, I'd like to hear some input from you! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 He is doing Singapore Math 2B and will be going to do 3A soon. He is sometimes bored with the repetition and wanted to learn new stuff. I am afraid he may miss somthing so I still "ground" him in 2B.Which components are you using in Singapore? My gifted 6yo uses the Intensive Practice books (more difficult problems, more thought required) instead of the workbook, along with the challenging section of the Challenging Word Problems books. IMHO, the workbook is not sufficiently challenging on its own for a math adept student. We also supplement with Primary Grade Challenge Math. I've read enough about TT on these forums to dissuade me from thinking of using it with a math adept child. You might try searching the high school boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Last year my then dd9 placed into TT7 easily. I mean she aced the placement test. I went ahead and purchased the program for her and she began it eagerly. By lesson 40 or so, she was literally in tears. It was just too much for her. We hung on, trying to give time between lessons and me working with her on the concepts outside of TT7 but the fact is that it was just too much too soon. I wondered if going with TT6 or even TT5 would have been a better choice. If you don't mind spending the money for a product you may not be able to use completely right now, you could certainly give it a chance. Your child could work in the program and if he hits a bump, you could shelve it for a while. I ended up selling mine because we needed money for other curriculum but I wish I had been able to hold onto it. But that's the only experience I have with TT to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Learn Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Personally (and this is my opinion), I question the effectiveness of the TT placement tests. My 10yo places into Pre-Algebra! When the convention was in town, I looked over the text for Math 7. The text is considerably more challenging that what the placement test reflects (on which my 10yo only missed one question). Additionally, my 12yo just completed Pre-Algebra and there is NO WAY my 10yo could handle it next year. So ... I wouldn't rely on the placement tests for placement. Look over the table of contents, etc. to determine if the material is appropriate for your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseballmom Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Personally (and this is my opinion), I question the effectiveness of the TT placement tests. My 10yo places into Pre-Algebra! When the convention was in town, I looked over the text for Math 7. The text is considerably more challenging that what the placement test reflects (on which my 10yo only missed one question). Additionally, my 12yo just completed Pre-Algebra and there is NO WAY my 10yo could handle it next year. So ... I wouldn't rely on the placement tests for placement. Look over the table of contents, etc. to determine if the material is appropriate for your child. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in CA Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 :iagree: Too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailuamom Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 This is really good to know about the placement tests. I was just about to have my older dd take it. I think I will wait until our convention in July to take a look at the books. Luckily, they are scheduled to be there. For those of you who saw them at a convention -- did they offer any deals? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kisa in CA Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Wow, I am so glad to know the placement tests are not accurate because my son placed high on the tests and he is not advanced. I spoke with TT about convention specials and they said they do not offer specials at conventions. But I think I need to go to our local convention now to check out the curriculum. HTH! Kisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 My 10yo dd (turned 11 near the end of the school year) did the TT pre Algebra this year and did fine. She slowed down after the first 9 chapters, but moved steadily along for the most part. There were some bumps that took lots of work to get past though! My ds14 did the TT Algebra 1 and did ok, but had a bit of a hard time. I thought my dd would struggle and my ds would do fine, and it was the other way around! So it's hard to say how another person's child will do! Right now dd does not want to do Algebra 1. She is going through Singapore 5B over the summer and next year will do what she needs in R&S maths 7 & 8. That may take two years, or one year, I just want her to feel ready to go into Algebra 1. DS is doing Life of Fred Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Ill throw my 2 cents in here. My rising 4th grader will do TT5 next year and my just completed 6th grader did TT 7 this year. Skipping a year was okay. Skipping more than that might be a problem. I noticed in the TT 5 - we started the first couple lessons this year - they ask things differently. They are trying to get the dc to think logically. The problems are not all the time straightforward. Some are down right tricky to get the dc to look at the problem, really look at the problem, not spit out the answer because they think the problem is just like the practice problem. While TT5 is possible for dd - she placed 100% in the placement test, it will be challenging. TT 7 became quite a challenge after a time too. The first part of the program is review, but it ramps up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minchenk Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Thanks for all your input! It really helped! I'm using Singapore Math 2B Textbook+workbook+intensive practice+challenging word problem with him now. I guess I will keep doing Singapore as the spine. And maybe buy the TT5 just for him to play with for fun (as a supplement) since he wanted it so badly. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I'm using Singapore Math 2B Textbook+workbook+intensive practice+challenging word problem with him now.If you don't already, you might want to let him try "testing out" of the workbook or omitting it altogether. That will cut down on repetition, but leave the meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest valerie7 Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Although the TT placement tests are not completely reliable for figuring out which level to choose, the TT staff is very helpful. You might want to give them a call. For my 1st grader, for whom math is fun and natural, I use a combination of Right Start Mathematics--lots of games that can be as challenging as you wish--and Singapore Challenging Math Problems. Good luck, Valerie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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