Math questions (Lials and/or CLE for pre-alg and alg)

[jcmi]

Without going into all of the gory details, I have a huge math crisis!

 

Dd (7th) has done Singapore 3B-6B and I've been debating where to go next year. She really wants to do algebra in the fall, and agreed to do pre-algebra over the summer to make that happen.

 

However, today just out of curiousity I gave her the Saxon placement test for 8/7 and Pre-alg....and she bombed it. I was shocked because she excells at Singapore. She's smart and--I thought--mathy. However, it appears that she hasn't been retaining much, and also had trouble doing problems when not presented in Singapore fashion. She's got conceptual down....it's on structure and procedure and formulas that she's really weak.

 

So now I'm really stumped where to go from here.

 

Thoughts:

 

*CLE 8 (which might be a jump for her) and then Lials Introductory Algebra

 

*CLE 7 (a better fit, probably) and then Lials Introductory Algebra (not even sure if CLE 7 alone would be enough preparation for algebra)

 

I like the thoroughness of CLE, but don't like that I wouldn't use it for Algebra and beyond. It's just what I'm looking for, but I hate to have to switch again in a year. So I could also do:

 

*Lials Pre-Alg and then Alg (we looked at BCM and it would be total and complete review...I think Pre-Alg would be a better fit)

 

And a final Lial's question....is Lial's rigorous enough to use for Alg 1 and 2? I hear a lot of people using it lately, but not much about the results.

 

I'm open to any suggestions beyond what I listed above, too (except Saxon or BJU)....

 

Jen

 

homeschooling dd (7th), ds (13, CP and Asperger's), ds (5th), and dd (1st)

[redsquirrel]

I am in no way a math expert, but we are also finishing up Singapore 6b right now. For our pre-algebra year I am going to work through the Key To Algebra series and two math units from Tops Science. We are going to do Math Lab and Probability.

 

Then, in 8th grade we will use Foerster's along with the Math Without Borders CDs.

 

So, I don't know if this is of any use to you, but seeing as we both used SM I thought I would pass it on. And, I don't think it is unusual for kids this age to not transfer skills etc very well. I hear this from lots of parents with lots of math programs. I think it has a lot to do with the age.

[melmichigan]

Saxon has all the geometry wrapped in from 7/6 forward. I'm not sure how accurate their placement would be for a child coming from SM, Saxon is just very different. Have you tried other placement test?

[Dassah]

Jen,

I wanted to pop in and say that my dd has completed Standards Singapore 5B and I switched her over to CLE 500 (now we are on 600) to strengthen the arithmetic skills that we somehow lost within all of Singapore's conceptual work. It has been a wonderful change for us. I will say that level 600 contains concepts that are not in Singapore 5 or 6 but I believe they won't pose a major problem if you are using CLE as a means to strengthen and review math to move forward with algebraic concepts. Like you, I was shocked with my dd's poor math performance with an end of the year exam after feeling confident in her conceptual math abilities. She is obviously a child that needs more consistent review than the much talked of high performing Singapore math students. I think Singapore math will have served her well when she becomes more consistent in arithmetic, however. :001_smile:

[jcmi]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I do want to do CLE before jumping into Lial's Introductory Algebra.

 

Has anyone made that the transition from CLE to Lial's? Or CLE to any other algebra 1 curriculum?

 

I guess what I'm wondering is if CLE 7 would be adequate pre-algebra or if I should do 8 instead.

 

Thoughts?

[MIch elle]

FREE yourteacher.com through HSBC: http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/yourteacher-freebie/?c=1

[3andme]

CLE 7 should be sufficient preparation for Algebra for a good student. You might also consider CLE's new Algebra course. The preliminary Sunrise edition is now available for sale on their website. It uses a spiral approach to Algebra rather than the mastery approach of Lial's.

[Marla]

When doing my own "math" research, I recall many CLE users recommending that a student NOT skip 700 to jump to 800. They also said that CLE 700 was adequate prep for Algebra 1. Have you administered the CLE math placement test? It might help you discern the best fit for her.

 

As of February, my 7th grade dd has completed CLE 400-600. My initial plan was to move right into CLE 700, which I already own, work on it through the summer and move into Algebra 1 in the fall if she was ready. Instead, I decided to jump ship from CLE to Lial's BCM so my dd would be familiar with its format because I enrolled her in Jann's online math class for 8th grade, and she uses Lial's. Even though all of BCM should be a review for my dd, I was surprised at how many errors she is making on concepts she already "knows". It's become clear that my dd is probably not ready for Algebra 1 in the fall, but instead we need to solidify her pre-algebra foundation first, so I plan to continue with BCM through the summer and she'll do Lial's pre-algebra with Jann in the fall. We'll save Algebra 1 for 9th grade.

Edited May 16, 2012 by Marla