HFClassicalAcademy Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 My ds is doing TT 4 this year and I want him to back to Saxon for the new year. I would be placing him in 6/5 and I feel like TT did not prepare him for it and has just put him behind. I'm planning on spending the summer working especially in math. Any suggestions on what to use?? Has anyone else been through this before? Thanks!! Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Maybe look at Aleks for summer math? You can get a free trial for 3 hours during a 48 hour period to do the assessment and everything, then I think you can get a free 2 month trial. Aleks is supposed to target all the weak areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Why don't you just do the Saxon placement test and put him in whaever book he places in? You can always take chapter tests until he gets to something he doesn't know and then you can start there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Switching maths doesn't JUST put a child behind, it also takes them wider, which is a good thing. They took some side trips they never would have taken if they had stayed on one path. Don't fret. It's all good in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlylocks Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Why don't you just do the Saxon placement test and put him in whaever book he places in? You can always take chapter tests until he gets to something he doesn't know and then you can start there. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 What about doing TT 5 over the summer at double pace to catch him up? This would work if you felt it put him behind because of because of the scope and sequence rather than because the program wasn't a good fit. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I'd try TT5 too. It's not too hard for the kid to do it and there is plenty more review on addition, mult., div. and place value. Seems like a painless summer math program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Why don't you just do the Saxon placement test and put him in whaever book he places in? You can always take chapter tests until he gets to something he doesn't know and then you can start there. :iagree: You always do the placement test.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 (edited) I'm going to guess that you did Saxon up to 3, then switched to TT for 4th grade? Since your goal is placement in 6/5 and you haven't felt that TT was as helpful as you wanted, I wouldn't invest in another level of TT (particularly as my impression is that TT isn't cheap--haven't used it). The placement tests I have seen say they are for kids who have never used Saxon, so I don't know if that will make a difference in results. It can't hurt to try it and see where he places if you want to confirm your impression of his level. If it were me, I would pick up a used copy of Saxon 5/4 (I believe I paid about $25 for the entire level at the curriculum consignment store) and test through, stopping when he hits snags (gets less than an 80 when you grade very strictly--no half credit, etc). When he hits a conceptual snag, go back and do the lessons associated with the errors. If he gets an 80 on the next test, I would continue the testing through until you hit another less than 80. If he gets less than 80 on the next test, I would figure I had found where we needed to start and go from there. This will hopefully help you plug any holes between the TT and Saxon, and used Saxon books are cheap and readily available. Another consideration is that I have been told Saxon K-3 is a bit different in approach than 5/4 and up, so you would have the advantage of becoming familiar with the upper level Saxon before hitting 6/5. That is the strategy I used when we switched my daughter from Singapore to Saxon in 5th grade. She was on the edge of the placement test between 6/5 and 7/6, and I initially placed her in 7/6. It was a bit too high for her (first test scores showed a steep downward slope), so we backed up and spent a while testing through 6/5 to plug holes. I would give her a test, go over anything she missed (making her correct the problem), point out careless errors and spend extra instruction time on any conceptual errors. Some weeks we tested every day, some we would test and spend several days on instruction depending on the topic. She just finished 7/6 with an average in the 90s, so things are going well. By using the Saxon to plug holes, I was confident that I had a good base for going forward in their program. If you feel he is lagging in knowing his facts (my daughter was), I would add in Xtramath.org, which will work through addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in order, plus it's free!:) I used this instead of the fact practice sheets in Saxon because I needed her to be a bit more independent in that area. I really liked the reports the program generated and it was very straightforward and easy to implement. Another option might be to use the Khan Academy website (also free, so you wouldn't have to buy any additional materials) and let him work through areas where you feel he is behind. Kids can earn virtual badges, etc watching the videos and doing the practice problems, working at their own pace. Edited June 8, 2012 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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