Is this a classic case of 'fixing something that isn't broken' with Saxon math?

[KellyMama]

So I just switched our 7th gr DD to CLE after a semester of math (Saxon 8/7) that left her questioning her intelligence (so sad because she is very bright!!) and me questioning my homeschooling skills (sigh). The plan is to fill in the trouble areas with the 700s for the rest of the year (and probably over the summer) and then move through the 800s next year.

 

My youngest was going to transition from Abeka 3 (he's finishing up) to Saxon 5/4, but we've decided instead to have him use Singapore math because he's more 'mathy', and we also feel he will love the way the concepts are taught. I might also throw some BA in there.

 

But now I'm questioning whether my middle DD who is running through her Saxon 6/5 book with no trouble at all (and will finish in a few weeks) should move onto Saxon 7/6, and ultimately the scary 8/7 book, or if that will do her a disservice in the long run?? One of my issues with my 7th grader ended up being that Saxon didn't offer enough revision I concepts taught before moving on. This is not a factor for my 5th grader who retains all information upon hearing it once. They are different students, but now that I've seen HOW Singapore teaches the WHY behind the math far more than Saxon does, I wonder if it's not going to provide her with a better foundation? I don't want to be one of those 'curriculum hoppers' or a 'grass is greener' person either - I guess I'm just wondering if I should leave her be or if she will benefit from switching over sooner rather than later to a strong, conceptual math program?

 

I honestly wonder some days if I just read way too much and it makes me unsure of my curriculum choices! (I'm sure no one else ever feels this way lol ;) )

[AK_Mom4]

I'm in the "don't fix it if it ain't broke" camp. I would let the middle one keep charging ahead since it is working just fine. We didn't have the same problem with the 8/7 book, but have found that its really important to stop moving forward when they start missing problems. I think we spent a whole week on one Alg 1 lesson with DS working and reworking until he understood what was going wrong. Since Saxon is incremental, if you miss a building block it just gets tougher to catch up. Sounds like CLE will be a good choice for your older DD (I'm a big CLE fan even though my kids did better with Saxon).

 

IMO its more difficult to jump into Singapore later than it is to start it earlier. Your younger one is starting with 2a or 3a? You might need to back the fifth grader up to 4a to match up the scope/sequence so you make sure she didn't miss anything. Placement tests will help with that.

[bethben]

I haven't felt like there's the "why" missing in Saxon. What I do feel however is that it needs to be taught to help the student make connections and figure out the whys. I'm not a big proponent of handing a math book to a student and hoping they figure it out even if people say it's taught to the student. I've done problems along with my ds to make sure he's understanding some of those more difficult sections.

 

Also, I'll go along with the "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

 

Beth

[dereksurfs]

Kelly,

 

I concur with the others for your middle dd. I would keep going if its working, especially since she's almost done with elementary math. You could always transition out once starting Pre-A or Algebra. Those would be more logical transition points unless she runs into problems. No need to go back and learn a whole new method at this juncture. At the end of 6th grade you can always re-evaluate things with her. Maybe at that point she will be ready to try something new.

[PeterPan]

If she's doing that well with Saxon, you could do Saxon during the school year, SM during the summer.

[KellyMama]

I haven't felt like there's the "why" missing in Saxon. What I do feel however is that it needs to be taught to help the student make connections and figure out the whys. I'm not a big proponent of handing a math book to a student and hoping they figure it out even if people say it's taught to the student. I've done problems along with my ds to make sure he's understanding some of those more difficult sections.

 

Also, I'll go along with the "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

 

Beth

 

 

I agree fully. We've spent hours each day teaching the lessons and concepts over. She says she understands it when we say it but is continually confused by the problems and explanations in the text. It just wasn't a good fit for her.

[KellyMama]

Kelly,

 

I concur with the others for your middle dd. I would keep going if its working, especially since she's almost done with elementary math. You could always transition out once starting Pre-A or Algebra. Those would be more logical transition points unless she runs into problems. No need to go back and learn a whole new method at this juncture. At the end of 6th grade you can always re-evaluate things with her. Maybe at that point she will be ready to try something new.

 

 

Yes, the lack of a logical transition point was holding back my decision too. I think you're right - my panic button was that we didn't see any signs of the epic gaps in my older DD until she reached 8/7. She worked hard but made As mostly in 7/6.

 

I'm actually relieved to see a unanimous vote for not fixing the not broken! Lol ;) She is doing well. We go over her work daily so we will see if she isn't doing well. My mantra really needs to be 'they are different people!' I don't want to back her up to 4a but I had already figured out she wouldn't be able to transition as smoothly to Singapore as my younger one. Her scope and sequence would indicate probably 5b but I think I'll just leave well enough alone and have her complete 7/6. Then we'll determine whether to move on with Saxon or go a different route for prealgebra in 7th.

[FriedClams]

I haven't felt like there's the "why" missing in Saxon. What I do feel however is that it needs to be taught to help the student make connections and figure out the whys. I'm not a big proponent of handing a math book to a student and hoping they figure it out even if people say it's taught to the student. I've done problems along with my ds to make sure he's understanding some of those more difficult sections.

 

Also, I'll go along with the "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

 

Beth

 

 

I agree. We are in our first year of Saxon - algebra 1/2 after going through Horizons 1-6. We use the Art Reed DVDs (excellent!) and I work every assigned problem. I have my own notebook and consider it my daily brain exercise. ;-) I also take the tests. I have not seen the criticism some have of Saxon - and I am taking the class! I read here about other 'better' prealgebra and while they too may be great - I have not seen Saxon lacking. (And I wonder if those critiquing have done more than read the book, or watched a kid use the book...)

 

So - I would not change it if it's fitting your child. It's solid. It's thorough. Exciting? Hmmmm - not so much. But it works! :-)