Help me choose a math curriculum

[Ravin]

I've pretty well concluded that we need to add a more formal approach alongside Fred for DD, mostly because we're going to have to put her in public school of some sort by 6th grade because of family/career situations, and she's been progressing very slowly in math.

 

I've narrowed it down, I think:

 

I considered TT, but DD has no interest in working independently, although she's been receptive to video lessons in Latin for Lively Latin. We've looked at Khan Academy and she didn't like the online stuff there either.

 

MUS, Saxon, and MM are on the list of finalists, though for different reasons:

 

MUS uses manipulatives which I think DD will find helpful (though I've been doing a fair bit of that with her lately anyway without curric), and also is by levels rather than grades which will help with her attitude. She's not thrilled about being behind.

 

MM has the Blue Series option, so we can target instruction to her weakest points to catch her up to even grade level with CC scope and sequence.

 

I'm also considering other supplementary books for this same purpose, found on Rainbow Resource, including some of the "Key to" books and some focusing on problem solving process and on place value, as well as some of the MM "blue" books.

 

Part of our problem has been the different scope and sequence in Fred (though it pretty well evens out after Fractions and Decimals and Percents, she needs reinforcement of certain areas), so another possibility is to get a workbook that targets filling in CC "gaps." She also just needs more reinforcement for some things to "stick."

 

Whatever I choose, DD not hating it is a must.

 

Finally, Saxon is on the list because the charter school that's our first pick for DD for sixth grade if we stay here uses it. She wants to get used to it. I'm thinking we need to spend next year evening her out with a mastery and review approach before subjecting her to it.

 

Thoughts? I'm going to give her the MM assessments this coming week.

[kiana]

What Saxon level does the charter school use for 6th grade?

[Mandy in TN]

What level of Fred is she using? And echoing the previous post, what level Saxon does the charter use for 6th?

Mandy

[mom2bee]

I say figure out where you are at (which you seem to be doing with the placement tests) and where you need to be (like the previous posters said, What level of Saxon does the school use for 6th)

[Ravin]

I'm not sure--I cannot find and confirm the information I found before about it. We recently finished Honey in Fred, which DD had some difficulty with so we are going to do it over once I finish the assessment and are doing extras on the main topics in it--long division, multi-digit by single digit multiplication, and memorizing multiplication facts.