If you've used Saxon Math all the way through...

[wehave8]

...could you share the results?

 

Would you do it again?

 

If you wouldn't use it again, why not, and what would you use?

 

Pam

[FloridaLisa]

We used it through Algebra II (including a separate year of geometry, most recently with Life of Fred). By 11th grades, my dc take their math through dual enrollment. So far, so good. My 2 oldest are in science fields (pre-med and nursing) and they have done very well with all of their college math and science classes. I think their math teacher could have been better, lol, because I tend to go right by the book in the older years and am less math intuitive in the older years.

 

Lisa

[mathwonk]

@Kinsa: Did you ever consider Harold Jacobs' books for the creative one? That's what appealed to our creative writing, fine arts major son. With his poor memory, he had benefited in retention from the repetition in Saxon but found it very dull. On his first encounter with Jacobs afterwards he spontaneously exclaimed "this is interesting!"

 

We did not personally homeschool from Saxon all the way, but our son's K-12 private school did adopt those materials at many levels through high school during the late 80's and early 90's. They explained the change away from Jacobs by saying the teachers were "tired of teaching the same book". They eventually abandoned Saxon (after maybe 5 or more years?) because they found, to quote the lead math teacher, "[with Saxon] we found the students didn't understand anything".

 

That was a general statement, covering their whole student population, and does not imply that students like your engineering major son could not learn to understand math from it anyway. Our other son seemed to absorb math from any source, even large impersonal college lectures, (but he was not exposed to Saxon).

 

In my experience students with different learning styles and different interests, require different materials to flourish. Well written popular books like the one by Simon Singh on the solution of "Fermat's last theorem", or the several excellent ones by Keith Devlin, may appeal to students who do not think they enjoy math.

[wehave8]

So many different styles. :huh: "I" think Saxon looks confusing, but so far, my 2nd and 3rd graders are doing fine in Saxon Intermediate 3. They've completed CLE 1 & 2 and did fine going into Saxon Intermediate 3. I just wonder how it'll be later. I don't want to get down the road and realize they really weren't getting it and have to back track. That's why I wondered if "an incremental development" really sticks and makes sense after all is said and done.

 

Pam

[1Togo]

We used Saxon with two students - one gifted in math and the other not math inclined at all. Saxon was very good for both of them. They learned math, and their ACT and SAT scores earned them significant scholarships. The gifted child says he remembers what he learned in Saxon and that his Saxon work has helped him many times with tests, especially tests that involve critical thinking and reasoning, his work in the military, etc. Fwiw, I did not teach math. They had to reason through the lessons on their own. The non-math student, who has documented learning disabilities, earned a full ride to a local state university and did very well in all of the math courses required for an accounting major. We stopped Saxon with last dc for two years, but have gone back to it because we can't find anything else that works as well.

[mamajudy]

We have used Saxon starting with 5/4 (they hadn't come out with the lower levels when we began homechooling. We started with Miquon.) Oldest dd went through Algebra 2, didn't do much in Advanced Math, and still managed to get 750 on the SAT math section. Went to college early and excelled. The next 2 kids went through Algebra 2, one got a 700 on SAT math, then off to college. Ds has a degree in electrical engineering now, and dd2 is a studio art major who got A's in her required math courses.Dc #4 is finishing up with calculus, then off to the Naval Academy. Dc#5 is the real math wiz. He finished calculus when he was 15 and is now working on a college-level calc 2 book. I like Saxon. It isn't colorful or exciting, but it gets the job done.

 

Like 1Togo, I did not teach math. They did the lessons on their own. They did all problems in a set (not just odd or even problems), and reworked any missed ones.

[Mom0012]

Nm

[LivingHope]

My niece (15 years old) has completed Saxon Algebra1/2 (prealgebra) through Advanced Mathematics and received a perfect score in the math portion of the ACT.

[mamajudy]

nm

[Teachin'Mine]

Saxon rocks!

[Mom0012]

We used Saxon with two students - one gifted in math and the other not math inclined at all. Saxon was very good for both of them. They learned math, and their ACT and SAT scores earned them significant scholarships. The gifted child says he remembers what he learned in Saxon and that his Saxon work has helped him many times with tests, especially tests that involve critical thinking and reasoning, his work in the military, etc. Fwiw, I did not teach math. They had to reason through the lessons on their own. The non-math student, who has documented learning disabilities, earned a full ride to a local state university and did very well in all of the math courses required for an accounting major. We stopped Saxon with last dc for two years, but have gone back to it because we can't find anything else that works as well.

 

 

Interesting to hear that your son with a math disability did so well with Saxon. My ds has done very well with CLE, and from what I understand, Saxon is the closest thing to it. However, I keep reading that Saxon is not good for a child with lds because of the leaps it makes and because it is so tightly spiraled. I have all the levels of Saxon here for my dd, but maybe it's something I should keep in mind for my son if my other plans don't work out.

[Mom0012]

It was 1Togo whose child had the difficulty. :) It sounds like Saxon worked quite well for him!

 

Oops! Fixed that.

[dani3boys]

We have always used Saxon. My oldest ds who is currently in 10th grade finished Advanced Math in December and then did Calculus 1 at the local community college for the spring semester. He transitioned very easily into the calculus class. His math scores on the ACT and SAT have all been high. My younger two are also using Saxon and doing well too.