pocjets Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 My upcoming 4th grader placed into Saxon 65. Is there any reason not to go ahead and put her in it or should I put her in 54?? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Are you wedded to using Saxon? I think with a bright 4th grader, you'd be better off using something like Singapore, Beast Academy, or MEP. Just my $0.02... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I agree with Crimson Wife. My choice for my strong math students was Singapore. On the other hand, my youngest son is using Saxon because he needs the incremental review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Before kids, I taught in a private classical school that used Saxon a year ahead in all grades. So all of their 4th graders used 6/5. It can certainly be done. But I agree with the above posters. If I had a 4th grader who was strong in math I would move them to a more conceptual deep curriculum rather than moving ahead in Saxon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I would put her into the grade where she placed. I don't think it terribly unusual for kids that are mathy to place high in Saxon when they start. My ds who entered fourth grade last fall tested into Saxon 76. It worked out fine. He preferred Rod and Staff so he's currently doing the sixth grade book but I'm contemplating starting him into Saxon 8/7 in the fall. I really like that he places a bit higher than his grade because it gives me time to supplement with Singapore or MM if I want without feeling like he's falling behind. We've tried using Singpore with this very mathy kid but it's just not a good fit for him so not all mathy kids automatically do well with that method :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 My upcoming 4th grader placed into Saxon 65. Is there any reason not to go ahead and put her in it or should I put her in 54?? Thanks If she tests into it, then absolutely. Plenty of very bright, mathy children have done exceedingly well with Saxon. I see no reason to use a different publisher. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberries Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I would put her where she placed. My rising 4th grader just completed 7/6. He's very math inclined and supplements on his own with Khan Academy and library books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pocjets Posted June 28, 2014 Author Share Posted June 28, 2014 Ok great. Thanks for the help. I wasn't really thinking about using Singapore because it's more teacher intensive and we're expecting baby 7. I am pretty set on Saxon but just in case I change my mind, can a child move to Singapore in 4th grade and do well or would it be a lot of relearning?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 We haven't found Singapore to be particularly teacher-intensive, but that may be because I've used several programs that ARE very teacher-intensive like Right Start, AAS, MCT, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Saxon 6/5 is fine for a 4th grader. One of mine used it as an eight year old 4th grader, one as a nine year old 4th grader and one will be using 5/4 as an eight year old 3rd grader next year. Saxon is fine for children who are good at math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teneo Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I also taught in a classical school prior to kids. Students in k did Saxon 1, and they did Saxon 65 in 4th. I know that the school has since moved to Singapore and they started the transition in I want to say 3rd and under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndTheBoys Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I'll tell you what IS a smooth transition (because we're in the middle of it)--going from Christian Light to Saxon. My oldest finished CLE 700 last year in 5th. They don't have a terribly strong or complete high school, so I looked at my options and decided to go to Saxon, thinking we'd do Algebra 1/2, but he tested into Algebra 1 for this year, his 6th grade year. And it has been a very smooth transition so far. They cover the same material in a similar way. I'm really, really happy with how this is working out--I was worried about the switch! The big difference--CLE is more child-friendly for elementary and basically self-teaching. It is in a 10 workbook set for the year (each book takes about a month and has 2 quizzes and a test). My boys have used CLE all the way through. When I put the oldest in Saxon Alg starting this summer, I considered putting DS2 into Saxon 6/5 instead of CLE 5 so we could just do a big Saxon transition--but I looked at the elementary Saxon and it just wasn't as user friendly as CLE--so he'll stay in CLE through at least Grade 7. Just throwing that out there--if you're set on a Saxon switch but want something easier to use right now with a baby coming and stuff, take a look at CLE--they are very parallel. Betsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I also taught in a classical school prior to kids. Students in k did Saxon 1, and they did Saxon 65 in 4th. I know that the school has since moved to Singapore and they started the transition in I want to say 3rd and under. that's interesting! the school I taught at has also switched to a Singapore method, using MIF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Dd did Saxon a year ahead. We finished 6/5 in 4th grade and started 7/6. (First part of 7/6 is review, as in all years of Saxon, but it is review WITH new material--goes deeper, questions are asked in different ways, etc.) She ended up in honors math at ps and is doing fine. Depends on your kid--but we found Saxon to be very clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upennmama Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Ok great. Thanks for the help. I wasn't really thinking about using Singapore because it's more teacher intensive and we're expecting baby 7. I am pretty set on Saxon but just in case I change my mind, can a child move to Singapore in 4th grade and do well or would it be a lot of relearning?? This is such a funny coincidence- I was just about post, asking if my rising 4th grader could do Saxon 6/5, as she tested into it, and we are also expecting baby #7! Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mschickie Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 When we switched to Saxon in 4th grade dd also placed into 65. It has worked out fine. Dd will be starting Algebra 1 in August(6th grade). I will slow her down if she needs it but so far it is working well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodlebug Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Just to share a different POV... my son (entering 3rd grade) "places" in 5/4, but there's no way he's ready for the copying AND 25 problem sets AND the independent nature of lessons, etc. I could MAKE Saxon work, but not in the same academic year I'm focusing more heavily on history, science, and writing. I am convinced Saxon is the way to go for us long term, but we'll be repeating 3rd grade math this year with Beast Academy to taste something different, to work toward more independence in math (which we need for 5/4 anyway), and to buy us some time for getting solid on math facts. There are kids who are totally ready to take it on, and I'm guessing your daughter probably is! Just wanted to share our circumstances which ultimately led us NOT to pursue the level of placement in Saxon. Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Right. But if the kid places there intellectually, but is not ready for the copying of problems and/or does not have the stamina necessary, I would use a different curriculum rather than a lower level [of Saxon]. In borderline cases, if I wanted to use Saxon I would type up the problem sets myself so that I could space them out to make them into worksheets. (edited to add "of Saxon" for clarity) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodlebug Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Right. But if the kid places there intellectually, but is not ready for the copying of problems and/or does not have the stamina necessary, I would use a different curriculum rather than a lower level. In borderline cases, if I wanted to use Saxon I would type up the problem sets myself so that I could space them out to make them into worksheets. I agree. Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pocjets Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 This is such a funny coincidence- I was just about post, asking if my rising 4th grader could do Saxon 6/5, as she tested into it, and we are also expecting baby #7! Congrats! That is so funny! Congrats! When are you due? Our baby is due in October-5th boy. :) Are you going to use 65 in 4th? I decided to go ahead and do it and we'll just slow it down if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smootwater Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 My son is 7 yo going into third grade this fall, completed Saxon 3 last year. He is no way ready for the copying and writing in Saxon 54. So last month one of Saxon's rep at a homeschool conference advised to use Saxon Intermediate 4 instead of Saxon 54 or Saxon Intermediate 5 for Saxon 65 respectively. She said Intermediate is exactly the same as regular Saxon but with a workbook that has the problems already in it. Anyone has any experience with it? Katalin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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