Poll: What to do after MEP Year 6

[anabelneri]

Hello!  My 6th grader will be finishing MEP Year 6 this spring, and I'm trying to plan for next year.  She has really liked MEP, and has done well with it.  She isn't especially mathy, but probably works about one grade level ahead of her age.  She's very, very verbal and does best when things are explained verbally and with pictures.  She doesn't "read" math as well.  She's done Dragonbox 12+ and Dragonbox Elements with no trouble.

 

MEP Years  5 & 6 cover pre-Algebra, from my understanding, so I'm looking at moving to Algebra or Geometry after MEP Year 6, but dd likes the idea of sticking with MEP.  I'm figuring we'll transfer her into the local community college when she's about 16 or so, where they'll give her a placement test, so I could stick with MEP even though the credits aren't as clear in a U.S. context. 

 

What do you think, O Hive?

[Gil]

Why do people always seem so interested in changing from a thing that is working? I am just...baffled by the idea.

 

If MEP works for your student, is liked by your student and has more levels that your student could feasibly use, then, why exactly are you polling the internet?

[anabelneri]

I'm considering it because it's British and doesn't line up with US standards. I'm probably also basing my thoughts on my peer group... Most people seem to switch away from MEP at this point because it of it not following US standards. Also, MEP's years 7-9 are sometimes skipped by homeschoolers, so even if I've made peace with staying with MEP, I have to figure out what to do next.

 

Thanks for asking, though, Gil. Your question was helpfully clarifying. :)

[Arcadia]

Also, MEP's years 7-9 are sometimes skipped by homeschoolers, so even if I've made peace with staying with MEP, I have to figure out what to do next.

Let her do the tests for years 7-9 to check for any gaps. Then do year 10. After that do year 11/12.

 

The year 11/12 page. You can do the top half in a year and bottom half in a year. Finishing that page would be comfortable for starting at CC.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/alevel/alevel.htm

[Gil]

I'm considering it because it's British and doesn't line up with US standards. When and if that becomes a problem in your situation, you tackle it then. Its easy to let your kid do their work in metric, even though itsn't not the US standard--once they know how to convert units, they can convert units. Period.

 

In your OP, you mentioned that you're tentative plan is CC at 16, where they'll use a placement test, so you *could* stick with MEP until then. I say, go for it. If it stops working or something crops up that warrants a change, then change, but not before then. Not for the sake of change, when your daughter--the one who will actually have to do the work--is a) successful with MEP and b) wants to continue with it.

 

Besides, Math for grades 7 and 8 is usually a mixed bag anyway, so using MEP until she is the age of a traditional local Algebra 1 student shouldn't cause a conflict.

 

'm probably also basing my thoughts on my peer group... Most people seem to switch away from MEP at this point because it of it not following US standards. Also, MEP's years 7-9 are sometimes skipped by homeschoolers, so even if I've made peace with staying with MEP, I have to figure out what to do next.

 

Thanks for asking, though, Gil. Your question was helpfully clarifying. :)

 

[Momling]

I don't know much about MEP, but skipping three years of an incremental math program doesn't sound like a good idea. I mean... going from SM6 to NEM 4 or Saxon 7/6 to Advanced math seems pretty nutty. There is a lot of good, important stuff to learn in 7th-9th grade math!

[anabelneri]

I know what you mean, but a lot of folks say that MEP years 7-9 are reviews of material covered in earlier years, so that kids who didn't attend a primary school that used MEP could transition into MEP GCSE. It seems like a lot of folks successfully skip it; I just have to figure out my path.

[Farrar]

I know there's a MEP yahoo group - maybe ask there as well?

 

Would your dd like something that's more of a challenge like AoPS?

[anabelneri]

Unfortunately she hated Beast Academy. Not the story part, but the puzzles/workbook. I'm not sure that AOPS would be a good fit. :( I tend to choose the popular rigorous curricula, but not in this case.

[TKDmom]

I skipped my dd from MEP 4B to Y7. After looking over the S&S, I could see that all of Y5 & 6 were entirely reviewed in Y7-9, and she was working "behind" grade level at the time., so I was feeling pressure to move on

 

I really like the idea of using the unit tests for 7-9 to review and see where you need to stop and work, if you want to continue with MEP. If you join the Yahoo group, there is also a file there that tells you which units in each year correspond to Algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2.

[lewelma]

My ds uses MEP year8 and he loves it.  We especially like the 'activities' as they expand math knowledge beyond algorithmic application.  I thought that Common Core was making math in the US more integrated with algebra, geometry, and statistics studied each year; if so, then MEP *is* following at least one US standard.

 

Ruth in NZ

[Guest ohosslervye]

I'm probably also basing my thoughts on my peer group

 

[TKDmom]

I'm probably also basing my thoughts on my peer group

 

Huh?? I hate being rude, even online. But I'm seeing a brand-new member making random comments on various threads and that always raises red flags for me...

[hollyhock]

Skipping from MEP 6 to GCSE is technically possible, but I don't think MEP recommends doing that. Also, Year 7 and 8 are really short. You could easily do both in a year, or just use the unit tests to check her understanding. Year 9 is where Algebra 1 supposedly starts (according to the files at Yahoo group). We aren't at Year 9 yet but what I've done of it myself, it seems like a bit of a jump from Year 8. So I would probably start there.

[kiwik]

Huh?? I hate being rude, even online. But I'm seeing a brand-new member making random comments on various threads and that always raises red flags for me...

It is happening a lot lately. Someone seems to have a system that just randomly picks a line of someone else's post and uses it as a new post. Sometimes the comment actually works as a post and nobody notices. Sometimes not.

 

I have noticed 10 to 20 different new posters so heavens knows how many there have been.

 

For the OP could you just go to a Pretty Algebra if not ready for Algebra? There seem to be heaps.

[anabelneri]

For the OP could you just go to a Pretty Algebra if not ready for Algebra? There seem to be heaps.

 

Do you mean Pre-Algebra?  MEP years 5 & 6 cover that material already, so that would be redundant.  I actually think she'd be fine in Algebra, though every Algebra book I've looked at is a nightmare visually, which annoys me greatly.