Singapore Math - ok to be a year behind?

[Alexandra]

My 5th grader is in 4A. He is doing great with it but he is a little unhappy with the number 4 on the cover. I think we will get to the end of 5A this year but still....

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

Alexandra

[AudreyTN]

That's "normal" to be a level behind. My dd was doing 1A and B last year. This year we switched to BJU Math 3. I've had to explain very little. It was almost a seamless transition.

[claire up north]

My son (who is GREAT at math) works a year behind in Singapore, too. The other math program he does is a year ahead of his grade level, so the two math programs are really 2 "years" apart. This is no problem whatsoever. I actually prefer it because I count on Singapore to help him see different interactions between numbers and math concepts. It's helpful to have him practicing this skill when the underlying concept is already familiar to him.

For example, he already is very comfortable adding two three digit numbers, but in Singapore, he is asked to do it mentally. He can focus on the mental part, confident that he already knows another way to do it.

 

I realize this might not appy to your situation if Singapore is your only math program. If that is the case, then I would emphasize to your son that Singapore requires a lot more mental work than traditional programs. While the number on the cover might only say "4," the material on the inside requires a "6" in terms of confidence with numbers.

 

Good luck!

[Homeschooling6]

Singapore numbers are not grade levels. They number the books to keep them in order;)

 

My 9yr. old is only in 2B right now.

[Melissa B]

I heard that in Singapore the children start school at age 7. So....

 

Level 1 - age 7-8

Level 2 - age 8-9

Level 3 - age 9-10

Level 4 - age 10-11

 

:)

[Pongo]

I have 2 ds. 1 has completed the series 5th grade, the other 2 are where they should be. I use this as a basic guideline:

 

PLACEMENT GUIDE FOR SINGAPORE PRIMARY MATHEMATICS SERIES

 

 

AVERAGE STUDENT ADVANCED STUDENT

1st grade *Pri Math 1A ~~~~~ Pri Math 1A & 1B

2nd grade Pri Math 1B & 2A ~~~ Pri Math 2A & 2B

3rd grade Pri Math 2B & 3A ~~~ Pri Math 3A & 3B

4th grade Pri Math 3B & 4A ~~~ Pri Math 4A & 4B

5th grade Pri Math 4B & 5A ~~~ Pri Math 5A & 5B

6th grade Pri Math 5B & 6A ~~~ Pri Math 6A & 6B

[Sandy in Indy]

My math-inclined ds tested into 4A as a 5th grader (when we started homeschooling). I was completely shocked as he had always tested high school or above on standardized tests. But, we started at 4A and he worked through 6B in 7th grade. Then he went into Algebra 1.

 

Tell your ds not to worry; it's completely normal. (And ds, now a senior, got a great score on the SAT. I think Singapore helped him learn how to think mathematically and it's served him well.)

[Sue G in PA]

Yes, agreeing w/ the others. The numbers are NOT grade levels. Since Sing. students don't start until age 7 (2nd grade here), most US students would start a level "behind"...but it really isn't behind. My 10yo is starting in 2B b/c he needs help w/ mult. skills (he also does MUS). My 8yo tested into 2A (b/c of the word problems) but is flying through. So, it's all up to the ind. child. Don't let the number get him down...it's not grade level.

[mcconnellboys]

Sure, why not? Lots of kids just aren't ready to move into algebra for seventh grade. If he finishes up with Singapore level 6 in seventh grade, then he can move into pre-algebra or algebra for eighth grade. And Singapore is considered to be about a year ahead of most American programs, so if he's working in level 4 now, that *is* doing fifth grade level work.....

[JudyJudyJudy]

I suspect that my 9-year-old son is gifted, but I haven't had him tested. As a fourth grader this year, he is working in 4A. (He started with 1A in first grade; because of his age when he started Singapore, I didn't test him to see where he'd fall in the series.) While I'm sure I could have him working ahead of that fairly easily, I'm more concerned with mastery of concepts and challenging him on those concepts than pushing him to know a little bit of all the concepts. As a former (recent) public school teacher, I think one of the biggest downfalls in math is pushing the kids through too much material too quickly rather than working toward mastery. Basically, I've said all that to say that I think what you're doing is perfectly fine and probably best.

[happymom]

Probably too late at this point, but I always put a sticker over the number on the book.

[Sarah CB]

Yes, but think about where they'll end up. Here's the generally accepted correlation of Singapore math to US math:

 

 

Pre-algebra: PM 6 and NEM 1, Ch. 1-4

Algebra I: NEM 1, Ch. 5-8; NEM 2, Ch. 1-7, 12-14

Geometry: NEM 1, Ch. 9-14, NEM 2, Ch. 8-11

Algebra II: NEM 3, Ch. 1-6, 14; some of NEM 4 Advanced Math/Trig: NEM 3: ch. 7-13, NEM 4, ch. 1-4 (precalculus)

 

So by the end of NEM 2 your child will have covered Pre-algebra, Algebra 1, and Geometry. If you finishe NEM 2 in grade 9 then I think you're ahead of the game in the end.