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x-post: Which level of Teaching Textbooks? Placement test results are inconclusive.


Which math text?  

2 members have voted

  1. 1. Should I choose BJU Math 6, Teaching Textbooks Math 6, or Teaching Textbooks Math 7?

    • BJU Math 6
      1
    • Teaching Textbooks Math 6
      0
    • Teaching Textbooks Math 7
      1


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Next school year, I will be teaching my 11 year old niece, who just completed 5th grade at the all-ABeka Christian school she has attended since PreK. Math is probably her best/favorite subject, and she has always had A's in math on her report card. I don't want to use the ABeka Math she's already familiar with, and I'm trying to decide whether to use BJU Math or Teaching Textbooks for her. If I use BJU, I'll use Math 6, but I'm not sure which level of Teaching Textbooks would be best. How accurate are the TT placement tests?

 

I gave her the placement tests for TT Math 6 and TT Math 7, and she completed each one (30 problems, including 2 word problems) very quickly and scored about the same on each. She completed the Math 6 test in under 15 minutes and missed three on Section 1 and three on Section 2. She completed the Math 7 test in about 20 minutes and missed two on Section 1 and four on Section 2. According to the scoring instructions, students are ready for a particular level if they miss no more than 5 on Section 1 and no more than 7 on Section 2 on the placement test.

 

So if I go with Teaching Textbooks, I'm not sure which way to go! What do you think? TT Math 6 or TT Math 7? Or just go with BJU Math 6? I've narrowed my choices down to these three, and I've included a poll with only those options, so please vote!

 

FWIW, I already own a set of each: BJU Math 6, TT Math 6, and TT Math 7. I love BJU through grade 6, and I love Teaching Textbooks for grades 7 and up. Since she's right on the cusp, I'm just not sure what to do.

Edited by ereks mom
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My Abeka kid tested into TT 6 after Abeka 3. I wouldn't go further down than TT7 if you use TT. Did you give the next level up placement test?

 

I'm no fan of either, but I would probably go BJU if it is the newest edition.

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My Abeka kid tested into TT 6 after Abeka 3. I wouldn't go further down than TT7 if you use TT. Did you give the next level up placement test?

 

I'm no fan of either, but I would probably go BJU if it is the newest edition.

 

Since she just completed ABeka Arithmetic 5, I first gave her the TT6 placement test. She flew through that and missed 6 problems, all having to do with fractions, decimals, or percents. On two problems she forgot to line up decimals when she added or subtracted. On another problem (3/10 + 6/10 - 2/10), she didn't notice the subtraction sign, so she added (correctly) all three fractions. She didn't know how to write a fraction as a percent or vice-versa, and she had trouble comparing two fractions (<, >, or =).

 

So I gave her the TT7 placement test, and she again missed 6 problems. Two of those were comparing fractions one was adding fractions, and one was dividing fractions. Of the other two she missed, one was finding the radius of a circle, given the diameter, and the other was a word problem (she multiplied when she should've divided).

 

I didn't give her the TT Pre-Algebra placement test because I'm not comfortable jumping her TWO years ahead of grade level. There's a lot of good review of basic math in TT7.

Edited by ereks mom
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I didn't give her the TT Pre-Algebra placement test because I'm not comfortable jumping her TWO years ahead of grade level. There's a lot of good review of basic math in TT7.

 

I understand where you are coming from with not wanting to seemingly skip two grade levels in math. I'd assumed TT Pre-A would cover the decimals, percents, & fraction things she missed. I just wondered if you gave her the Pre-A test since she passed the TT7 screen by a comfortable margin. All the concepts she missed were introduced in Abeka 5, but are reinforced & practiced again in Abeka 6. It is possible she got an A & didn't achieve mastery, especially in the fraction<->percent conversions. They hit that much harder & review it more frequently in 6 than in 5.

 

Good luck with your choice. If you put her in BJU 6, would she do TT Pre-A the following year, assuming she passed the placement test? If so, she'll end up at the same place (TT Pre-A the year after this) as long as you start her in TT7 (which, IMO, is the lowest TT level I'd start her in).

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Good luck with your choice. If you put her in BJU 6, would she do TT Pre-A the following year, assuming she passed the placement test? If so, she'll end up at the same place (TT Pre-A the year after this) as long as you start her in TT7 (which, IMO, is the lowest TT level I'd start her in).

 

Yes, either way, she would be in TT Pre-Algebra next year. I'm realizing that it would be pointless to put her in BJU for just one year. It seemed like a good idea when it first came to me! ;) But I think that for the sake of continuity, I would rather just start her in TT7 for the upcoming year, since that's what we'll be using beyond that.

 

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