HELP! Uprising 11th grader behind in math.

[journey00]

We have tried so many math curriculums!! Key to, TT, MUS, Kahn Academy, Math Relief Math, and the latest is TabletClass...she looked at Algebra Saxon & nooo way.  She's currently doing 3x's week tutoring with a very good tutor but he has backed her up all the way to pre-Algebra and she's moving very slowly.  Tutoring is $35 for 30 min. and I just paid another $280 for another 8 lessons.  The tutor uses his own program. Sigh.   The Homescholar's Lee Binz's words echo my head to stop backing them up in math or they will not finish on time.  Yes, it has become our reality.

 

She has put it so many hours in Algebra (and always hits a brick wall) that I could technically give her 2 credits! She finished 15 lessons with TT Geometry before she hit the usual brick wall. 

 

She's already taken the ACT & scored a 19 which is good enough to enroll her senior year in the local community college which has been in our plan all along.  She's not going to be a math or STEM major..she loves English & Theology & Music.  No learning disabilities, can + - x /, and she's very very good with saving her money and budgeting. 

 

I was also horrible with math but I got through college just fine when I decided to pursue becoming a Registered Nurse.

 

Our goals:

1. Finish Algebra 2.

2. Attend a good community college the 1st 2yrs then transfer to a small liberal arts college.

 

 

Please, give me advice, a plan, or the name of a Git-It-Done curriculum for Alg 2 and Geom.  Thanks.

 

 

 

Edited July 14, 2016 by journey00

[Julie of KY]

I don't think there is any point in doing a get it done geometry/algebra 2 if your daughter isn't solid on prealgebra (and arithmetic skills). She'll forever flounder if the foundation isn't solid in fractions, negative numbers, distributing, factoring, etc. I don't know that this is where she has problems, but given the fact that she keeps hitting walls and a tutor has backed her up so far, I'm betting it is.

 

Of course you could do a more visual spacial, non-algebra based geometry, but I wouldn't call that high school geometry.

 

I would really focus on the prealgebra/algebra skills as they are still needed in so many areas. I wouldn't hesitate to go lighter on geometry as it isn't used in everyday life much. You can't do algebra 2, until you first master prealgebra and algebra. Sorry, this isn't really the advice you are looking for.

[journey00]

  Ha ha...no it really wasn't but thanks for your honest response Julie of KY.  :)      I can't keep paying the tutor fee and I'm at my wit's end & she's excellent with money & budgeting but  I know my child isn't the only who can't get the upper math & has been in this predicament.  Ty again. :)

[Storygirl]

It could be a math disability after all. My son has a LD in math, even though he had no trouble with math facts. His trouble (in part) is in understanding concepts and retaining what he has learned. Math disability can look different for different students.

 

If she has accrued enough hours to earn two credits in algebra, I think you can give her two credits. Call it Algebra 1a and Algebra 1b.

 

I don't have advice about curricula, since we haven't reached those levels yet with our kids. But finding a way to continue to move forward while still working on the trouble areas is needed. I'm not sure you want her to take a break from algebra while working on geometry, if she is likely to slide backward in her skills. Perhaps you can have her keep working on algebra with the tutor while starting a separate geometry course. That way she won't have a gap between algebra and algebra 2, but she can get the geometry done.

[Camy-7 boybarians 1 lady]

It could be a math disability after all. My son has a LD in math, even though he had no trouble with math facts. His trouble (in part) is in understanding concepts and retaining what he has learned. Math disability can look different for different students.

 

If she has accrued enough hours to earn two credits in algebra, I think you can give her two credits. Call it Algebra 1a and Algebra 1b.

 

I don't have advice about curricula, since we haven't reached those levels yet with our kids. But finding a way to continue to move forward while still working on the trouble areas is needed. I'm not sure you want her to take a break from algebra while working on geometry, if she is likely to slide backward in her skills. Perhaps you can have her keep working on algebra with the tutor while starting a separate geometry course. That way she won't have a gap between algebra and algebra 2, but she can get the geometry done.

 

Yes!  I have a son who has a math LD.  It is rare in the world of LD.  He is 17 and working at about a junior high level in math, yet his reading and LA are advanced.  I thank God for homeschooling because he may have been put in a stigmatized box at a young age, thus limiting him for life.   

 

His hope is to join the military after graduation, so we are setting goals to get him in that direction.  The good news for him is that he is beginning to progress rapidly in his math learning at an exponential rate (no pun intended..haha). He will begin tutoring soon.

 

Our plan for this coming year is to go the Christian Light Education accredited route through their Homeschool Plus.  It is a workbook type format, which I believe will help him.  He is beginning to feel the heat of his age vs. being prepared for the military in a few years.  He will graduate at 19.  

 

Personally, I was so dumb at math in school until I hit college.  I remember sitting in a freshman Algebra 111 class thinking "I actually get this now!"  Math is so similar to reading in its learning that it seems that the "light" will go on eventually when the child is developmentally ready (in combo with good teaching according to progression of skills).

 

Blessings!

[Lanny]

OP   I agree with Julie of KY in post #2.  Everything is based on Algebra 1 and Algebra 1 requires a full understanding of Pre Algebra.  I wonder about switching between so many Math programs and suspect that may have contributed to the issues your DD is having with Math.  The Tutor is correct, Pre Algebra must be mastered, and then Algebra 1 must be very solid, or one will be lost.   I do not believe that it is correct for a student to receive Credit for a course that was not successfully completed.  Algebra 1 is one of the critical courses students take.   GL to your DD.

[JanetC]

I am not sure what you are asking? There really isn't a 'get it done' algebra 2 and geometry curriculum for someone who struggled with algebra 1 and whose tutor believes she is more appropriately placed in pre algebra.

 

In terms of rebuilding missing foundations, Math Mammoth is currently in homeschool buyer's co-op. There are some books by topic where she takes all the (say) fractions worksheets and puts them in one book from easiest to hardest. This might be something to look at for trying to find and fill in holes.

 

You seem to have a pretty good idea of all the books you tried, but your post gives no sense of her strengths and weaknesses. If "trouble with math" seems to run in the family, I would consider having her screened for LD's. At the very least, you should be talking to this tutor about what she knows and doesn't know, whether it is a struggle to make concepts stick even with one on one instruction, and whether the tutor thinks getting an evaluation is warranted.

 

Given your history, I would not be looking for any "open and go" or self-taught program. She sounds like a kid who is going to need individual support, either from you or from a tutor.

[MatthewBlackwood]

We have what I believe to be the best math program on the market for struggling learners. That said, a tutor might be the best and fastest route for her. The fact that he's backed her up to Pre-Algebra speaks to some serious gaps that no Algebra 2 curriculum can overcome. Like a lot of others I wish I had better news :(

 

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[Lanny]

OP   If your DD was a Public School student, I would suggest that you discuss this with a "Math Coach" employed in your local school district.  In fact, possibly you can contact your local school district and find out the name(s) of their Math Coaches (I'm assuming they have Math Coaches). Math Coaches help Math Instructors improve their classroom skills.   There are no quick and easy solutions to the situation your DD is in with Math.  Possibly she can get into a CC, and possibly the CC will not require Math skills, but the Tutor seems to be correct and has backed her up to Pre Algebra. Sometimes that is necessary.  GL to her and to you!

[journey00]

I have been homeschooling for almost 6 yrs & I did not know a student could excel in language arts but have a math LD. That is something I will definitely look into....

 

Thank you everyone for taking the time and offering your best suggestions and personal experiences.  I have read each one & will take into consideration all to formulate a plan.  Thank you again.  :)

[OneStepAtATime]

Just for the record, yes a student can definitely do fine in other subjects but have a diagnosable math LD.  Very definitely.  :)