Right Start Math still worth it?

[Kakids]

Is Right Start still worth it if it takes us twice as long to get through the lessons and material? I am considering Right Start Math and understand it can be time consuming and parent intensive. I think the manipulative options with Right Start would help make the math more understandable. My concern is being able to put in the time the program needs. I am expecting it to take more than a year per level.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Kakids

[HomeAgain]

In your case, no.

We're using Right Start.  We're at the end of level E, and I have to say that while it presents math in an interesting manner that keeps the lessons interesting, I do NOT find it best for teaching various concepts.  The many manipulatives can have a tendency to hinder, rather than aid, understanding if a student doesn't grasp the material already.  One of the problems my kid faced was to use his abacus and the bead picture, and circle 1/8th of the hundred beads, first by setting them aside on the abacus and then in the picture.  An eighth of a hundred is 12.5.  A literal child, like mine, thought the entire exercise was stupid because you can't circle, or set aside, half a bead.

I would probably, in your case, seek out something like Math U See, Shiller, or Miquon. The first and the last use single sets of blocks, Shiller uses Montessori materials.

[Terabith]

Probably not.  Math U See sounds like a good fit.  

[PeterPan]

Well if the disability is a math disability, move over to something meant for math disability intervention and you'll make better progress. I used RightStart with my dd, but she did not have math disability. With my ds, who does, I use Ronit Bird. Check it out. It will be everything you love about RS but the deeper level of instruction you need to make things click.

http://www.ronitbird.com/

[nixpix5]

What age and math level is your child? Even going through just B-D and then jumping over into another program after D can provide a wonderful math base. I will present a slightly different view than the other posters and say if your child is younger, go for it. I believe in the superior math teaching methods of Montessori and RS is based in Montessori math. That concrete foundation really shows itself in kids who have gone through a few years of it. They tend to shine in upper level math because they intuitively get it. I have taught level B and C to different learners and have found it completely doable. The lessons are not long in the earlier levels. Math U See is another great option and good for kids who don't enjoy many manipulatives. I just feel Montessori based math techniques can be profound for kids with disabilities. I am a Montessori nerd though so take that for what it's worth 😋

[LynnS]

We loved Right Start and did A-C before switching to Beast Academy. Between the manipulatives, the games, and the wide variety of topics it teaches, I really feel like it's a holistic introduction to math like nothing else on the market, and it gave my son (2e) an amazing math foundation. 

[Targhee]

It all depends on your child’s disability and learning needs.  I took 3 kids through RightStart A or B (just one year each) and was extremely happy I did, even though it was slow at times.  The foundation it builds (especially B) is worth the investment.  We switched to other things after one level of RS, but I still highly recommend (especially B in first edition).

[Kakids]

Didn't mean to leak disability discussion onto this board.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Kakids

[Phryne]

Let me preface this by saying that my six year old does not have a disability.  We do, however, love Right Start.

Before deciding we would use Right Start exclusively, we tried a few different Singapore products and Learn Math Fast.  I looked at Math U See (borrowing it from a friend for a couple of days), but only tried a very little with my daughter.  I thought Right Start was better and easier for the parent than Math U See (because of the way lessons are laid out), and while Singapore and Learn Math Fast were easy for the parent, they weren't nearly as good for my daughter.

What I love about Right Start is that it provides the perfect guide to really teaching and working with my child, rather than just giving her a workbook.  To me, anything that is just a workbook (like most of what Singapore offers) is shortchanging my child and, even if it costs less than Right Start, actually wasting my money because all it is providing is practice sheets.  I could jot down practice questions on scratch paper for free.

With any program, I would occasionally skip what my daughter doesn't need, offering her the opportunity to "test out" of a section by showing me that she understands the concept.  However, I don't think Right Start devotes much more time to concepts than is needed.  We occasionally skip a game if I think it's superfluous.  Some lessons are longer than others, so there have been days when we did two lessons a day, and other days in which we did one lesson over two days.  That kind of thing doesn't bother me.

 

 

[Phryne]

P.S.  We are on level B, and while we kind of stretched A out, doing a little before age five and then doing it on a non-daily basis over the course of age five, we are definitely on track to finish level B in less than a year.  FYI, a child could definitely start at level B.  I only saw this recommendation after we had finished most of A.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Phryne

[HomeAgain]

9 hours ago, Kakids said:

We are working on 1st grade math. Age 10. Too many years wasted in school not being taught. Known disability is not math specific, ASD. I know a traditional workbook approach won't work. I'm almost afraid to pick anything right now for fear of choosing the wrong thing when we don't have time to waste with where we are at right now. And of course cost is a factor. I wish there were an easier (read- faster cheaper) way to trial programs. I feel constrained by the march of time and cost.

Have you posted on the learning disabilities board?  And what are you using right now?  There are a lot of low cost and free resources out there that require very little (I'd get a set of math blocks like base ten or c-rods no matter what you end up using) and would give you time to figure out what, exactly, the gaps are and how to approach them.