Math in Focus vs AOPs

[Sherry in OH]

We are considering placing our children in a public charter school next year.  One of the schools we are considering uses Math In Focus.  Incoming students are tested for math placement.  Are there any topics in Math in Focus that a child who completed AOPS Pre-Algebra would not have encountered?  What about a child who completed the first 13-16 chapters of AOPS Intro to Algebra?  

Edited January 27, 2019 by Sherry in OH

[cintinative]

bump for you. If you have the ability, I would put "AOPS" in your title as well.

Unfortunately I don't know the scope and sequence for AOPS Intro to Algebra.

The MIF divides pre-algebra into three courses--Course 1, 2, and 3. So it's going to be hard to compare if that is what they are using, as that is three years of coursework.

You can access the table of contents/scope and sequence for MIF online at https://forms.hmhco.com/virtualsampling/index.php

[Sherry in OH]

16 hours ago, cintinative said:

bump for you. If you have the ability, I would put "AOPS" in your title as well.

Unfortunately I don't know the scope and sequence for AOPS Intro to Algebra.

The MIF divides pre-algebra into three courses--Course 1, 2, and 3. So it's going to be hard to compare if that is what they are using, as that is three years of coursework.

You can access the table of contents/scope and sequence for MIF online at https://forms.hmhco.com/virtualsampling/index.php

Thanks.

I mapped the tables of contents to AOPS Pre-Algebra: 

• Course 1 - all topics except Coordinate Planes are covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra.  AOPS covers this topic in Intro to Algebra.  
• Course 2 - Geometry topics not covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra. Statistics and probability topics appear to go beyond the basic introduction in AOPS Pre-Algebra, but could be terminology differences.
• Course 3 - statistics, probability, and geometry topics not covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra or Intro to Algebra.  Lines and Iinear equations, systems of linear equations, and functions are not covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra.  AOPS covers these topics in Intro to Algebra.

I planned to do some geometry review towards the end of the school year.  It looks like if we decide on this school, we'll need to add in some work on statistics and probability.   

 

 

[cintinative]

5 hours ago, Sherry in OH said:

Thanks.

I mapped the tables of contents to AOPS Pre-Algebra: 

• Course 1 - all topics except Coordinate Planes are covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra.  AOPS covers this topic in Intro to Algebra.  
• Course 2 - Geometry topics not covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra. Statistics and probability topics appear to go beyond the basic introduction in AOPS Pre-Algebra, but could be terminology differences.
• Course 3 - statistics, probability, and geometry topics not covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra or Intro to Algebra.  Lines and Iinear equations, systems of linear equations, and functions are not covered in AOPS Pre-Algebra.  AOPS covers these topics in Intro to Algebra.

I planned to do some geometry review towards the end of the school year.  It looks like if we decide on this school, we'll need to add in some work on statistics and probability.   

 

 

 

FWIW, we went from Course 1 to Dolciani Pre-Algebra and I am going to have to supplement with some of the statistics and probability for that also.  There is more of an emphasis on statistics and probability in the testing now so that is probably why.  I own Course 2 and 3 also so I mapped out those topics against Dolciani.  

Do you know if the school uses all three Courses? The reason we didn't is that we didn't want to spend three years doing pre-algebra. So we did Course 1 in 6th, and this year (7th) my oldest is doing Dolciani's Pre-A and will do Algebra in 8th (barring unforeseen math issues).  

[Sherry in OH]

15 hours ago, cintinative said:

 

FWIW, we went from Course 1 to Dolciani Pre-Algebra and I am going to have to supplement with some of the statistics and probability for that also.  There is more of an emphasis on statistics and probability in the testing now so that is probably why.  I own Course 2 and 3 also so I mapped out those topics against Dolciani.  

Do you know if the school uses all three Courses? The reason we didn't is that we didn't want to spend three years doing pre-algebra. So we did Course 1 in 6th, and this year (7th) my oldest is doing Dolciani's Pre-A and will do Algebra in 8th (barring unforeseen math issues).  

The course of study the school provided lists courses 1-3 as its standard for 6th through 8th grade math.    Higher placement is via testing and instructor approval. 

The sample pages and the spiral nature of the program remind me of MEP Primary.  Did you find Course 1 to be rigorous?  

[cintinative]

5 hours ago, Sherry in OH said:

The course of study the school provided lists courses 1-3 as its standard for 6th through 8th grade math.    Higher placement is via testing and instructor approval. 

The sample pages and the spiral nature of the program remind me of MEP Primary.  Did you find Course 1 to be rigorous?  

 

I have never looked at MEP, but I have also never considered MIF to be spiral. Do you mean spiral in the sense of between the courses?  Or that they "review" prior concepts at the beginning of the year (I assumed this was common with public school texts)?  I have never thought of MIF as spiral before.  We have not used any other curriculum from the beginning so I can't do a lot of comparison. MIF is word problem heavy compared to Dolciani.  We didn't find Course 1 to be easy, if that is what you mean, but we have never done AOPS either. AOPS, from what I understand, does emphasize those higher thinking type word problems. So I can see how maybe you would think it looked "easier"? I just didn't think it was necessary to spread pre-A into three years. I am still not sure what the benefit is of that except to allow for the preteen brain fog and maturity issues. The other years of MIF didn't do this type of thing, if that makes sense. 

[Sherry in OH]

1 hour ago, cintinative said:

 

I have never looked at MEP, but I have also never considered MIF to be spiral. Do you mean spiral in the sense of between the courses?  Or that they "review" prior concepts at the beginning of the year (I assumed this was common with public school texts)?  I have never thought of MIF as spiral before.  We have not used any other curriculum from the beginning so I can't do a lot of comparison. MIF is word problem heavy compared to Dolciani.  We didn't find Course 1 to be easy, if that is what you mean, but we have never done AOPS either. AOPS, from what I understand, does emphasize those higher thinking type word problems. So I can see how maybe you would think it looked "easier"? I just didn't think it was necessary to spread pre-A into three years. I am still not sure what the benefit is of that except to allow for the preteen brain fog and maturity issues. The other years of MIF didn't do this type of thing, if that makes sense. 

 

I think the formating is affecting my perceptions.  I do not have access to the complete texts.  Based on the samples I viewed online, MiF appears to use a lot of color and illustrations.  It also has much less text and more white space than AOPS has.  I guess I was not expecting a middle grade text to be so colorful.  The sample exercise pages reminded me of the format of MEP Primary.   MEP Primary also looped through topics - arithmetic, algebraic concepts, geometry, and probability and statistics.  

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of a three year pre-algebra program.   When I look at just the pre-algebra topics across the three years, they comprise just 56% of the chapters.  Almost half of each year is other topics.  If it is integrated math, then why not call it integrated math?

I did not expect so much difference in organization between the two programs.

The issue will be moot if dc are not offered seats or they are offered and we decline.