Ema Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 We have used CLE’s math from the get go and have enjoyed it. I think it is a decent curriculum and works for my kids. Mostly. This year, DD6 struggled more than usual, and she routinely had a LOT of corrections on most lessons. We worked on it, though, and her yearly grade was 88-89%, which I am fine with for her since math isn’t her strong suit. So I thought we were okay. Then came the darn standardized testing results. She did not do well. There were a couple extenuating circumstances, I think, this year, and I know the tests aren’t the end all, but still. It was not good. She is not a logical thinker, and that definitely showed. I feel like it is maybe time for her to switch curriculums. I am considering Saxon and MM. I know Saxon is spiral, as is CLE, and that MM is mastery. I like the spiral idea, but am thinking that maybe mastery is what DD6 needs. I really don’t know much about MM apart from the mastery approach. For those of you who have switched from CLE to either Saxon or MM, what was difficult in the switch over, what worked? Was it hard switching to what *looks* like a totally different approach to math (in MM)? What would you suggest to someone making the switch? What did you wish you knew? Would one be better for the child who’s “extended reasoning” is poor? Or was it just a total instance of a middle schooler’s brain falling out? I don’t even know what I am asking, I just know I am discouraged. Sigh. 😞 I feel like a failure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Is she 6 years old, or in 6th grade? My answer will change depending on your answer 🙂 Also, did you notice if it was a handful of concepts she didn't get, messy work, going too fast? Thinking deeper, what did you notice was going wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Servant4Christ Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 2 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said: Is she 6 years old, or in 6th grade? My answer will change depending on your answer 🙂 I was wondering the same thing. Also, I'm curious as to which standardized test was taken. Some children do not do well with timed tests and just start randomly guessing for fear of the clock running out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 How old is your child? Saxon is incremental. It is like a spiral superimposed on a spiral. A true spiral cycles back each year, and if it's any good will have units that rhyme. I don't particularly like Saxon. It teaches concepts, but all that review can make kids forget them. I don't like the layout of MM. Too crowded. I much prefer Singapore. I haven't used CLE. When my son had issues in the middle of Saxon 7/6, we ended up switching to MUS. He placed into Beta (that's second grade). We went through Beta-Zeta in six months, and then he was ready for algebra. If your child is 6 years old, I'd look at RightStart B. If your child is older than 6, I'd consider either Singapore or MUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ema Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 1 hour ago, BusyMom5 said: Is she 6 years old, or in 6th grade? My answer will change depending on your answer 🙂 Also, did you notice if it was a handful of concepts she didn't get, messy work, going too fast? Thinking deeper, what did you notice was going wrong? LOL, yes, I always get them confused. She is 12. Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ema Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Servant4Christ said: I was wondering the same thing. Also, I'm curious as to which standardized test was taken. Some children do not do well with timed tests and just start randomly guessing for fear of the clock running out. We do the Iowa Basics, but don’t make a big deal of the time. They know there is a limit but also that they aren’t necessarily expected to finish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brittany1116 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 My older boy went from CLE to Saxon pretty seamlessly. He feels like 30 problems is a lot, but I think it's just because they pack them in on one page in tiny font, and he was used to almost as many spread across a few pages in CLE. Just visually overwhelming for him. The spiral feels similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 56 minutes ago, Ema said: LOL, yes, I always get them confused. She is 12. Sorry! 😄 That makes sense! I would not suggest MM as it doesn't go much farther grade-wise. I find my kids get puberty brain at this age, and it can really slow them up! They are easily frustrated and if they aren't strong in math, its worse. I have used several different things- Saxon is my backbone. I've used Math U See to focus on a few key topics (fractions and Algebra 1 as a preview). I’ve used MM for specific units that they struggle with. 6th grade in my school is kind of a review and refresh of all elementary school before we head into Algebra. I like doing both Saxon 87 and Algebra 1/2 bc it gives them 2 years to learn the same concepts. If CLE has been working, then stick with it. If you think you need a new book, but like the repetitive daily skills, try Saxon. If you want to focus on key subjects, get a mastery curriculum like MUS, MM (you can buy individual units), or even the Keys To series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ema Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 11 hours ago, BusyMom5 said: 😄 That makes sense! I would not suggest MM as it doesn't go much farther grade-wise. I find my kids get puberty brain at this age, and it can really slow them up! Yes, I saw it only went up to level 7. I was considering having DD12 (ha) doing their level 6 this coming year to solidify what she was learning last year (it looks like it matches up well). Since it is mastery I thought maybe that would give her confidence she desperately lacks. Then she could do their level 7 in 8th grade since it looked like their site said it could also be considered a pre-algerbra course. I know switching a lot isn’t good, but I thought maybe two years of a mastery based curriculum would give her a boost of confidence before HS level math. Does that make any sense or am I just grasping at straws? We tried Singapore and it was a horrible fit. Tears everyday. And as for Saxon, I never considered it because my soul died every time I even just looked at the teacher manuals for the younger years, so now she says she doesn’t want to do Saxon (oops, we DO actually influence our kids! Lol). I don’t think it would affect me as much with middle school since, ya know, higher level math and all. So it isn’t out of the running completely. And yes, poor middle school brains. I want to say that was a big part of it, since she started crying on problem #1 and it was just downhill from there, but I don’t know how much I can rest on that. I know her and I know it takes awhile for things to stick and her brain is just not a logical or mathematical one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Servant4Christ Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 CLE is where I started from the beginning with ds11. He scored well on their quizzes and tests, but took forever to complete them because he was just going through the motions without true understanding. We found that a mastery program with regular review of previous material works best for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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