Bay Lake Mom Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I keep reading comments from folks stating that Saxon isn't enough to carry a child through high school anymore because of the modifications made to tests like ACT, SAT... My daughter is working through Saxon Algebra 1 this year, and I'm trying to figure out where we go next. Can someone point me to information about these changes? And if so, what are people using for high school math? My daughter struggles very much with math and always has. We muddled through Saxon 8/7 and doing Alg 1 for 9th grade. I don't have a big budget so I'd like to keep under $250 for the year. I need to find her a solution for Geometry next year. My younger daughter will be in 8th grade in the fall so I want to have this figured out for her as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I don't even like Saxon, but I'd be hard pressed to find anything wrong with it for high school. One of the things I have noticed more with my own son's tests is the heavier reliance on reading comprehension: careful attention to details like consistent measurements and being able to sketch out what you think the question is asking. Any student who is competent with the material can add in more of this part to their lessons through something like AoPS' Alcumus (free online supplement) or a practice ACT/SAT book. I would not worry about having to ditch Saxon if it works for you and your kids. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Where are you reading this? My children did Saxon and did well on the SAT. Of course, none of them did the new digital SAT, but two of mine had almost perfect math scores. I do recommend doing a SAT practice book -- not so much for learning the math, but for learning how the questions are stated. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bay Lake Mom Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 45 minutes ago, LinRTX said: Where are you reading this? My children did Saxon and did well on the SAT. Of course, none of them did the new digital SAT, but two of mine had almost perfect math scores. I do recommend doing a SAT practice book -- not so much for learning the math, but for learning how the questions are stated. Ive read comments on a few blogs that state the child will not have learned the necessary geometry in time. I guess most of geometry isn't learned until the Advanced Mathematics course. I'm. not certain of this, so I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge or experience with this. Also, my daughter really dislikes Saxon so I was considering my options anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 39 minutes ago, Bay Lake Mom said: I guess most of geometry isn't learned until the Advanced Mathematics course. I would guess it depends on when your student gets to the Advanced Mathematics text. If it is in the senior year, then that might be a problem for achieving a tippy top SAT score. That said, the vast majority of tippy top scorers are going to be doing calculus in their junior or senior year, so perhaps if a student without Advanced Math has the material through Saxon Algebra II down solidly, that might make up for a lack of knowledge of certain topics. If your daughter struggles with math, I'd use what works for her and not worry about the SAT. You're not looking for a tippy top score in this case, just a score that reflects her ability. Note that if you're expecting her to learn the math on her own with a textbook (any textbook), that is probably contributing significantly to her struggles. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 6 hours ago, LinRTX said: Where are you reading this? My children did Saxon and did well on the SAT. Of course, none of them did the new digital SAT, but two of mine had almost perfect math scores. I do recommend doing a SAT practice book -- not so much for learning the math, but for learning how the questions are stated. My two who did Saxon also scored in the 700’s in math. So did my one who didn’t, but Saxon was fine for tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 By the way, there is a Saxon geometry book, if it is just geometry that is the concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 8 hours ago, Bay Lake Mom said: Ive read comments on a few blogs that state the child will not have learned the necessary geometry in time. I guess most of geometry isn't learned until the Advanced Mathematics course. I'm. not certain of this, so I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge or experience with this. Also, my daughter really dislikes Saxon so I was considering my options anyway. So many people (even here) have said Saxon is not enough, That it is just procedural, not conceptual. My youngest was well known in her math department for having a deep understanding of math. She was a math major and graduated with high honors. And geometry is finished in the first part of the Advanced Math book, much is learned in Algebra 2. You could always use the separate geometry book if you are worried. But if she doesn't like Saxon you could change to something else. But would she like it any better? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malam Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 (edited) https://1600.io/p/1600-io-sat-math-orange-book if you want SAT-specific prep Edited March 29 by Malam 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 8 hours ago, Malam said: https://1600.io/p/1600-io-sat-math-orange-book if you want SAT-specific prep Except the test has changed as of March. Depending on the age of the student, it might be best to wait a few months and see what new resources are released. But, yes, test specific math practice helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 13 hours ago, LinRTX said: So many people (even here) have said Saxon is not enough, That it is just procedural, not conceptual. My youngest was well known in her math department for having a deep understanding of math. She was a math major and graduated with high honors. And geometry is finished in the first part of the Advanced Math book, much is learned in Algebra 2. You could always use the separate geometry book if you are worried. But if she doesn't like Saxon you could change to something else. But would she like it any better? Saxon is very procedural. Not nearly as bad as Life of Fred, but the hammering of rote work without fully working on understanding how something is working in the 4th-8th grade years is a drawback. It can hinder a lower student or one that isn't provided side by side conceptual learning opportunities. That said, when paired with adequate high school science, a student is getting both the procedural and the conceptual in side by side classes. For many kids, Saxon works just fine, all the way through from the Nancy Larson sets up through high school. The average student cannot be anything but competent with math just due to the amount of work and repetition. It's a really solid program in getting kids to be able to do math. And their high school books are quite a bit better than what is used in a public school classroom. At home, though, given all the options, I honestly would choose Dolciani, Jacobs, or AoPS as a preference and Saxon as a second choice. They're just friendlier to students overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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