Rod and Staff vs. Saxon Math - Need advice from those who have switched from Saxon

[daybreaking]

This past fall, we started using the Rod and Staff Bible and Nurture Series for reading and phonics. We absolutely LOVE the curriculum and my son has thrived with it, so now I've been wondering if we should consider switching to Rod and Staff math. For a little background, my son completed Saxon 1 last year and is now in Saxon 2. He has enjoyed Saxon and has excelled with it, rarely scoring less than a 100% on any assessment, but I, myself, have been frustrated with the slowness of the curriculum. As a result of the incremental approach, it seems to take forever for the concepts to progress. For example, my son was already counting change which included half dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, when Saxon introduced problems involving just pennies. Even by the end of the year, the money problems still weren't all that hard. For another example, most every worksheet had him drawing pictures to depict "some, some more" or "some, some went away" stories, though he got the concept after the first few worksheets and was more than ready to move on to more challenging problems. I've been wondering if Rod and Staff's mastery approach might be a better option. (I also really like the way Rod and Staff teaches the math facts and think their approach might be a better fit for my son, but without actually trying their approach, I'm not 100% sure if it would make a significant difference.)

 

One of my concerns about changing (as much as I don't like it to be, but I have to face reality) is with standardized testing. I've heard that Saxon produces good scores and I can vouch for that, as my son scored several years above grade level on the SAT-10. When I've looked through the Rod and Staff 1st through 3rd grade curriculum, it doesn't seem to cover any graphs, statistics, probability, calendar skills, etc. and those were on the SAT-10 my son took. I've heard that around 4th grade, Rod and Staff really picks up, but in the meantime, for those using Rod and Staff, how have your children tested on standardized testing?

 

Any input/insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!! :001_smile:

[Julieofsardis]

I thought the way Saxon introduced topics was good, but it was annoying to me. I know they have a reason for the way they do it, but I was just ready to get on with it.

 

We didn't do R&S 3, but started in 4th, so I may not be much help on the testing aspect. What I do know, is the way the topics are introduced are totally different. Each concept in introduced and then development one lesson after another until the student has a full picture. There is built in review of previous concepts within each lesson, though. To me, that layout is the best of both worlds.

 

I would really like Singapore more if they only had they daily built in review.

[Beth in Central TX]

I'll preface this by saying that I'm a huge R&S fan, and we use many of their subjects in our homeschool.

 

When I first started homeschooling my older boys in 2003, they started out in Saxon Math. My oldest son did fine with Saxon, but math is his thing, and I think he would do well with any program. My middle son does well in math, but he excels more in language arts. He did Saxon Math K & 1 in Kindergarten, Saxon Math 2 in 1st grade, and Saxon Math 3 in 2nd grade. He did well on the lessons and tests, but his work was always slow.

 

Our homeschool support group offers annual Stanford Testing, so I started testing both of my sons when they were in 2nd & 3rd grade in May 2005. It was through the standarized testing that I noticed Saxon Math was not working for my middle son. The math section went too quickly for him, especially the oral portion. He panicked and freaked out when he couldn't keep up (this happened only in math, not during the other sections). It was at that point that I knew Saxon Math was not going to work for our homeschool. The math concepts were taught, but a solid foundation was not being built, and my son floundered when trying to recall information on a timed basis. His standarized test scores reflected this reality; they were dismal to say the least.

 

In 3rd grade, I moved my son in R&S Math 3 with the speed drills and blacklines (yes, he repeated math 3). He did a lot of work that year and worked very hard on mental math. Instant recall for all math facts was our priority. He took the Stanford Test again in 3rd grade, and his scores almost doubled in math. He has now done R&S Math 3, 4, & 5, and he's 1/2 way through 6 this year. Last year in 5th grade, he tested very, very well on the Stanford test, but his highest scores were in math. Personally, I think both of my older boys score well in grammar and math because of the solid foundation they have built with the R&S texts.

 

There are many on this board who do well in Saxon, as well as other math programs, but R&S Math works the best for our homeschool. My oldest son works a year ahead, and my middle son works on grade level. My 3rd son did R&S Math 1 last year, and this year, he's doing R&S Math 2 in 1st grade; like his older brother, his strength is math. I do have a calendar time with him because it's not done in R&S Math, but that is the only thing I supplement the program with. He hasn't done any standardized testing, but I'm confident that he will do well too. There may be some concepts (like graphs or statistics) that don't get covered by R&S the same year they are on standarized tests, but my goal is make sure that my boys are very well grounded in math. In my experience, the timing difference of when concepts are taught has not made a huge difference in their testing scores. Even though we do annual standarized testing, I don't teach to the test.

 

HTH!