Mommy22alyns Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I used the K12 placement tests with Becca last year and she placed in mid-first grade for LA and math, about a month before she turned 5. Out of curiosity, I'm giving her the placement tests again. I know they're not the most formal things, but she placed in Math 1, Semester 2... again. I think that's the exact same place she tested to a year ago, before I gave her any formal math instruction at all. :glare: Math has been the thorn in our sides - we've tried Saxon and abandoned it, worked hard to get through Singapore 1A but crashed early in 1B, and now are trying to take it easy with RightStart A. Has she really learned nothing this whole time?!?! On the bright side (sorry, I have to be proud for a moment), in LA she's up to Reading Assessment #3, Part B, third grade materials so far. She's sick of taking the assessments though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaMamaMama!! Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 If she'd be in first in PS this year then I wouldnt worry. She's still ahead of the game. Give her a little time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I wouldn't worry. She may have been focusing on the development of skills the assessment didn't ask about, or she just might have gotten tired of the assessment thing and not given it her best effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I wouldn't worry about this year, but I think it would prudent to research math curriculum and select one you like and your child can comprehend. In my most humble opinion, you'd be doing your child a disservice switching math programs every time you encounter a rough patch or not completing a math program and abandoning math altogether for the year. My DD, who will be 6 next month, has times when I truly wonder if she understands, then the light goes on an she overcomes the obstacle. We use Calvert Math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 If she'd be in first in PS this year then I wouldnt worry. She's still ahead of the game. Give her a little time. If she was in ps right now, she'd be in K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Could it be a maturity issue? My daughter placed into Algebra two and a half YEARS ago. But she couldn't do it. It was like beating her head and mine against a wall. She simply wasn't ready for the higher level thinking even though she could do all the lower level stuff just fine. So we have been treading water and moving nowhere for a long time. I think she will be ready to think in an algebra way in the fall. At least we are going to try again then. But it has been a long two years. These kids can be so confusing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I used the K12 placement tests with Becca last year and she placed in mid-first grade for LA and math, about a month before she turned 5. Out of curiosity, I'm giving her the placement tests again. I know they're not the most formal things, but she placed in Math 1, Semester 2... again. I think that's the exact same place she tested to a year ago, before I gave her any formal math instruction at all. :glare: Math has been the thorn in our sides - we've tried Saxon and abandoned it, worked hard to get through Singapore 1A but crashed early in 1B, and now are trying to take it easy with RightStart A. Has she really learned nothing this whole time?!?! On the bright side (sorry, I have to be proud for a moment), in LA she's up to Reading Assessment #3, Part B, third grade materials so far. She's sick of taking the assessments though. I'm confused....you used the K12 placement tests but you aren't using their program? We are in our 3rd year (and 3rd grade) of K12. It is a rigorous program. I also would suggest you stick with a math program. As for K12...I would not put a 6 year old in their 3rd grade LA.....too much handwriting and composition required. I wouldn't worry that she has learned nothing. I think it is developmental and the knowledge sometimes appears in spurts. I used Singapore with ds until he started K12 as a 1st grader. The K12 first grade math was so behind his ability I went on similtaneously with Singapore 2a and 2b. Then the VA allowed him to totally skip K12s 2nd grade math. So he is one year ahead in math...and K12 is probably a good year ahead of most public schools. Sooooo......don't worry. Don't push. And don't skip around. JMHO. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 I'm confused....you used the K12 placement tests but you aren't using their program? Yes. I just want a rough idea of where she is. I don't like skipping around in math either, but Saxon was definitely not going to work for us and I felt at a loose end when I realized that Becca wasn't truly getting the work we were doing in Singapore 1B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Yes. I just want a rough idea of where she is. I don't like skipping around in math either, but Saxon was definitely not going to work for us and I felt at a loose end when I realized that Becca wasn't truly getting the work we were doing in Singapore 1B. The trouble in Singapore may be related to the specific topic rather than the overall program. It was/is for us. My daughter is also one who is way ahead in reading, vocabulary and spelling (but not punctuation and capitalization:banghead:). Math is not her strongest area. There have been specific topics in the B books that have been much more of a difficulty for her, without, as far as I can tell, a reason I could predict it. Telling time has been the hardest thing here, for instance, when she can do other things in math very easily, including those that come later in the B books and that I consider more complex. I have come to the conclusion that for my daughter, things are not going to all go at the same rate, even in the same subject and that I won't necessarily know that until we get there. When we hit a rough patch in Singapore, we slow way down and work through it, perhaps finding something to supplement that specific topic. For instance, last year (2B) we got the clock unit from Math Mammoth and worked through that, which helped a lot. I thought she would *never* get the difference between even the *names* of a nickel and a quarter at your daughter's age. This year (3B) she breezed through area, perimeter and volume, but the part on yards/feet/inches is more of a challenge. Yes, we skip around in B:)--feel free to do likewise if you think it will help. I tend to save the reviews and do those later on since they might include material we haven't yet covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) Natalie is about 3wks from finishing Singapore 1B and I am a little hesitate to get her going on 2a just because she has not mastered mental math well enough such as 54-10=44 added a few in here for examples such as 54-20, 54-30, etc. She still wants to use ten piece rods but I think a developmental wait is needed for the light bulb to go on. Once the "oh, I get it" happens we are using rods. Your Becca may be the same....just a little bit more time. Natalie conceptalizes fractions, mutliplication and telling time just fine along with counting by 5' s and 10's to 100 but is working on counting by 2's from 50-100. She understands money values/names but she is not comfortable with adding large amounts of money. Like I said we are not finished with 1b and we may need to slow down to really get money and mental math down before moving on. I hope her story helps a little, at least to know you are not alone. Edited March 13, 2009 by Jewel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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