Saxon Math help!

[FarmDisney]

We homeschool and are looking to switch to Saxon Math. Our current math program just isn't working well for us. I found the placement test online today, and the kids will be taking it later today.

If we do decide to switch to Saxon, do I just need to order one homeschool kit and then the consumables for any additional children at that level?

Any good ways to save money on Saxon Math?

Also, do you like Saxon Math? Does it work well for your child/ren?

Thanks so much for any help!

 

[julirina]

We struggled with Saxon for a few years -- it just did not work for my daughter. And the endless scripted repetition *killed* me. I found myself skipping it...and eventually just skipping math because we both were so unhappy with it. Bad news.

BUT I also know a ton of people who use it and love it, so try it out -- don't go solely on my opinion! Have you checked the vegsource boards? or eBay? I wouldn't hesitate to buy the teacher's guide secondhand. The student workbooks would be a necessity; if you're teaching primary, the meeting book is part of that repetition that drove me nuts (endless review of dates, weather, etc) but you might like it. The manipulatives are nice but waaaaaay expensive -- you might be able to find those used or just make/buy your own (clocks, counters, pattern blocks, stacking cubes are all pretty standard math manipulatives that you can find relatively easily, but having it all kitted up and ready to go is nice, too).

Good luck!

 

[thebeesknees]

I have not used the Saxon homeschool stuff myself, but my friend uses it and loves it. My kids are at a charter school here and use Saxon, but I know the homeschool kit is slightly different from the public school stuff. I will say that I love it for my kids, but I think that is because we started using it early - 1st and 3rd grade. I was homeschooled in highschool, and my Mom tried to use Saxon for me; it didn't work real well because I was a junior and didn't have a Saxon math background. It uses a "spiral" approach - you go over an concept, come back to it later and go deeper, etc. It assumed I knew things that I hadn't learned yet, and tried to beat to death concepts that I had already learned. It worked great for my 4th grade brother, though. I would recommend getting a follow-along answer key, at least for your oldest child, so that you can see how they got their answers. Sometimes, they teach concepts a bit differently that we were taught, so it is nice to see "how" they arrived at their answer. As far as saving money, check on Craig's List for used curriculum, or maybe you will have a curriculum fair later in the year where you can pick it up used. Their prices are outrageous for new books!

Overall, I really like it for my kids. By the time my 1st grader is done with this year, there will be no way she can forget her math facts, and my 3rd grader is finally "getting" the concept of percents because Saxon compares it to money, and he understands that very well. It is supposed to be one of the best math programs out there - that is why our charter school chose it for the kids.

 

[bear_mom]

I HATED Saxon math, but I will say I switched into it late.

Background: took algebra 1 in 8th grade, got an A, loved math. Moved from AZ to MI between 8th grade and 9th grade. First 1/2 of 9th grade took geometery, got an A, loved math. Second 1/2 9th grade, switched schools. Due to the Saxon math method, I had to go back to algebra 1. Failed it, okay I didn't fail, but I got a D. Barely passed on to algebra 2. Hated math until I moved out of Saxon math - two years later. I got to the point where my grades improved.

Having taken alegra 1 and geometry twice (had to do geometry again due to it being part of the geometry, trigometry and algebra 3 combined book) - once with a regular math book and once with Saxon math, I much prefer the regular math book. I have gone on to get an engineering degree.

Emily

 

[anabelle]

We hated Saxon Math. The books are useless. It helps to get the DIVE cds but unless you are really trying to do math on the cheap, I would not choose it. We have used Teaching textbooks for years and love it.

 

[ksloane]

I don't homeschool, but I will tell you that I was really upset that our school did not adopt Saxon math products because I'm a firm believer in the drill and practice behind it. The math books we have no introduce a skill. Have you do 20 problems and tomorrow introduces a new skill and gives you work over that. The skill from yesterday is not drilled again so if you didn't get it perfectly, you are in big trouble. With Saxon, it will still have a few problems that were taught on page 2 on page 22. I think this is a great way to make sure that kids truly do get those basic skills that are needed later on.

My daughter has been struggling with math the last few years. I bought a set of used Saxon books on ebay and we are working through them in the evenings that she doesn't have math homework trying to find the skills she missed and review them through Saxon.

 

[FarmDisney]

Thanks for all the replies! I've only heard great things about Saxon, and I'm so happy to hear "negative" reviews also. I am worried about switching, but MathUSee is just not a right choice for us.

I'll try looking at Craig's List and ebay - I seem to be a little overwhelmed with even knowing what I need to look for.

I notice the repetition also, by looking at the demos online - not sure I like that so much either. Hopefully I can find some cheap books and see how it would work.

Might be best to finish off the year with what we have and try Saxon over the summer and see how we like.

Thanks so much for all the input!

 

[Wiloughby1]

I was a consultant and curriculum developer for a virtual school and spent extensive time reviewing curricula used by home schoolers and placing kids into programs. Families using Saxon Math were the second-most misled with regard to the abilities and skills of their children. This is because the the content was below grade-level compared to other programs and national/international standards. I would have a 6 year old who had mastered 4th grade Saxon place into 2nd grade in other programs, simply because the critical thinking skills were not addressed in lieu of rote memorization and repetition.

Unless your child needs repetition and simplistic structure (which many do, so Saxon CAN be appropriate), I recommend almost anything else!

PS. Only Calvert parents were more misled. Their program standards were much lower, though the texts revised since 2008 are somewhat improved. (Though still boring without a creative parent!)

 

[finz2left]

you might want to look at mathmammoth.com as well. It is awesome. The online lectures are very helpful and Maria is my son's favorite teacher .

 

[julirina]

you might want to look at mathmammoth.com as well. It is awesome. The online lectures are very helpful and Maria is my son's favorite teacher .

I second this recommendation. DD used Math Mammoth for all of 3rd grade and had a great deal more success with it than we did with Saxon. We've since switched to a different program (which is actually a public school program that is not available to homeschoolers; I came by it in a roundabout way) but if we had to go back to something else, we'd do Math Mammoth again. Another benefit is that it's quite inexpensive compared to many other programs, so if it doesn't work out for you, you haven't invested a small fortune.

 

[sharlon]

I also know a lot of people who swear by Saxon. We only homeschool one of our kids and she is very accelerated in math. When we took her out of school, I got some Saxon books and we used one or two as a way to make sure she hadn't missed any important things as she worked ahead. It was great for that, because we could do ten to fifteen lessons a day. Once we were up to a level she was actually learning, we found it to be repetitive and tedious. I think that this is mostly because math is unbelievably easy for DD She wants to get it and move on, no drilling needed. I hope that makes sense.
As for where to get it, there is a site homeschoolclassifieds.com , where people sell old curriculum. That's where I got the Saxon we used.

 

[sk!mom]

I was a consultant and curriculum developer for a virtual school and spent extensive time reviewing curricula used by home schoolers and placing kids into programs. Families using Saxon Math were the second-most misled with regard to the abilities and skills of their children. This is because the the content was below grade-level compared to other programs and national/international standards. I would have a 6 year old who had mastered 4th grade Saxon place into 2nd grade in other programs, simply because the critical thinking skills were not addressed in lieu of rote memorization and repetition.

Unless your child needs repetition and simplistic structure (which many do, so Saxon CAN be appropriate), I recommend almost anything else!

Completely agree! I am a public school teacher in a district that used Saxon for years. I was so happy when we adopted something new. With Saxon, it was necessary for me to supplement, a great deal, in order to meet State and National standards. Saxon is also a boring program for many students.


If you child needs a lot of repetition and drill and kill, then Saxon may be appropriate but familiarize yourself with National standards for your child's grade level to make sure that you're teaching everything to the appropriate degree of complexity.

 

[StitchBuddy]

I taught Saxon Math for several years and loved it!! It is great for average kids and kids that struggle. It gives an amazing foundation with all the drill and practice. That said yes, you will need to supplement it, but, you have to do that with any math program you use. I have also used Everyday Math, hated it!!!! Most kids had problems with it, not enough skills practice, again had to supplement it. As a teacher I would highly recommend Saxon Math as a matter of fact I still use it as a supplement for many math topics.

 

[Nicolepa]

I think it depends on the level. K-3rd I didn't like the teacher guide. My son didn't like the script. We still used it but I just skimmed the lesson and taught what he needed to know. We are using 5/4 this year and I like it better. I love that it has you do 5 minutes of math facts every day. I go over the lesson with him, have him do all of the lesson practice (usually 3-8 problems) and then 1/2 the mixed practice (odd's or even's).

My son is very advanced in math. He doesn't like the repetition of Saxon, but he benefits from it, if that makes sense. I was thinking of switching to teaching textbooks but I heard that was not a good choice for children who get math easily.

 

[Leajess99]

I taught Saxon Math for several years and loved it!! It is great for average kids and kids that struggle. It gives an amazing foundation with all the drill and practice. That said yes, you will need to supplement it, but, you have to do that with any math program you use. I have also used Everyday Math, hated it!!!! Most kids had problems with it, not enough skills practice, again had to supplement it. As a teacher I would highly recommend Saxon Math as a matter of fact I still use it as a supplement for many math topics.

I absolutely HATE Everyday Mathmatics as does my child. Some of the assignments are stupid and have no real explanaition on how to do them. My poor kid is so bored with the math from it. She is ready for and doing multiplication at home but at school they are still doing old stuff.

 

[mlraabe]

I was so happy when our district (where I teach and my kids attend) got rid of Saxon. Most districts around here have moved on with much more success than they had with the Saxon Math program. For my own children, who are on the advanced end of the spectrum, it was boring and repetititve with little to no problem solving or higher order thinking skills that the state tests now require of students.

 

[DisneyWalle]

My son's math skills have improved tremendously since switching to Saxon Math. We have found the reviews and constant repetition to work well for math retention. In fact, the yearly standardized test he takes indicates that he is working with a math understanding 2 grades above his current grade level.

The best outcome from the switch to Saxon Math is that he actually enjoys math now. He works faster and with better understanding of what he is learning.

I wish you the best of luck in finding what works best for your child.

 

[momto2girls]

I second this recommendation. DD used Math Mammoth for all of 3rd grade and had a great deal more success with it than we did with Saxon. We've since switched to a different program (which is actually a public school program that is not available to homeschoolers; I came by it in a roundabout way) but if we had to go back to something else, we'd do Math Mammoth again. Another benefit is that it's quite inexpensive compared to many other programs, so if it doesn't work out for you, you haven't invested a small fortune.

Math Mammoth is excellent! We use it in our homeschool and we like it a lot. We actually use it concurrently with another math program. They have slightly different approaches and work well together for my girls.

I do have a friend that uses Saxon and has been very happy with it as well.

 

[minnie10]

I have taught elementary students for 22 years. Our school currently has the Saxon Math adopted. I have used it for at least 5 years. Personally, I do not think it covers the standards very well. This past year I was introduced to IXLmath.com. Currently, I teach math using Saxon (we really think Saxon is a joke) and we do ixl math on the computers. I wish that my own children could have gone through this ixl math. It is awesome! You start at the pre k level and work your way up. It is very challenging. We love it. You can try it out for 30 days free. All the work is done on the computer. The kids love it. The cost is very low compared to Saxon. Our 700 elementary students have access to this. The total cost was around $2500.00. Just a thought. We are seeing fantastic results using this program.

 

[mouselovr]

I don't know what grade your kids are but we switched to Teaching Textbooks this year from Saxon. My son hated Saxon and I was not a big fan of it but then again I hate math. I LOVE LOVE LOVE teaching Textbooks! I have to help him occasionally on his math but his is the greatest program i have found. You should check it out they have a website with free lessons in wach grade level and placements test www.teachingtextbooks.com