Students using Saxon Math homeschool kits earn consistently high scores on standardized tests. The program is extremely strong in areas of arithmetic computation and mathematical principles (distributive, commutative, etc.).
Saxon takes an incremental (little by little) approach to math, introducing a new skill or principle each day, then reviewing these concepts and skills day after day for weeks. This approach helps build students' confidence in their ability to "do" math successfully.
Saxon Math is based on the idea of incremental development, which is the belief that students should learn math concepts in small, manageable steps, with each lesson building on the previous one. With this spiral approach to learning, students should master a concept before moving on to the next one. Saxon Math is known for this repetition and cumulative review, which is designed to help students retain and understand concepts. See below for a complete list of topics covered in each level of Saxon Math.
The Saxon home study kits for higher level math (Algebra 1, 2, and beyond) include hard textbooks complete with homework answer keys, and examinations with accompanying answer keys. Saxon Math student books are non-consumable and hardback with approximately 400 black and white pages. Saxon Math examinations are consumable with additional copies available for purchase.
Saxon Math is accomplished in helping students of all math abilities achieve higher scores on standardized tests. In the areas of arithmetic computation and mathematical principles (i.e., the \"distributive principle,\" \"commutative principle,\" etc.) Saxon math is particularly strong in developing competence. From a parent/teacher perspective, this homeschool math program is easy to implement. In fact, from fourth grade up, Saxon Math requires very little parental involvement.
As Tonya in VA put it, "Standardized tests tend to test computation more than concepts. To use math in physics, chemistry, and other applications computational skills are not enough. Students must understand the concept behind the computation and be able to apply the concept to a problem they may never have seen in math class. Saxon is weak in concepts."
Saxon Math has been delivering proven results for students in Grades K-12 for over 30 years. Students using Saxon Math consistently earn high scores on standardized tests resulting in Saxon Math being one of the most well-known and widely used homeschool math programs and it's used in many public schools.
Saxon is the nation’s most comprehensive and most thoroughly researched homeschool math program, with more than 30 years of proven success. Saxon mathematics for grades K–12 is based on the teaching principles of incremental development,...
Saxon is the nation’s most comprehensive and most thoroughly researched math program, with more than 30 years of proven success. Saxon mathematics for grades K–12 is based on the teaching principles of incremental development, continual...
In all the levels of early elementary Saxon math, students are learning how to talk about math. My student is able to do the math in her head any day of the week. And she does. But Saxon encourages students to slow down and notice patterns, making observations about the math. Then, it asks the student to find words to tell their teacher what she sees.
Going faster through Saxon Math has caused her to stay on her toes. She has to direct her brain to math thinking for minutes at a time. Instead of seconds devoted to correct answers, she has a set amount of time to put her thinking energies toward math.
Instead of teaching every word of the lesson script, I will use it as a guide to talk about the concept. I will quickly scan the lesson and hit the high points, so to speak. If the lesson teaches something she truly already knows, I challenge her to tell me what she knows. Again, I am looking for to increase her ability to think and talk about math.
When the lesson teaches math facts, I will put them up on the board and have her write the answers. Then I will switch up the order of the problems and write them vertically. Once she has shown no struggle, I erase all the answers and pop quiz her on the answers.
The simple answer is: I have no idea. One of the beautiful things about homeschooling is how intimately acquainted the teacher becomes with the student. Only the teacher knows when the math is too easy or too difficult for her student.
John Saxon wanted his students to demonstrate mastery of the subject of math. He went about getting those results through a two-pronged approach: constant review and Incremental Development. These two concepts, to John Saxon, were inextricable.
And it may take a LONG time to notice the short-shrift given to the student. Years, in fact. The early years of math instruction are so foundational because the student will be using the math facts and concepts taught in those years as long as he is in a math program.
In Saxon K, the student is not challenged to even recognize a number until over halfway through the course. Really!! In many of the subsequent Saxon books, there are no new math concepts until a third, to half-way through the text.
What could possibly be going on in these courses if it is not math instruction? Well, the student is actually being taught how to learn. She is given ample opportunity to work through the development of the Grammar stage with emphasis on NAMES.
Could you skip some of this and still get the same results? Maybe. But once you see the beauty of it, do you really want to neglect to share it with your kids? I truly wish I had owned a measure of math confidence in my elementary, middle, and high school years! Instead, with Saxon Math, I am giving my students the gift of math confidence in their early years.
The structure of the instructional time creates a situation in which the time actually allotted for the major work of the grade level is limited and extremely difficult to determine. Depending upon the grade level, between 25 and 40% of the daily math time is spent in meetings and many of the meeting concepts are not aligned to the grade level expectations. The amount of time devoted to new concept introduction is reduced to approximately 15 minutes, followed by practice that is not focused on the new concept of the day, but rather a compilation of skills and concepts introduced thus far, many of which are not grade level work. This structure makes it virtually impossible for a teacher to adjust the curriculum in order to meet the grade level expectations.
The incorporation of different games and workstations was a positive part of the series. This allows for students to engage in hands on mathematics and discourse with peers on the mathematics they are working through in games.
After two years of research, one year of using the actual program, and attending a math practicum, I am convinced that Saxon Math is the best option for my children (at least until their high school years).
You cannot just choose a math program that everyone likes or is blogging about and hope for the best. I do not believe it's wise to let your child choose their own math program based on what they "like". Math is too important to cut any corners.
df19127ead