for example, I’ve heard people express displeasure with Saxon because it is too text intensive.

My daughter used Saxon for three years and she loved it. She is a very “just give me the facts” kind of person and she has a knack for math, and it was a nice fit.

She has also worked with other math programs and liked them as well.

So, I understand you wanting to make sure you have all the pros and cons before making a decision, but bottom line, if it sounds like something that would suit your needs, then try it.

If you do not like it, then you can try something else.

As far as Saxon being unable to prepare you, haven’t experienced that. My daughter has been able to transfer effortlessly to two other math programs without any gaps or problems at all. As a matter of fact, she feels those three years of Saxon gave her an advantage.

ADDED: I read the Saxon FAQ–she supports the use of Saxon, believes a student should do ALL the book to learn the material. If a child knows the math well, they will be able to do the test well. In fact, math is one of those subject areas where you’ve got to be able to do the math in order to be able to do well on the test (usually–especially if it’s numerical or fully written out answers).

I have some of the Saxon texts and let me assure you that they indeed do have you practice math concepts and skills over and over again. Some schools here (I’m in Canada) use the Saxon Algebra text for those who didn’t do so well in gr. 9 math (not using Saxon but a different text) and who want to be able to take the advanced math sequence for grades 10-12. Our curriculum here was not designed with Saxon in mind, but Saxon gives the students the work they need to be able to do our algebra curriculum.

You have asked a LOT of questions in the past few days about different math programs (primarily Saxon and Teaching Textbooks). My advice to you would be to try to borrow each program from someone in your area and test them out for yourself. Spend a month working through several of the Saxon lessons and tests and see how it “feels”. Then spend a month with the TT books and CDs. Try out some other programs, too. Even if you get a month or two “behind” by doing this, you can just do extra lessons to catch up during the school year and still finish on-time. Who knows, if the program really clicks with you, you might even be able to finish early!

I went with another Math program this year after years with Saxon only to see the Math scores for my daughter fall some. I am going back this year.

Saxon has a ton of repetition to really make sure the child understands the concepts. I definitely recommend it and will never get away from it again!

The only problem with Saxon is that it was originally written for Public School, so the format assumes that the student has instant access to a teacher who specializes in Math, therefore it doesn’t always explain every process, it assumes that there is a teacher there to do that.

To make Saxon better, get Mathetes Solutions DVDs at http://www.mathetessolutions.com they are much more thorough than the DIVE CDs.

If you want to be a doctor be sure to carefully document all your homeschool work, plan to take some Junior College classes during High School if at all possible, study hard for the SATs, and get as much Math and Science on your transcript as possible. Also study for math/science related CLEP and AP exams to back up your homeschool transcript.

I don’t think it only helps prepare you for tests, when I went through my son’s algebra book, I was quite impressed with the text that explained the theory behind the math, as well as the application of algebra to real life situations.

I think it’s good for those wanting to enter college. But again, it depends on your learning style.

It says:

Can you multiply 5 x 5? then tables up to 20 X 20 or sums like 98 X 96 will be easy

Read numbers quickly check if 726354 X 3618273 = 2628147066642 is right or wrong

Learn how to add time it’s weird – yet so cool

For young and old five year olds can master their 9 Xs tables in 30 seconds

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