saxon math : What do Math Professors Say?
Saxon Math is generally held in such high regard by the homeschooling community that I seldom open my "mouth" to offer a dissenting opinion. However, if the day and mood are right I will venture forth with my "heresy." Today is such a day...
Before retirement, my father was the Dean of Instruction at a community college in a community that shifted their high school math instruction to Saxon. The teachers in his math department were UNANIMOUS in their observations that the Saxon math program did not deliver students capable of performing well in higher math. In fact my father, who resolutely keeps his nose out of my curriculum decisions (even when asked), went out of his way to make sure that I did not use Saxon math. I was surprised at his firm resolve in this issue and over the years have questioned him at length regarding the distaste his math faculty had for Saxon and looked at program in detail.
Our hypothesis is this. Saxon's emphasis on drill and repetition allows a student to perform well within a concept; thus, the results on standardized testing are good. Saxon does not adequately emphasize problem solving and certainly not problem solving that requires creatively moving from one concept to another or thinking "outside the box." This is precisely the sort of skill necessary to excel in higher mathematics.
As for Kindergarten....I was going to use Saxon anyway because I figured that perhaps the effects would not be profound at such an early level. My father reminded me that math is a skill that builds on a firm foundation and that whatever the flaws were in the Saxon program, they would be evident in the lower levels as well. So I use Scott-Foresman and supplement with drill as necessary.
From: Tracy in TX
Before retirement, my father was the Dean of Instruction at a community college in a community that shifted their high school math instruction to Saxon. The teachers in his math department were UNANIMOUS in their observations that the Saxon math program did not deliver students capable of performing well in higher math. In fact my father, who resolutely keeps his nose out of my curriculum decisions (even when asked), went out of his way to make sure that I did not use Saxon math. I was surprised at his firm resolve in this issue and over the years have questioned him at length regarding the distaste his math faculty had for Saxon and looked at program in detail.
Our hypothesis is this. Saxon's emphasis on drill and repetition allows a student to perform well within a concept; thus, the results on standardized testing are good. Saxon does not adequately emphasize problem solving and certainly not problem solving that requires creatively moving from one concept to another or thinking "outside the box." This is precisely the sort of skill necessary to excel in higher mathematics.
As for Kindergarten....I was going to use Saxon anyway because I figured that perhaps the effects would not be profound at such an early level. My father reminded me that math is a skill that builds on a firm foundation and that whatever the flaws were in the Saxon program, they would be evident in the lower levels as well. So I use Scott-Foresman and supplement with drill as necessary.
From: Tracy in TX
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