What makes Saxon math so good

What makes Saxon math so good? To start with, it uses an incremental approach. Instead of studying fractions until that subject is exhausted and then moving on to percents, Saxon math introduces small bits of information about fractions and then allows your child to practice his new skill a few days before expanding on it. In the meantime your child is learning small bits of how to solve a story problem or borrow in addition and your child will not be given the chance to forget anything as there is a new lesson with a few practice problems and also special drills and mental math each day.

Homeschooling is a rewarding way for families to help their children achieve more with saxon math. With so many resources and programs available to homeschooling families, parents need to consider a number of criteria to decide what best to buy for their kids.

Homeschooling your children using saxon math

Saxon Works is a phrase that is heard consistently in Saxon classrooms across the country. Saxon math products and programs have a proven record of success in every type of setting - urban, suburban, rural, public, private, charter and parochial. The success of Saxon programs can be attributed to the program's unique, effective and research-based pedagogy, which helps students develop a deeper understanding of concepts and how to apply them. Saxon's innovative instructional approach breaks complex concepts into related increments, recognizing that smaller pieces of information are easier to teach and easier to learn. The instruction, practice and assessment of those increments are systematically distributed across a grade level. This distributed approach ensures that students gain and retain critical thinking skills.

Developed while homeschooling our son using Saxon Math books 76 through physics; from discussions with other homeschooling parents; and during my decade of using Saxon Math books for special education students in public schools.
When the child begins working in the recommended book, I carefully observe the process to note if the book is a good fit for the child’s skill level. If the early lessons in the book prove to be too easy for the child, I change my plan, setting the book aside while I administer one test after another until the child scores less than 85–90%. At that point, I put the child back into the book – for the lessons covered by that specific test, and I begin instruction at that point. I remain attuned to the child, and flexible in my thinking, as I decide whether the child’s existing, and developing, skill base warrants slower or more rapid progress through each book.

saxon math : Early emphasis paying off in new test results

Language Arts continue to be the Lawrence County School District's weak area on Mississippi Curriculum Test results released recently for the 2005-2006 year, but the district scored comparatively or exceeded state averages across the board.

I'm pleased and I feel like we made progress," said Superintendent Russell Caudill. "Of course, we'd like to see more schools reach level 5 (in state accreditation)."

The superintendent said Topeka-Tilton Attendance Center retained its level 5 status for the second consecutive year in state accreditation levels that will be officially released by the Mississippi Department of Education Aug. 31.

Topeka-Tilton had the highest percentage of proficient students in the state in eighth grade math at 92.6 percent. The eighth grade also placed 10th in the state in reading with a 77.8 percent while the sixth grade tied with two other schools in math at 100 percent to top the state.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, all students are also evaluated and placed within four major categories that determine their proficiency - minimal, basic, proficient and advanced. All districts much move their students from the minimal and basic categories to the proficient or advanced levels by 2014 or face federal sanctions.

Monticello Elementary School and Rod Paige Middle School held on to their level 4 state accreditation status. Lawrence County High School also remained unchanged with a level 3 status, Caudill said.

New Hebron Attendance Center slipped from a level 4 ranking to level 3, but only missed the barrier by a few points, he said. That ruling will be appealed.

"We've made a hold harmless appeal that it won't be held against us because of the disruption caused by (Hurricane) Katrina," the superintendent said. "I'm confident we have a good chance of being raised back to level 4. I think any time you have that significant of a disruption you have an effect."

The district shined in MCT and Subject Area Testing Program scores released recently. The tests gauge students' abilities in several key subject areas and provide comparisons between the level of learning students achieve in Lawrence County compared to districts across the state.

The MCT scores every student in grades two through eight in reading, language arts and mathematics skills. The scores are also used as part of a formula to tabulate Adequate Yearly Progress, a key element in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The district's average mean scores and percentage of students testing proficient or advanced were either comparable to or exceeded state averages in all areas.

Language, however, continued to be the district's weak area. The second grade fell behind the state average mean score by 3.8 points and the number of proficient and advanced students trailed the state by 1.5 points. The fourth grade trailed the state average mean score slightly by .7 points. In all other grades, the district topped the averages.

"Language has been our weak area and where we have put emphasis the last few years," Caudill said. "Sometimes improvements come in small chunks and as long as we're moving in the right direction, I'm pleased with it."

Last year, the district reduced reading class sizes by putting more teachers in the classroom in the early grades, he said, and the strategy appeared to work based on the increase in test scores. Caudill believes those gains will continue and become evident as the students advance through the grades.

"Reducing the class size should give us the long-term benefit we're looking for and we're really doing more in the earlier grades," he said.

The district excelled in junior high school math scores, topping the state average mean score by an average of 19.1 in grades six through eight. Caudill credited the incorporation of the Saxon Math Program in grades one through six a few years ago with that success.

"In addition to the programs, you have to have the teachers and ours do an outstanding job," he said.

The success of the math program has prompted the district to add Saxon Math to the seventh and eighth grades as a method to boost high school Algebra I scores on the SATP, Caudill said.

"The program hasn't been in place long enough to affect the high school yet, but we should start seeing some gains there in the next few years," he said.

Algebra I trailed the state average mean score by 11.4 points this year.

In other SATP results, the district also trailed the state average in U.S. History, but scores in Biology I and English II were comparable.

Caudill said those scores should improve as students advance because the district has focused most of its emphasis on the lower grades to set the firm foundation needed for success at all levels.


©The Daily Leader 2006

saxon math : Back to basics on kids’ math

After hearing endorsements both for and against a new math program, Tacoma School Board members Thursday night approved the purchase of a supplemental textbook that emphasizes practice of math facts.
District officials hope the Saxon Math program will help improve students’ math performance, which they say hasn’t increased enough with the district’s current program.

But officials say teachers will decide how much, if at all, to use the book in combination with the district’s existing “integrated” math program.

“I was around when we adopted IMP (Interactive Math Program),” said board member Debbie Winskill. Despite a lengthy selection process and giving teachers considerable training, she said, “It’s been a dismal failure.”

Integrated math focuses on teaching students the concepts of math, such as why multiplication is important and how to apply multiplication. The more traditional Saxon Math program emphasizes practice and review of such math skills as multiplication.

New Superintendent Charlie Milligan is so concerned about students’ low math performance he proposed buying the book and shortening the regular curriculum selection process to select the program. The new program will cost about $1.8 million or less.

Milligan said earlier that it takes six weeks to receive the books, so they might be in classrooms as soon as October. The district plans to train teachers in how to use the new texts.

Community members expressed a variety of viewpoints to the board on the proposed program and the “fast track” process.

Tacoma resident Kyle Price said Tacoma’s elementary school math program isn’t the best fit for the district but that “a $1 million Band-Aid approach is not the answer either.”

He cited research that blending two math programs usually damages the integrity of each program and results in lower test scores.

Parent Alison Golder said she was concerned that the district was moving too quickly. She and Price said they’ve heard Saxon Math does not submit its program to the state for review because it’s so poorly aligned with state math standards.

But several other speakers urged the board to buy the traditional math text.

Chris Karnes, a Foss High School graduate who now attends the University of Washington Tacoma, recalled how he and others had raised concerns about the integrated math program four years ago, just after the district adopted it. The protests prompted the district to give high school students a choice of studying the integrated math program or traditional math. Most high school students take IMP.

“So many (students) were sacrificed for such a meager increase in WASL scores,” he said. “We need to implement traditional mathematics as quickly as possible.”

Mount Tahoma High School teacher Clifford Harris told the board he successfully taught sophomores Saxon Math in another school district four years ago, and their Washington Assessment of Student Learning have continually climbed. The program gives students plenty of chances to review material so they retain their skills, he said.

That’s not the case with IMP, he said in an interview.

“It’s not working because kids are not learning enough math facts,” Harris said. “It’s hard for parents to help them. If they miss school for a week, it’s hard for them to catch up.”

But he thinks it’s a good idea for teachers to be able to use both IMP and Saxon Math, giving students material from either program based on their individual needs.

Sondra Bright, the district’s curriculum and instruction director of math and science, said IMP and Saxon Math will work well in combination.

A district committee that’s been monitoring the implementation of the integrated math programs has found that teachers wanted materials that would give their students more practice in basic skills, Bright told the board. The committee has also found that parents need easier-to-understand math textbooks so they can help their children with homework. Saxon Math should meet both needs, she said.

DEBBY ABE; The News Tribune

saxon math : Home Schooling Outside The Box

My 12 year old son is creative and intelligent. He can compose artistic and written works at a level beyond that of many his age. So why can he be so difficult to teach? When using standard curriculum, it can be like pulling teeth to get him to do anything more than the absolute minimum. He races through the lessons, obtaining grades far lower than he is capable of getting, or he easily gets distracted and drags his feet, taking hours to complete what should take minutes. Read on to see how I confronted these problems.

When I took over home schooling my then 10 year old son, I used the traditional curriculum that he had been using previously with his mother. Some of the curriculum worked fine (we still use the Saxon math series) but other traditional home school curriculum just seemed to bring out the worst in my child. He would easily get bored. He would lose focus and often get distracted. After half a year, I started searching for alternatives. When I found new materials, I included my son on the decision making process. He seemed to take a lot more ownership as a result, even though I still had the final say in what what curriculum we finally used. Some of the things we do are listed below.

We use a science encyclopedia purchased at Sam's Club for science. Why? Of all the books we looked at it was the best text in terms of explaining concepts and relating them to real world phenomena (even though it wasn't meant to be a school text). We sit down together and read several pages of this science encyclopedia on a concept. Then, I have my son write a 100 word report. He then edits the report and we work on sentence composition. At the end of the term, we print out all the articles to make a 15 page report. In addition to the reports, we do related science experiments together and some of the younger siblings join in. My son loves science!

My son and his younger brother are taught history by my retired father-in-law (who happens to have a major in history). My father-in-law makes use of his library of books and tapes and records history specials for the boys to watch. Now, my boys and I sit down together at night to watch the evening news - this I believe, is a result of their grandfather discussing current events with them. There is no comparing either of my sons' current enthusiasm for history with the drudgery of plowing through a traditional school history text the way we used to do.

In addition to completing lessons in english and grammar from a traditional school text, I encourage my son to do some creative writing. He started writing his own kids novel which he has now nearly finished. He is writing some pretty silly stuff which would not be standard fare for any of the english curricula I have seen. But he is writing. In fact he is writing a lot! In 3 months from the time he started writing this novel I have noticed a marked improvement in his writing. When my son's book is completed, I will publish it online and also have a friend that owns book binding equipment bind up some copies for our family and friends.

In summary, don't let yourself become boxed in with traditional home school curriculum. There are educational resources all around us if we look hard enough. You don't have to use a "school" text. Look on your book shelves or go to a local second-hand book store to find books that might serve as good texts. Involve your child in the decision making process. Borrow some materials from your home schooling friends and review the books with your child. Use what will work for both you and your child. Utilize any and all available resources and above all, have fun as you and your child learn!

saxon math : Research and Results Prove It

The more stringent accountability created by the No Child Left Behind act has prompted teachers and administrators to look for programs and products that have a history of documented results.

While research may be the new educational initiative, it is not new to Saxon. Our consistent instructional approach, proven effective since its inception, is supported by scientifically based research. Research documents are available for all Saxon programs. To request complimentary copies of these documents, please contact your Saxon representative or call Customer Service at (800) 284-7019.

Test scores and success stories gathered from Saxon schools around the country are reported annually in the Saxon Report Card. It sets the standard for recognizing schools for their outstanding academic achievement with Saxon's research-based programs. These schools represent Saxon's rapidly expanding base of users who are dedicated to seeing its use in classrooms grow. Their zeal for Saxon is more than an affinity for a product. Saxon supporters are a family - a community that has seen the tremendous advantages of the Saxon learning approach. Ask one and they'll tell you . Saxon Works!

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