Anyone switched from Right Start to Singapore?

[Danestress]

My children (4th grade twins) will finish Right Start E this year. They have done well with it. They don't love math, but they aren't resistant to it either.

I'm looking for "what's next" and really struggling with it. I can't decide! But currently, I am looking at Singapore. Has anyone used it after Right Start? What was that transition like?

[nmoira]

DD moved to Singapore partway not quite halfway through Right Start Level C. The transition was pretty seamless, as the underlying methodologies were similar. Have you given your children the Singapore placement tests (http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_s/12.htm)?

I'm not familiar with the scope and sequence of Right Start E, but scope and sequence are available on the Singapore Math site for comparison, both on the pages for the individual books and in chart form (http://www.singaporemath.com/Scope_and_Sequence_s/120.htm). The Singapore books are inexpensive, so it's a simple proposition to go back a level if necessary to cover missed material. My impression of Right Start was that it doesn't accentuate word problems to the degree Singapore does, so you might want to move back to Challenging Word Problems 3 and do selected problems to bring them up to speed. The Singapore bar model is difficult to learn in the upper levels of Primary Maths.

Singapore Maths has an excellent help forum (http://singaporemaths.com/forums/).

[OhElizabeth]

SM is similar conceptually, so it would be a fine transition. It does have some inherent weaknesses (doesn't cover all the topics on state standards, doesn't have as much practice as some people need, etc.). You might look at BJU math instead. That's what we went to after level D, and it's been AWESOME for us. It covers ALL the topics, so I don't have to scrounge for more work on fractions or anything. If you use the optional workbooks they sell, it has PLENTY of practice. I wanted everything in one place, and it's all there. Lots of people have gone happily from level E into BJU. A few people have gone into BJU5 from level E, but most seem to go into BJU6. My personal suggestion is if the dc is young or needs more practice, go into BJU5 since it will be on the easier side and ease that transition.

Just so you know, BJU5 and up have a student text, no workbook. The optional workbooks however can be written in. I still haven't figured out if I'm going to try to have my dd write in the student text or if I'll just finagle something. :(

[nmoira]

SM is similar conceptually, so it would be a fine transition. It does have some inherent weaknesses (doesn't cover all the topics on state standards, doesn't have as much practice as some people need, etc.). There is a new Standards Edition of Singapore Primary Maths that does cover state standards.

[Mama Lynx]

I use Singapore alongside Right Start, so after we finish E we just jump into Singapore 4A full-time. Singapore 5 is, imo, the hardest year, and I like lots and lots of practice wtih Singapore word problems, which is why we jump into 4 instead of 5.

You'll have to learn a different way of doing word problems (and Singapore's word problems are way harder than RS), but other than that the transition should be pretty easy.

[OhElizabeth]

Well cool, I had seen people talking about Standards but didn't realize what it was. Good idea on their part!