Rightstart users....talk to me.

[cowgirl]

I went to a Rightstart workshop at our convention and was very impressed. We are looking for a math program that is strong in conceptual learning. I had planned on supplementing Abeka with Singapore this year because Abeka is what dd is familiar with after coming out of private school. However, I don't think that it is strong conceptually and would like to move away from it eventually.

For those of you that use Rightstart, do you use it as a stand-alone program, or do you supplement? I would also like to hear your reviews, good or bad.

Thanks!

[siloam]

Lisa,

I have been using RS and Singapore together for about 1.5 years. Before that we used Miquon and Singapore, which was more cost effective, but my kids didn't care for Miquon. :001_huh:

For us it has been a very good fit.

Heather

[cowgirl]

Thanks Heather. I too think RS is pricey, but it sure looks like it will be worth it! Good to know that RS/Singapore is a combination that is working also.

[partyof5]

BIG Right Start fans here!
I've used B thru E with my oldest and she is solid in all skill areas and has a new-found love for Geometry that I am going to foster this coming year. She detests math in general and yet we have seen oodles of growth in her with this program. The teaching method and emphasis on using strategies to problem-solve have proved valuable for her and I have actually heard her recommend it to a friend who will be starting homeschooling this coming fall! Who knew? :tongue_smilie:

At one point, I had read on these boards that RS is a bit weak in word problems, and I can see where that may be the case and took that to heart. Over the summers, we have enjoyed Singapore's Challenging Word Problem books and I feel that while it probably wasn't really critical that we do this, it certainly provided a good diversion for summer and did offer some new ways of problem-solving.

I have to say that I find RS to be worth every penny I spent and now that I'm using it with my younger dd's, it will be just the cost of a new workbook and I am all set. The manipulatives are used essentially every year, with just a few additions as you move into later years.

I have also found that it has a pretty solid re-sale value if you choose to use and re-sell the next year.

Drawbacks? For me, math is the biggest hands-on part of my day as Mom, and if that is a concern for you, then you'll find RS to be fairly teacher intensive. But I also think math is an important subject for me to be spending so much time on as a teacher, especially given the math-phobia my oldest dd had when I removed her from PS in first grade. I trade-off this intensity with a more student-directed grammar program, for example, so that I have time for the RS math which each child.

Hope that helps! I'm happy to respond to other more specific questions you have as well.

[prairiegirl]

We have been using RS since the beginning and we have had no regrets. We are currently halfway through Level D with our oldest. We are starting to go through it a third time with our youngest.

The only supplementing that we will do this year will be living math. I just purchased the lesson plans from the website and we will use these in a very laidback manner during the year along with RS.

[Goldilocks]

We are finishing RS Level B this week. :D My ds and I have really liked it. He really understands math and has a lot of strategies for solving problems. The concepts are presented so logically that I often don't even have to teach him the next thing, he can figure it out on his own. (And he is just a normal kid-not advanced or particularly good with numbers. )

I decided not to supplement, but to be diligent about playing the games and doing the practice sheets.

[Misty]

RightStart is DEFINITELY worth the money! We tried all the popular programs before we found RS. We've used it for 2 1/2 years now and I HIGHLY recommend it to all homeschoolers. My girls love math and they understand it. The way they teach the children to do mental calculations alone just blows my mind! But there is so much this program offers that the other programs don't even come close to offering.

[cowgirl]

Thanks, Melissa, Julia and Jen! Your responses were very helpful also.

Our state doesn't require testing, but we will probably be moving within the next year or so. How have your children done with standardized testing? My guess would be OK, since most of you are not currently supplementing.

[cowgirl]

RightStart is DEFINITELY worth the money! ...

Thanks, Misty. I felt that it was probably worth it after taking the workshop, but it really helps to hear it from other families currently using it. :)

[Misty]

RightStart is DEFINITELY worth the money! We tried all the popular programs before we found RS. We've used it for 2 1/2 years now and I HIGHLY recommend it to all homeschoolers. My girls love math and they understand it. The way they teach the children to do mental calculations alone just blows my mind! But there is so much this program offers that the other programs don't even come close to offering.

[partyof5]

We do an annual ITBS test to submit at end-of-year and my oldest dd regularly scores in the highest percentiles every year (4 years now) and I am very satisfied with this given that she doens't find math to be her "gift" :)

[Capt_Uhura]

Someone just posted several RS levels brand new I think for 50% off at the RS forum at www.alabacus.com. It's not me lol nor do I know the person.

My son is finishing up RSC. I have another son finishing up RSB. I've only ever used RS and Singapore. I absolutely love RS. It's probably the one program where it's worth every penny. If you can't find it used, call RS and ask for gently used curriculum. They will sometimes have the level you want for 20% off. It saves a few dollars. I've bought I think 3-4 books like that and you couldn't even tell they were used...maybe a crease here or there. One was a misprinting where a blank page was inserted but there was no text missing. Works for me!

goodluck w/your decision. Much about curriculum buying is whether it fits your teaching style (you just can't hand RS to the kid and have them do it like SM) AND whether it fits your child's learning style (some kids just want a workbook w/ little interaction from a teacher).

[GailV]

We used RightStart Transitions, D, E, Geometry for older dd, and have used B, partway through C for younger dd.

We did a bit of Challenge Math during the RightStart Geometry. Also, dd felt she didn't have enough experience with fractions, decimals and percents when she was done with Geometry, so she worked through the Key to series on those specific topics.

We talk math a lot at home. Dh is constantly posing math problems when we're in the car or at the dinner table, discussing mpg for a trip, or how many cubic yards of mulch will be needed for a project, or how far apart those 2 jets were time-wise when they were 2 miles apart in the air (recent news story). In other words, we don't feel a need to supplement word problems.

[prim*rose]

We've been RS'ers from the beginning, so I can't speak on other programs, but for us RS is so worth it! I can't believe all the things 7 yr old dd has learned. I was in public/private school and the concepts she's learning now I didn't learn til 6-7th grade. And it is like school all over for me because I'm learning FUN ways to do math that make so much more sense. We haven't supplemented, but I did get Singapore's CWP for this year.

LOVE LOVE LOVE RS!

[OhElizabeth]

Well I totally agree that RS is awesome conceptually, but I'll put in my two cents about reasons why we ended up changing. I did A-D with my dd btw and own levels E and the Geometry. Our issues were:
-no color--Dd is extremely visual (just got done hanging butterflies all over our school room in fact!), so this was a huge issue. She could do the same amount of work in RS and squelch or do it in a colored workbook and be fine. Some kids are like that.
-drill--It's there, but again, in RS it's boring, only one way. With the BJU math, she's getting in the amount of practice she needs, but she's getting it in LOTS of different ways.
-too much time on the obvious--she didn't need the manipulatives to see the method and she usually inferred the point before we got to the lessons. That meant that the whole POINT of the lesson was a bust for us, where she needed more practice to get fast but not the conceptual explanations. RS's approach conceptually is AWESOME, totally amazing. But it doesn't take some kids as long as others to get it, kwim? So it was hard to make it fit us. It finally got to the point where we just didn't enjoy it any more.
-wanted everything all in one place--With RS I was having to add drill, blah blah. With BJU I have all the components I want in a math program (spiral review, fact drill, challenging application problems, homework-type practice, and conceptual instruction) all in one program. As she got older, we found ourselves wanting something she could do HERSELF or be self-driven on, not something I had to constantly drive. BJU does this for us.

My dd is the type who doesn't learn isolated bits very well, whether those bits are math facts or spelling words or what. She's awesome conceptually, but the fast recall of bits of stuff, that takes a lot more work. It's just how she is and every kid is different. It's definitely something to notice though, as you read about who a curriculum is working for and whom it's NOT working for. The drill in RS was very auditory and the visual patterns for skip counting did nothing with her. I've had to work HARD to get any progress on this stuff, oh my. Some kids do what is in the RS lessons and it just clicks, go figure. It's not that she doesn't understand it conceptually the RS way, but that the understanding doesn't translate, for her, into fact speed. And the games didn't help either, too auditory.

Singapore with Abeka would be a good, solid combo. RS is good too, but you should definitely make sure you're doing enough drill to make things fast for YOUR dc. BJU is working out well for us because it resolved the most pressing issues (need for more practice, more visual, more fun factor, more independent) and it's something compatible with the RS explanations we're used to. Like I said, I LOVE how she thinks through math as a result of RS, totally agree there. It's just when the rubber meets the road, sometimes it doesn't continue to pan out. What worked as she was young didn't work as things mounted up and the issues or mismatch became more obvious. You can also take something like BJU and teach it using the Activities for the ALAbacus book (original form of the RS program). I just don't need to because I have used most of the levels and own the rest. The approaches are really, really similar though, it's funny.

[cowgirl]

I enjoy working right along with my dc, so I know RS will be a good fit for us. In fact, I just ordered it and they still gave me free shipping since I had just seen it at the convention. They seem to be a very friendly and helpful bunch. They said to call anytime with questions at no charge ever. Can't wait to start!

[cowgirl]

Well I totally agree that RS is awesome conceptually, but I'll put in my two cents about reasons why we ended up changing....

Elizabeth, we must have been posting at the same time! :) I appreciate your post and insight. I will keep your comments in mind. We are going to give RS a try, but will have Abeka right along side for now (per a great suggestion from RS in transitioning dd). We won't use Abeka daily, but will add in their colorful worksheets here and there. I'm very familiar with it so I don't really need the TM. And if this doesn't work out, well, on to the next!

[Mama Lynx]

With my oldest son, we pretty much used Singapore only. When my 2nd son was in 3rd grade, we tried Right Start. We've never looked back, and I can see now that my 2nd child has a much better conceptual understanding of math than my Singapore-only child.

We do still use Singapore as well, focusing on the word problems. My 2nd child is entering 5th grade and is halfway through E. My 3rd child is entering 2nd grade and is about halfway through B. I teach Right Start to three children, all of whom are at different places. Yes, it's a mom-intensive curriculum, but it really is doable.