Saxon and Horizon Math for 3rd grader--How do I swicth . . . or should I?

[Pylegang]

Help! I have a 2nd grader who has completed the following in math:

K - Saxon K
1st - Saxon 1
2nd - Horizon 1 and Horizon 2 (Part A only)

We are going to follow the Veritas Scholars program which recommends Saxon 5/4 for 3rd grade. My son is not ready for this. Here is my delima:

Should I stick with Horizon and try to complete Horizon 2B and Horizon 3 this school year? Would I be able to move to Saxon 6/5 after Horizon 3?

-OR-

Should I move to Saxon 3 and try to get through Saxon 3 and Saxon 5/4 this school year? It looks like the 1st 45 lessons of Saxon 3 would be review.

I like both programs fine. My son doesn't like the large number of practice problems with Horizons, but he likes the more colorful pages. He enjoys the hands on practice in Saxon. Any thoughts about Saxon and Horizon, especially in upper elementary levels will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Jennefer@SSA]

a very respected mom on this board, momof7, has said that she uses Horizons all the way through and she has felt that her children have had a very solid foundation in mathematics and are well prepared for higher level maths. I know that you could PM her and she would be happy to answer any questions.

Saxon is also very respected and I am sure many could say the same thing about that program as well. It comes down to what fits best with your child's learning style. We use Horizons but we don't do all the problems. On older skills that I know he has achieved mastery I allow him to do half the review. If he gets them all correct we cross of the remainder. It keeps him on his toes and aiming for accuracy and not getting lazy!

Good luck and I hope this helps.

[Tree House Academy]

My son just finished Horizons 3A and was able to EASILY move (as far as the placement test was concerned) to Saxon 65.

My son was overwhelmed by the number of problems and the "busy" pages with Horizons. I was overwhelmed by not having a guide to teach by.