When to switch from ABeka math...and to what?

[NJKelli]

I asked this question within another thread recently and didn't get a response, so I thought I'd try again.

We tried a few curriculums before trying Arithmetic 2 and finding a good fit for dd. She's now well into 3 and it's working well. However, I've heard and read again and again that Abeka is good in the early grades but goes downhill from there. Since that came up in a recent thread, it's been on my mind. So, when is the time to switch from ABeka and what's good to use after that?

Mother of Divine Grace school recommends switching to Saxon after completing Arithmetic 3. I tried Saxon with an older dd and would rather not repeat the experience--even with another child.

Thanks!

[Jann in TX]

ABeka is a solid math program through Pre-Algebra. Their high school texts should be avoided because they are VERY outdated (think nearly 100 years!) so they are lacking in some important concepts and methods--plus they offer little in the way of a 'lesson' --expecting a teacher to be able to present that on their own--the TE is just the student text with answers filled in--no extra helps...

ABeka starts off pretty fast and hard in the early grades--pushing and rushing many students in arithematic. Around 5th grade they slow way down and the 5th grade text becomes LOTS of busy work with problems/concepts the student has seen before but with one or two additional digits. Because they rushed early on many students NEED this review. Near the end of the 6th grade book new concepts are starting to be introduced. I've known many ABeka users who switch either at the 5th grade level or right after it.

Again, it is a solid program through Pre-Algebra.

Saxon used to be one of the ONLY choices so it is familiar to people who have homeschooled a long time... BUT it is NOT the best program for everyone and there are plenty of other options available and you can choose the best one to fit your student, their abilities, needs and future goals.

[OhElizabeth]

Just to add perspective, you can look at www.hightestscores.com and see how abeka students do over the different grades. The thing to remember is that just because the results go up or down over a population doesn't mean it will do that with YOUR dc. When you have something that is working, I'd stick with it till it STOPS working. Why make trouble for yourself that doesn't exist? Solve that problem when it happens. It could be the abeka stays a success for her till prealgebra and you never have a problem! If it becomes a problem earlier, Horizons would be spiral (assuming that's still good for her) and straightforward to implement. You might even realize she'd like a whole change in style. Or your life or learning style preferences could change. When my dd hit that 3rd/4th range, she started wanting to be much more independent. So it might be you'd have other things factoring into your decision that aren't apparent now. My dd blossomed in that time and it became much more important to have it fit her, rather than some theoretical model of the perfect sequence, what is recommended, etc.

In reality, all of the math curricula have their good points and can be taught in a way that is good. If you see a potential problem with abeka, say in going too fast and hard conceptually early on or not focusing enough on understanding (and having that snowball in 5th), then you could compensate for that by slowing it down, not using it exactly to level, adding in more manipulatives and doing things like the RS games that promote understanding, etc. You can make it work for you and balance out the weaknesses. A while back (as in several years ago), a lady on the boards here who did a ton of thinking about her math and consulting with her math teacher SIL finally concluded that Singapore plus Abeka was a really great combo, as it balanced understanding with plenty of drill. That might be a way for you to balance out the abeka and head off some of those issues people have had. You could do abeka in the school year and SM during the summer or do abeka 3 days a week, singapore 2, or something like that. (just throwing out ideas here) It's ok to think out of the box and tweak to keep going with the thing that is working for you.

We use the abeka tests and speed drills books, btw, and they're very good. I do see though where they are up a grade level from other curricula. We're using them a grade behind and doing more per day than they recommend.

[Zee]

My son did well with A Beka so we stayed the course and did it from 2k through 5th grade. We were loyal. :) But, we have now switched to Lial's Basic College Math for 6th. We are expecting to finish the book by the end of the 7th grade and then go on to Algebra in 8th. At that point, I may switch to ChalkDust because I want video teaching for Algebra up.

Lial's is going well for DS, thus far and I'm hopeful that will continue. If I see things start to go down hill then we may head to Chalk Dust early.

[NJKelli]

Thank you for the thoughtful replies. It makes me feel better to know that supplementing with Singapore might be especially beneficial. I did that last summer, after having tried Singapore before that alone and ending up frustrated. I only wish we had time to cover more of Singapore. I might pull it out again because I've sensed a little trouble with the pacing (read FAST) of the introduction of long division with multiple digits at the beginning of third grade. It seemed a little early to me so I won't feel bad about slowing it down as needed based on your responses. Who knows, maybe it will keep us happy until we reach Foerster's Algebra I. ;)

I have a younger dd who I started out in Horizon's at a time when I was trying to find the right fit for her older sister. Is Horizons supposed to be more conceptually oriented? I'm wondering because I hear much more praise of Horizons than Abeka. I realize that there's a different method to their spiral, but I can't see what would make it better.

Thanks again for all the answers and food for thought.

Kelli