This article compares the pros and cons of Saxon Math compared to Scott Foresman Math.
An important choice facing school teachers and parents who begin homeschooling is what math curriculum to purchase. If you are in this situation, you are probably not happy with the math curriculum you have been using. Or perhaps you were happy enough with your math curriculum, but now you realize there are other options and you want to weigh the pros and cons.
One of the best known brand names in math is Saxon. It’s a recognized standard among schools across America as well as homeschoolers. Another popular public school math is Scott Foresman math. It is not nearly as popular among homeschoolers as Saxon but some homeschoolers use Scott Foresman. Saxon math books start in kindergarten and go through high school calculus. Scott Foresman math starts in kindergarten and goes through middle school.
The format of the Saxon books is easy to follow. The first four years (kindergarten through third grade) follow a detailed, scripted program that many parents like because it tells them exactly what to say. They know if they follow the directions their children will learn all the basics they need to know for a good foundation. Starting in fourth grade, the format switches to the textbook format commonly associated with Saxon math.
Each Saxon math lesson has three parts. First is a detailed explanation of the concept being covered, using lots of clear examples. Next come practice exercises, where students work through 5-10 more of the same problem. The third part is the problem set, where students work 25-35 new problems representing various concepts taught in previous lessons (anything from the beginning of the book to now is considered fair game). Answers including complete worked out solutions are available.
The format of Scott Foresman math books varies with the series being used, from hardback textbook to mixed print and digital media. There is dependence on the teacher manual to implement the program, and suggestions and activities are geared to a classroom. A common theme of the Scott Foresman math books is an emphasis on visual stimulation to increase student interest. There is also heavy use of the controversial “new math” strategy; controversial primarily due to poor test scores on standardized tests among students taught with new math courses.
New math is a method that is characterized by encouraging students to think of creative ways to solve the math problems, with a lack of emphasis on the best and most efficient methods. Connections with other subjects are encouraged, so that a math lesson ends up containing many fun facts and thought provoking questions one might expect in a geography, history, or reading comprehension text. Rote memorization of even such basics as the multiplication tables is discouraged, and overall progress is slower, with reports that some books were encouraging the use of a number line for single digit addition as late as fourth grade.
There are some parents who like the new math strategy, though they may find it necessary to supplement with multiplication flash cards, or offer nightly help to a student whose homework is taking a long time to complete because he’s using cumbersome methods to solve problems. Other parents are looking for something different in their homeschool.
One of the best-liked features of the Saxon math program is its logical, incremental progression and spiral review. Concepts are presented to the student one part at a time, across several lessons. They retain what they’ve learned through constant repetition throughout the year. Solid, efficient traditional problem solving methods are taught. The design is very simple, with little color and no pictures to distract the student from the math at hand. Students generally are able work very independently (which is great for a homeschool environment) thanks to the clarity of the lesson explanations.
Some school teachers and homeschool parents dislike the Saxon math approach. There are those who say that the bite-sized concepts and frequent repetition in the problem sets bores their bright student. Others say the constant review is a life saver and their student would retain nothing without solid initial drill coupled with constant review. Parents of bright students sometime place students a grade ahead, or assign several lessons and practice sets per day, and just one problem set every few days.
RECOMMENDATION
If possible to view the textbooks before making a purchase, it really helps to page through the curriculum for yourself. If teacher samples are not available, perhaps there is a used copy floating around among other teachers or parents. Another alternative is to personally visit a curriculum store near you. You could even take your child with you and see if he likes the look or understands the presentation. Saxon math and Scott Foresman math are just two of dozens or even hundreds of options, so be sure to research several others before you make your final decision.
Copyright Learningthings.com. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in any online website as long as you include a link to http://learningthings.com and give full attribution to Learningthings.com as the source.
© 2012, Learningthings.com. Copyright Learningthings.com. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in any online website as long as you include a link to http://learningthings.com and give full attribution to Learningthings.com as the source. For permission to reproduce this content in other media formats please contact us.
