The Saxon Math Homeschool Curriculum has been a trusted choice among homeschoolers for decades. It is popular because of its incremental approach, which provides students with a strong foundation in math concepts and skills. This review will examine the features and benefits of the Saxon Math Homeschool Curriculum, as well as potential drawbacks to consider before choosing it for your family.
I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. If you want to do my course on how to homeschool, click here.
I’ve chosen to review Saxon Math today as I’ve heard from many sources that this program is an exceptional program and that most kids love using the program.
So, let’s dive in and take a closer look at it.
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What is the Saxon Math Homeschool Curriculum
The Saxon Math curriculum is an educational program designed to help parents and teachers teach math in their homeschool and school environments.
Developed by Dr. John Saxon, it has been used in classrooms since 1990 and is one of the most widely used homeschool math curriculum programs. The curriculum focuses on teaching math through incremental development and continual practice, which helps prepare students for success in advanced mathematics as they progress through their education.
Saxon Math Homeschool Curriculum begins with basic concepts such as number sense, computation, and problem-solving skills that form the foundation of higher-level mathematics.
Classroom materials provide lessons designed to give students a strong understanding of these basics before moving on to more complex concepts such as algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Each lesson presents new material with frequent reviews that allow students to thoroughly grasp each concept before progressing further into the program.
Features of the Saxon Math Homeschool Curriculum
First off, Saxon Math Homeschool Curriculum includes pre-assessments that allow you to determine your student’s proficiency level before they even begin the course. This ensures they get placed in the right level so they don’t feel overwhelmed or bored with the material.
This curriculum aims to cement concepts by practice. They continue to circle back to concepts gently so children don’t forget previous content. Simultaneously they add new ideas every day, integrating more and more advanced ideas over time.
In earlier years, students use manipulatives to help cement concepts. These act as a nice complement to workbook material and help children understand things using their hands.
Potential Drawbacks of Saxon Math
Saxon math is one of the most popular math curriculums available to homeschoolers, but it may not be the best choice for everyone.
This curriculum uses a spiraling approach that emphasizes practice and memorization over conceptual understanding, so there are potential drawbacks to this approach. The first potential drawback of Saxon Math is that its spiral approach can be overwhelming to students who are already struggling with math concepts.
If a student has difficulty with basic equations or mathematical operations, they might find themselves overwhelmed by the large amount of material that is covered in each lesson.
Additionally, some students may find Saxon Math too rigid and repetitive; because the same topics are revisited throughout the course work, it can be hard for some learners to stay engaged in their studies.
But, this said, Saxon Math generally gets great reviews so I feel these drawbacks will only be felt by those in the minority.
How Much Does Saxon Math Cost?
Saxon Math Kindergarten books will set you back for $150, but you can often find it for half-price here.
A high school program is roughly a third more, (but again you can find it on discount here).
What Grades Does This Program Cover?
This program covers K through to Grade 12.
Is Saxon Math a Religious Program
No. It is a secular program and doesn’t reference God, Jesus, the Bible, or anything to do with faith. If you want a great biblical math program, check out BJU Press.
Can I Use This to Supplement Other Homeschool Programs?
Yes! There are a number of homeschooling curriculum programs that use the Saxon Math curriculum as their supplement. Two of these are Sonlight and Classical Conversations.
If you have purchased a curriculum but it doesn’t come with a built-in math program, Saxon Math is a great program to use.
Does Saxon Math Align with Common Core Standards?
Yes and No. Older versions of Saxon Math are not Common Core aligned. However, newer versions are Common Core-aligned.
The company has been semi-recently bought out. But, from reading reviews on various websites, I found that some people are not happy with the takeover and like the older workbooks, claiming they have superior content in them.
What Formats is this Program Available In?
Saxon Math is available as an offline program here. But, you can also find it online. Online lessons incorporate video content also.
What Homeschool Method Does This Program Use?
Saxon Math follows the traditional homeschooling method (also called the school-at-home method).
The traditional school-at-home method is one of the most popular homeschooling methods today. The idea is to generally teach a curriculum like a teacher teaches a curriculum at school – only in a home setting.
The traditional homeschooling method consists of workbooks, repetitive learning, quizzes, and tests.
A typical day could include reading from textbooks or other materials at home, taking part in hands-on activities such as science experiments or cooking projects, working on writing exercises with parent guidance, and conducting online research assignments to supplement learning goals.
If you want to learn more about various homeschool methods, watch the video below.
How Do I Know What Year to Purchase?
Just do the placement exams available on Christianbooks.com. These will show you whether you need to put your child in a grade higher or lower than expected.
(You can print out these placement tests too, which may make things easier.)
Do the Homeschool Parenting Program
Before we go, are you a new homeschooling parent struggling with teaching your child?
If so, you should take my Homeschool Parenting Program. This online course will teach you how to save time and teach your children how to love learning so that they end up teaching themselves!
Check out the program here now.
Saxon Math vs Other Math Programs
Saxon Math vs Singapore Math
Singapore Math seems to be a little more rigorous but requires more input from a teacher. If you want your students to work more independently, I’ve heard that Saxon Math is the way to go. But, you should definitely check out Singapore Math as it’s a great program
Saxon Math vs BJU Press Math
Saxon Math uses very simple explanations compared to BJU Press. BJU Press tends to have a more fun and visually appealing layout compared to Saxon. However, Saxon math is cheaper. BJU offers video lessons with a teacher, but Saxon Math has also started offering video lessons.
Saxon Math vs Abeka Math
Abeka Math is very similar to BJU Press and tends to be more visually appealing than Saxon Math. BJU Press and Abeka also come with the option of video lessons. You can check out Abeka math and BJU Press Math here.
Saxon Math vs Teaching Textbooks
While both programs offer online and offline material, Saxon seems to focus more on physical offline workbooks, while Teaching Textbooks main math program is an app. Saxon requires a lot more time from parents, while TT encourages children to work entirely independently from their parents.
Is This Program Made for a School?
This program is made for a school as well as a homeschool. This means that some lessons seem to be geared toward a school environment which may be frustrating for homeschools. This isn’t an issue in most of the Saxon Math reviews I’ve read, but it did come up as a point.
Conclusion: The Saxon Math Curriculum
In conclusion, Saxon Math Homeschool Curriculum is a great choice for homeschoolers who want their children to receive an excellent math education. The curriculum is comprehensive, engaging, and easy to use. It offers detailed instructions that allow parents to customize the program based on their child’s individual needs. Additionally, the Saxon Math curriculum provides a variety of resources that can help supplement learning and provide extra practice if needed.
