art of problem solving vs saxon math

Comparing Homeschool Math Curriculum

We’ve participated in lots of different homeschool groups and classes over the years. As classes begin each year, my kids all hear the same thing. “Oh, you’re a Saunders?” My older kids blazed a trail of high expectations with their near perfect ACT scores, and science fair winnings.

So I frequently get asked by other homeschool moms which homeschool math curriculum I think is best.

That is a loaded question.

After all, the various math curricula share the same basic goal: to teach students to understand mathematical concepts, and to master problem-solving procedures. Most of them are thorough and sequential and incremental — all the good things a math curriculum should be.

I’ve seen a lot of different homeschool math curricula, and I honestly can’t say I think any of it is dreadful (though I can’t say the same thing for a couple of public school math curricula I reviewed for a charter school).

The real question homeschool moms should be asking is which math curriculum is the best fit for THEIR child.

Here are some good questions to ask yourself when selecting curriculum for any subject:

• Does it best fit my child’s learning style?
• Does it fit within my preferred teaching method? (this matters less than the previous questions, but it will be a little difficult to incorporate a super intense, highly rigorous math course into an unschooling methodology. )
• Does it fit within my budget? Will I need to make additional purchases? (One time I bought a Literature-based history program, not realizing that I would also need to find multiple out-of-print, very expensive books) Will I be able to reuse it with younger children? Is it consumable?
• How teacher intensive is it? Does it require a lot of preparation?
• What do reviews say? Have you asked homeschooling friends their opinions?

I’ve created a chart of the best-loved math curriculum among homeschoolers below. But first, we need to talk about a some education terminology. It’s critical that you understand these terms, because you’ll come across them as you begin to search for a homeschool math curriculum.

Conceptual Math v. Procedural Math

Procedural math teaches students to solve problems by giving them a series of steps which must be completed to find the answer to a problem(aka an algorithm). For example, a two-digit subtraction problem would teach students to “borrow” from the tens column without demonstrating that you are actually trading ten one’s for a ten.

Conceptual math  clearly explains the reasons why mathematical operations work as they do, or the “concepts” behind math operations. A strong proponent of conceptual math would not teach algorithms, but they why’s behind the algorithm.

A really good homeschool math curriculum will have a blend of conceptual and procedural approaches to math.

Mastery v. Spiral Approach to Math

The terms mastery and spiral describe two of the most commonly-used approaches to teaching math.

The mastery approach focuses on one skill at a time, learning skills incrementally, with each skill building on the previous skill. In a mastery math program, a student develops a thorough comprehension of one topic before moving on. The mastery approach is sometimes called “blocked” or “massed” because concepts are presented in a block or a mass.

The spiral approach is different in that a given set of skills is repeated from level to level, but in greater depth each time. In a spiral curriculum, learning is spread out over time and revisited repeatedly over months and even across grades. Different terms are used to describe such an approach, including “distributed” and “spaced.”

Proponents of the spiral approach argue that learning retention is improved for several reasons: 1)the material is eventually presented in it’s most difficult form, causing students to stretch and 2) making connections repeatedly over time creates more robust neural pathways for recalling information.

Scope & Sequence

Basically, a scope and sequence is a list of all the ideas, concepts and topics that will be covered. The scope is what is covered, and the sequence is the order in which concepts are taught.

Math curriculum for homeschoolers will generally cover the same material, over time. They basically all have the same scope over the 12 years typically spent in school. But they might differ in the order in which things are taught, giving them different sequences.

If concepts end up being taught different years (maybe one math curriculum combines Geometry with Algebra 2 and another curriculum teaches it separately the following year) then those textbooks could be said to have a different scope and sequence entirely, because they don’t both teach the same concepts in 8th grade.

That’s not a big deal if you plan to use the same math curriculum over your child’s entire homeschool career, but it could be a big deal if you do lots of switching around, especially if you use a mastery-based math curriculum without much review, because students could miss out on critical concepts entirely.

Standardized testing also makes scope and sequence a big deal because all the students are tested on the same concepts at the end of each year. If your children are required to take standardized tests and you care about their scores, you should be concerned with scope and sequence.

My kids first tests are AP Calculus in about 9th grade, followed by the ACT in about 10th grade. Because my children have covered the entire math curriculum prior to the ACT, I don’t concern myself with scope and sequence.

Switching back and forth between different curriculum and approaches is not in a students best interest, because of the way each math curriculum differs in scope, sequence and approach. If you have a really good reason to switch, by all means do so, otherwise try to stick with what you’ve chosen.

Now that you have a good understanding of terms used to describe different math curriculum, you are better equipped to evaluate it. Let’s look at several of the most popular choices for homeschoolers.

I will warn you in advance that this is practically an ebook, but hopefully the chart is arranged well enough that you can skip around to find what you want. Don’t feel like you have to read the whole thing! Please keep in mind that the costs I’ve listed are a general approximation. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find used curriculum and sales and deals!

Homeschool Math Curriculum Comparisons

We Play Math (Grades K – 3)

• Teaching Method: We Play Math always teaches the concepts first and foremost. Once students understand the concept, they are taught the procedure, or algorithm, for solving the problem. They use a deep spiral, continually revisiting concepts more and more deeply for retention. Concepts are taught via short, animated videos, then students play an online skills game to practice the skill taught that day with immediate feedback to correct any possible misconceptions, followed by a worksheet from a consumable workbook. The curriculum also incorporates inspirational math stories (about the history of math and great mathematicians) a weekly live learning lab and a math arcade to practice all of the math facts kids should have on instant, automatic recall. The workbook containing the daily written worksheets is full-color and full of games, challenges and puzzles rather than just pages of problems.
• Includes: the membership includes daily videos, online skills practice, the math arcade and everything listed above. Parents may print the daily written assignments from a link in each lesson or they may purchase a printed, consumable workbook.
• Cost: An individual membership is $20/month or $197 for the year. A family membership for up to six students from one family is $35/ month or $347 for the year.
• Notes: Full disclosure; I created this curriculum. I dreamed it up over years of not being able to find exactly what I wanted for my own kids. I love the scope & sequence of Saxon. It is rigorous and thorough. But it’s so dry. I wanted the advantages of Saxon, but made more palatable to kids. I plan to eventually serve grades K-Calculus or beyond.

Saxon Math (Math K – Calculus)

• Teaching Method: Saxon uses a very short spiraling approach, combined with a blend of procedural and conceptual. In the younger grades, Math K- Math 3, moms should use the Teacher Guide and the morning meeting to introduce concepts, as the texts are just consumable workbooks with zero instruction. Math 5/4 on contain instruction and are supposed to allow students to learn independently.
• Includes: You’ll need a textbook, a Solutions Manual, and a Test booklet. Additionally, you can purchase Saxon Live Tutorial CD’s. The Teacher’s Guide is helpful for Math K – Math 3.
• Cost: You can purchase newer editions as kits, with everything included, for $85-$100 on Rainbow Resources or Christianbooks.com OR you can purchase older editions, used, on Amazon for around $20. Just make sure you can find the corresponding (same edition) answer key and other components.
• Notes: John Saxon, a brilliant air force pilot, engineer and math teacher, wrote most of the Saxon texts because he felt math texts of the day lacked clarity. Saxon’s two-digit, grade-level designations in the titles of the courses can help you figure out the correct grade level for each book. Typically the second of the two digits indicates the grade level usage for bright students and the first digit indicates the grade for slower students.  Stephen Hake wrote Saxon 8/7 and John Saxon wrote Algebra 1/2, both of which contain the same material. I’ve used Saxon 8/7 in my homeschool and skipped Algebra 1/2, but you could do it the other way around with just as good results. John Saxon wrote the earlier editions, but following his death, his children sold the rights to a publisher, who has made changes to many of the books. Saxon originally included Geometry in both Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 , so that students have a good understanding of Geometry by the time they arrive at Advanced Mathematics . In the 4th edition books, the new publisher removed all references to Geometry from the Algebra books and slapped a Geometry book in between the Algebra books. Why sell two books when you can sell three? The Geometry book isn’t Saxon’s work, and it lacks his clarity and simplicity. The older editions are now referred to as the “Classic Editions.” I prefer the older editions, and not just because I already own them all. I read (in Art Reed’s newsletter) that it’s important to stay within a single edition, though — use all 2nd edition or all 3rd edition. He says that some of the 1st edition texts are academically weaker. He also says that the 3rd edition of Algebra 1 is academically stronger than the 2nd edition. He’d know better than me, because I haven’t used it. But my kids so far have aced the ACT and AP tests, so the edition we use must not be too lacking. We use a 1st edition Calculus (the 1st edition does NOT have parantheses referring students back to a particular lesson beside each question, which is difficult), but all the rest of our Saxon textbooks are 2nd edition. Definitely make sure you can find the corresponding edition of the Solutions Manual and Test booklet before buying used books, however.
• Kindergarten –  Saxon K (this covers the same material as Math 1 — why waste time on redundancy?)
• 1st grade –  Saxon Math 1
• 2nd grade –  Saxon Math 2
• 3rd grade –  Saxon Math 3
• 4th grade –  Saxon Math 5/4
• 5th grade –  Saxon Math 6/5
• 6th grade –  Saxon 7/6
• 7th grade –  Saxon 8/7 or Algebra 1/2** (See explanation above)
• 8th grade –  Saxon Algebra 1
• ***Geometry (see explanation above)
• 9th grade –  Saxon Algebra 2
• 10th grade –  Saxon Advanced Mathematics
• 11th grade –  Saxon Calculus
• 12th grade –  Saxon Physics
• I don’t follow the recommended sequence. I start my kindergartners in Math 1 and we work year round (with large holiday breaks and breaks for travel and lots of field trips) and skip the tests (I know Art Reed frowns on that, but I don’t need anyone’s approval) on Fridays. So my kids end up way ahead. Most of them have completed Algebra 1 in about 5th grade, Algebra 2 in about 6th grade, and then we spend 1.5-2 years on Advanced Mathematics, and finish Calculus in about 9th grade. I like it that way because my kiddos are very mathematically prepared for college entrance tests that fall. My high schoolers like to take college classes and finish their associates degrees during high school, so we work on college admissions during 10th grade. Here’s the important thing: if any of my kids objected to or were incapable of maintaining this pace, I’d change it up in a heartbeat. My oldest three were totally on board and my fourth is currently a 9th grader halfway through Calculus.
• Notes: Over the last 17+ years of homeschooling, we’ve tried a few other things, but we’ve always come back to Saxon. My oldest three (so far) have scored near perfect on their college entrance tests, and the highest section for all three of them has been math. My oldest is working on going into the Foreign Service, but my next two are both studying math-y fields (an astrophysicist and a computer engineer) and feel very well prepared. In fact, both of them have commented that they feel their multiple college Calculus courses have been quite easy and they can’t understand the disconnect their college peers express. My kids have responded very well to the the constant review. They love learning a new concept and practicing it a little, then spending the rest of the math lesson reviewing and cementing and delving further into previously learned concepts. I don’t love the Saxon Calculus text as much as the rest of the series. With my first, we supplemented with Stewart’s Calculus in order to pass the AP exam. My subsequent children have used both Derek Owens and Mr. D Math, both with great results, to prepare for the AP test.
• Pros: Saxon is very thorough. The constant review helps kids to remember concepts.
• Cons: Saxon is not at all kinesthetic. I remedy that with my own homemade manipulatives, games, drawing (I’m an artist and an engineer, so I draw diagrams to illustrate practically every concept) and discussions. Pages are black/white and full of computations and problems. I’ve heard lots of homeschoolers complain about the quantity of review — they find it boring — I appreciate it for my own kids. Some of the word problems are just plain weird, but that doesn’t bother me. The Calculus text doesn’t cover everything the AP College Board outlines for the AP Test.

Do you have more questions about Saxon Math?

Teaching Textbooks (Grades 3 – Pre-Calculus)

• Teaching Method: Spiral
• Includes: The new 3.0 version includes a fully interactive, digital student e-book  with answer key. Your student will be provided with an account for his math level and he will work online. The old version 2.0 included a set of discs and a physical textbook. You may also purchase a physical textbook separately, if you want, for the new 3.0 version.
• Cost: It depends on what you want. You can find the old version CD’s used. They offer a substantial discount for large families with multiple students!
• Notes: Lessons are taught online (or via CD’s) and then problems are worked and answered in your students account. Program features include reference numbers for each problem so students can see where a problem was first introduced. Here are a few Video Examples.
• Pros: Parental burden is greatly decreased. Students appreciate the format, especially the immediate feedback from the auto grading feature. Students don’t have to wait for mom to teach, help or grade. Kids like the independence, and it’s also great for helping them to learn independently. The explanations are concise and easy to understand.
• Cons: I used Teaching Textbooks with three teen boys I tutored (it was their parent’s choice). All 3 of them tended to rush through the lessons and ignore concepts they didn’t fully understand, just because they learned to game the system — they could match the patterns of the software. I’d look through previous lessons and work through missed problems with them, and I could see where they had completely missed important concepts, but the computer program couldn’t.  This wouldn’t be a deterrent for a student who wanted to learn math, but it’s a huge negative for kids who just want to get it out of the way. Also, the verbiage is a little different than in traditional math. Jargon is really important when it comes to standardized testing, especially the college entrance tests. A student might fully understand all of the concepts, but might misunderstand what is being asked if the student’s terminology doesn’t match the test.

RightStart Math (Kindergarten – Grade 8)

• Teaching Method: aspects of both spiral and mastery / Conceptual
• Includes: A book bundle per level. I’ve seen these used, including the manipulative set, for quite a big discount.
• Cost: The book bundle for each level is about $90. Each book bundle includes all manuals and worksheets to teach that level. You’ll also need the manipulative bundle (can be used for multiple levels) which is an additional $210. Be sure to look for coupons and group discounts.
• Notes: RightStart Math is based on an AL abacus, a speically designed, two-sided abacus that is both kinesthetic and visual. It also emphasizes mental math methods and provides strategies and games for learning the facts through the use of manipulatives, and games.
• Pros: RightStart seems to be a favorite among Charlotte Mason style homeschoolers. It looks very appealing to all types of learners. Practice is provided with math card games to provide the necessary repetition for memorizing math facts in a fun and interesting way. Kids who use this program develop fantastic number sense and conceptual understanding. The highly scripted Teacher’s Manual spells everything out, which could also be a con, depending on your preferences.
• Cons: The required (and very necessary) manipulative kit is expensive on top of the required book bundles. You have to be willing to look at this program as an investment. RightStart is very teacher dependent and time intensive.

Math-U-See  (Primer thru Calculus)

• Teaching Method: Mastery / Conceptual
• Includes: Instructor Packs include solutions and the DVD, Student Packs have workbooks & tests. The manipulative set is necessary.
• Cost: You can buy a Universal set that includes all of the components of the program for $135-$182, depending on the level. Level up sets are cheaper, if you only need the student workbooks, DVD and instruction manual. The manipulative kit can be reused from year to year.
• Notes: Each level focuses on one topic, with a few subtopics. Each level is divided into 30 lessons, with most lessons taking about a week. This is mom directed for the younger grades and independent for middle and high school.
• Pros: MathUSee is very incremental and hands-on. The manipulative blocks (kind of like legos in that its easy to tell the numbers of each block) provide excellent visual respresentation of math concepts. It does a great job of teaching kids how to manipulate numbers and it provides mental math understanding and practice. It’s very easy for mom to plan and execute. It can build confidence in kids who struggle with other approaches.
• Cons: I’ve heard the MathUSee approach called both gentle and watered down. Pro or con? You decide. There is not as much depth as in other homeschool math curriculum and many moms complain that it’s too slow. One boy I tutored complained that it was tedious and boring. His mom switched him to Saxon, which he liked better. It can be frustrating for kids who aren’t kinesthetic or visual, or kids who just want to get the work done.

Art of Problem Solving (Grades 6 – 12)

• Includes: Text and Solutions Manual, as well as an online school (of math and computer science classes), an online community and additional online practice problems through Alcumus.
• Cost: New paperback texts with solutions manuals are $35-$70, or you can find them used for less than half that (but make sure you have the appropriate solutions manual). You’ll pay $545-$570 for a semester long, online, synchronus course, not including the required text.
• Notes: AoPS is usually billed for exceptional math students in grades 6-12, who need a challenge. Their own website states that they offer broader, deeper, and more challenging instruction than other curricula. Because this homeschool math curriculum feels prestigious and because I consider my family math-y, I wanted to try it and like it. I looked through the Calculus book and it felt extremely difficult in the same way that one of my teachers (in an elementary school gifted and talented class) used to present us with daily puzzles that required not only thinking skills but also prior experience and knowledge. I must not be mathy enough, or maybe I’m just not mathy in the right way, but I felt like it might deflate my children’s confidence and we stuck with Saxon. I did feel at the time like an online classes would make a huge difference, but Saxon was working well for us and I’ve previously had bad experiences trying to ‘fix’ things that weren’t broken. I might try it again with one of my children who tends to make very advanced connections in her math work all on her own. She also wants more math depth and reads supplemental math texts to find it.
• Pros: It’s a very dense, meaty text. I’m sure that if you can get through it, you’ll get a lot out of it. I love their deep rather than broad math philosophy .
• Cons: Art of Problem Solving is for people who like to play with math — people who enjoy being thrown into a 10′ deep math hole and have to dig their way out. That’s not necessarily a con, but it probably rules out 90% of the population. Also, it’s discovery based and conceptually strong, but there is very little repetition, which is difficult for kids who need repetition to remember concepts. A friend of mine who loves AoPS says her son loves his online class, but feels that it moves incredibly fast and wished he had more time to spend on each concept.

Beast Academy (Grade 2 – Grade 5 )

• Includes: Instead of textbooks, students learn math from rigorous, beautifully illustrated guidebooks that are reminiscent of comic books. Concepts are reinforced through practice problems, puzzles, and games. They also offer online instruction which includes a full curriculum, interactive practice and challenges, and progress reporting. It can be used as a complete, stand-alone homeschool math curriculum, or it can be used as a supplement.
• Cost: You can buy an online subscription for $15/month or $96/year, or you can bundle your online subscription with the corresponding level of books for $150. The Math Guides are not consumable, but the Math Practice books are consumable and would need to be replaced each year. If you’d rather buy the books separately, each level is divided into 4 sections, and each section is $27 for the Guide and the Practice book. So if you want all of Level 4, you’d buy 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D for $128.
• Scope and Sequence: This homeschool math curriculum covers up through Pre-Algebra, which is where Art of Problem Solving begins. I did read somewhere that they plan to introduce Algebra curriculum this year.
• Notes: Beast Academy is produced by Art of Problem Solving. The comic book style is deceptive in that it presents serious, rigorous math concepts in simple, fun ways. Beast Academy contains challenging problems and shows kids how to solve math problems using more than one method. My two youngest tried the online demo and thought it was fun. They both said they’d play it for fun outside of school. Even my 6-year-old completely understood the well-explained lesson. I plan to keep using Saxon, but I bought the practice books just for fun, and even my most reluctant learner likes them. I’m not going to assign problems, but rather just let my kiddos work their way through the books for fun in their spare time, the same way I sneakily use Mad Libs to teach grammar concepts.
• Pros: This homeschool math curriculum goes deeper and is more challenging that other curricula on the same level. Your child may not even realize just how much he’s learning due to the fun format in which concepts are presented.
• Cons: After looking through the level 3 and 4 books, I didn’t see any cumulative reviews or testing. I think that would be a con for my own children.

Mr. D’s Math (Grades Pre-Algebra – Pre-Calculus)

• Includes: Everything the student needs is included with the purchase of either a live online class or a self-paced class. He also offers SAT/ACT math prep classes.
• Cost: Live, synchronous classes are $197 upfront plus $29/month for 10 months. Self-paced classes are a flat fee of $197, as are the test prep classes and summer classes.
• Notes: In math, the teacher can make all the difference, and Mr. D is a great teacher with a remarkable gift for connecting with his students. I wanted one of my children to try one of Mr. D’s classes, so I signed one daughter up for Mr. D’s ACT Prep class awhile ago and it made such a difference in our relationship. It was a great way to take pressure off and let her be accountable to someone else for awhile. The curriculum, written by Mr. D himself, is all online. Kids can choose to attend a synchronous, online class with peers at a specified time, or take a self-paced class taught via video. Not all of the classes are taught by Mr. D, but the other teachers are just as great!
• ***Edited to add that I have also currently have a child taking Mr. D’s self-paced Calculus class. She is enjoying the class and seems very well-prepared for the AP test.
• Pros: This method truly takes the pressure off mom.
• Cons: The cost isn’t high, especially since it includes the online curriculum as well as the class. But it adds up if you plan to to it every year for every child. I love that when I buy a physical textbook I can reuse it with subsequent children in my homeschool, which isn’t the case with this homeschool math curriculum.

Math Mammoth (Grade 1 – PreAlgebra )

• Includes: Each grade level consists of two consumable worktexts (a combination textbook and workbook that guides students step-by-step through each math concept) a level A and a level B. Students write directly in the worktext. Word problems, cumulative review, and mental math practice are also included. Tests and Cumulative Reviews are in a separate book, and the Answer Key is a separate book. There is no teacher’s guide. The author also highly recommends a very minimal manipulatives kit with an analog clock, a ruler, and an abacus. 
• Cost: Each grade, including level A, level B, Tests and the Answer Key, is about $45. These are hard to find used because they are consumable, but they can often be found at a discount. You can also purchase digital versions and print them at home.
• Scope and Sequence: Comparable to other homeschool math curriculum, but before buying anything, have your child take the Math Mammoth placement test .
• Notes: This is a great curriculum for kids who just want to get math done and out of the way. It is very streamlined. It’s also best for kids who don’t mind completing worksheets and don’t need a lot of hands-on teaching. You can download free samples from the workbooks to give it a try. 
• Pros: Math Mammoth uses pictures and diagrams to help kids understand concepts visually. It’s great at teaching children to understand math concepts rather than just memorize procedures.It advertises itself as completely self-teaching, meaning less work on mom (yay!). I think that’s reaching pretty far, because whose children really learn math entirely independently? That said, it absolutely requires LESS input and direction from mom than many math curricula.
• Cons: Because Math Mammoth is supposed to be self-directed, it provides very little guidance to parents. Parents who are competent and confident at math should be able to work around that just fine.

Singapore Math (Grades 1 – Algebra)

• Includes: Each level includes a textbook, corresponding workbook and an instructor’s guide. Only the workbook is consumable, so the rest can be reused for subsequent children.
• Cost: About $85 for the essentials. The recommended manipulative set is
• How scope and sequence compares to other curriculum: Concepts are introduced in a different order, so have your child take the placement test .
• Notes: 17 years ago, when my oldest was just starting first grade, Singapore Math was the in thing. Everyone was talking about how Singapore students had these incredible math skills, so I bought 3 levels and we tried it. The consumable workbooks are pretty and colorful, but my daughter thought it moved too slowly, so we switched back to Saxon 1, which she had worked on the previous year.
• Pros: Singapore emphasizes mental math (taught from the Instructor’s Guide) methods and problem solving abilities. Singapore takes a concrete > pictorial > abstract approach, which greatly facilitates understanding. The textbooks and workbooks are pretty and colorful.
• Cons: Singapore is pretty time intensive for mom. Lessons must be taught every day from the Instructor’s Guide or the kids miss out on the most fundamental benefits of the curriculum.

Life of Fred  (K-Calculus)

• Teaching Method: Conceptual / Mastery
• Includes: A textbook that reads like literature, but with practical applications of math. Many families use Life of Fred in addition to their math curriculum and not as a stand along curriculum, though some certainly do that. You can also purchase the Home Companion Guides for additional math practice, or you can purchase new, “Expanded Editions” of each text, which just combine the original textbook with the Home Companion Guide.
• Cost: Varies, but I can usually find used editions on Amazon or Thriftbooks for a significant discount.
• Notes: I’ve only read portions of LOF Trigonometry (I’ve used it to supplement Saxon) and LOF Calculus. I have the expanded editions of both, so they include extra practice problems. A couple of my kids will read it for fun and laugh over Fred’s antics, while learning/cementing math concepts, and that’s always a win. Two of my children thought it was cheesy and refused to use it.
• Pros: This is a literature-based curriculum. If you have a child who loves literature but not numbers, this could be a great way to learn. (Another fun resource for learning math through literature is Living Math , a website with a a long book list of math readers.)
• Cons: It may require additional practice problems for students to be completely comfortable with difficult math concepts.

ALEKS Math (Grade 3 – Grade 12)

• Teaching Method: Mastery / Procedural
• Includes: ALEKS is entirely online and does not require a textbook.
• Cost: $20 per month per child, or $180 for a year. They offer family discounts. Be sure to look for the 2-month free trial!
• Notes: I’ve never used ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces) but I know it’s popular among homeschoolers and used in many publicly funded online schools like K-12. ALEKS is a research-based, web-based, artificially intelligent assessment (it uses adaptive questioning to adjust the learning modules presented) and learning online math program. It provides the advantages of one-on-one instruction and is accessible from any device with Internet access. It seems to be particularly appealing to moms who simply have no time to teach math, or who lack confidence in their own math abilities. You may take a tour of it’s other features here .
• Pros: Kids can work independently, completely without mom. Feedback is immediate and continuous, for effective and efficient learning. It moves at the student’s pace and continuously adapts to what they need to work on.  Students are not limited to one grade level. They can work more quickly and cover multiple grade levels each year if desired. You can print off the worksheets if that works better for your child. Parents can choose to receive a detailed report of their child’s progress each week. ALEKS also offers Chemistry and Physics.
• Cons: It’s a little pricey. There are no teaching videos. The program lacks manipulatives and graphics that benefit visual and kinesthetic learners. I’ve heard a few complaints about software glitches and mistakes. ALEKS doesn’t provide much instruction and works better as supplemental practice, according to many reviewers.

CTC Math Online (Grade K – Grade 12)

• Includes: All of the online curriculum and video tutorials (for all the levels) are included. You may also print pdf’s of each lesson if your child prefers to work offline.
• Cost: CTC Math costs $15 per month or $98.50 per year for individual students. Or you could choose a family subscription for $20 per month or $148.50 per year, which would provide individual logins for the entire family.  Students have access to all grade levels for the subscription period.
• Notes: CTC Math is an online, subscription-based, video homeschool math curriculum. It is self-paced, so students can work through lessons as quickly as they feel comfortable. After learning concepts via video, students complete practice problems online, though you can print the lesson if you’d prefer.. Parents can easily track the progress of their students.
• Pros: CTC Math is a great way for students to learn independently. It is easy to navigate, and it is efficient in both the tutorials and the presentation of problems to solve. Students can review videos repeatedly if they need more practice, or they can jump in and try to complete the problems without watching the video if they think already know the concept. CTC Math provides weekly, cumulative reviews for better retention. It’s very simple to use and doesn’t require any extras. Lessons are short and high interest.
• Cons: As with any online program, students may not spend much time actually writing math. The writing itself leads to better retention. Lessons are taught visually, but some students still learn better with a kinesthetic approach, so you would need to supplement with actual, physical math manipulatives.
• Cons: Many students complain about the “adaptivity” of the curriculum. What I mean by adaptivity is that the online assignments will test kids on the skills they’ve learned, but instead of ending if a child gets everything correct, the assignment will continue on with things the child hasn’t yet studied and will only end once the student starts missing problems. That can be tough on kids’ confidence.

Khan Academy Math (Grade K – Calculus)

• Includes: Online video explanations followed by online review problems
• Cost: 100% free!
• Notes: Sal Khan teaches through online, video-based lessons. We like to use Khan as a supplementary tool when we have a question about a particular concept. You can search by topic and the site is very well organized so things are easy to find. I’ve talked with other moms who use Khan Academy as a stand alone curriculum.
• Pros: Sal is a wonderful teacher! I love the way his mind works, and he’s great at explaining concepts simply but profoundly.
• Cons: I personally don’t feel there is enough practice, nor is there enough review, for this to adequately prepare students for higher math. As a frustrated college student in a Differential Equations class, I visited the math tutoring center for help. The tutor showed me a profoundly simple way to solve a problem I had really complicated. I commented that I hadn’t even thought of the simple way to solve it and the tutor responded that I just needed more experience and familiarity with the concept. Isn’t that true of everything? Familiarity doesn’t happen after solving 4 practice problems per concept.

Jacob’s Math (Elementary Algebra & Geometry ONLY)

• Includes: Teacher’s Manual, Student Text, Solutions Manual, DVD Set. Free homework helps available through email support. Pages are perforated & 3-hole punched for convenience.  Ask Dr. Callahan videos work great with the Harold Jacobs textbooks.
• Cost: The entire curriculum set for each level, new, is about $125 at ChristianBook or Rainbow Resources. You might be able to find used sets on Amazon.
• Notes: I haven’t used Harold Jacobs’ textbooks but I have a friend who raves about them. She says that they are very no-frills, concise and simply taught. She was happy with Saxon up through Algebra 1, when she switched to Jacob’s, and she likes Jacob’s better. Here is a preview from the publisher’s website (scroll down and open the Preview pdf).
• Pros: Students find his explanations to be humorous, entertaining and interesting. It seems to be an easy course for students to use and understand, while also being pretty easy on parents. He uses a lot of visual representation to explain concepts, and his books are full color.
• Cons: I haven’t heard any negatives about Harold Jacob’s homeschool math curriculum, except that it’s difficult to find a text to switch to upon finishing them.

Horizons Math (Grade K – Grade 8)

• Teaching Method: Spiral / Conceptual
• Includes: 2 Math Workbooks (consumable) per year, plus a Teacher’s Guide
• Cost: The complete set per grade is about $65
• Notes: I like how the lessons in Horizons are presented visually and colorfully. The lessons are concise but effective and challenging in a basic way. The teacher’s guide has a section with the list of concepts taught in each lesson, along with a list of objectives, teaching tips, materials and activities to teach and expand the lessons. It’s really helpful to be able to see all of that and the scope and sequence at a glance. It also includes the answer key and worksheets for additional practice for those who need it. It also includes a placement test to give to your child.
• Pros: Each concept is taught and then reviewed for 3-5 lessons after it is presented. Then, for the next two months, it is continually brought back as a part of the lessons to help them really grasp it.  The approach is gentle, yet challenging at the same time. There are 160 lessons in 2 workbooks. This math is totally non-intimidating for parents and students alike.
• Cons: I’ve heard complaints about it being disorganized in the order in which it introduces concepts. I’ve also heard repeatedly that grade 4 and up are much less thorough than in the younger grades.

Chalk Dust Math (Algebra I – Calculus)

• Includes: Text and Solutions Manual plus a set of DVD’s.
• Notes: Chalkdust is video based instruction. The lessons are quite long, and they advance through concepts very quickly. Mr. Mosley usually explains multiple ways to complete each problem. Each lesson includes a ton of problems, but most parents just assign every 4th problem. Kids can learn independently, though, with the video instruction. They have great customer support (even if you’ve purchased a used package) and they offer a money back guarantee on any learning package returned in good condition within 30 days of purchase. So you can buy it, try it, and send it back if it doesn’t work for you. I haven’t used it myself, or even looked through it, but it is very well reviewed on different homeschool forums.
• Pros: There is plenty of review as well as an entire review section preceding each test. Kids who use Chalk Dust all the way through the sequence seem very well prepared for the AP Calculus test.
• Cons: It can be pricey to purchase new, but you can often find it used. Just make all of the components match.

Dr. Shormann Math (Algebra I – Calculus)

• Includes: Textbook, Solutions Manual, Teachers Guide and online video instruction.
• Cost: 24-month ecourse subscription is $129 per course for everything. Sibling subscriptions can be purchased for $39.
• Scope and Sequence: Because it’s based on Saxon, this fits perfectly into the Saxon sequence following Math 8/7.
• Notes: Published by Dr. Shormann, the author of the award-winning DIVE video lectures for Saxon Math, this homeschool math curriculum is based on John Saxon’s original teaching methods of incremental development, continual review, and integrated algebra and geometry. Shormann Math includes concepts like teachnology applications and computer math that are required to excel on the newly redesigned PSAT and SAT as well as the ACT, CLEP, and AP exams. Dr. Shormann teaches math as the language of science and he also teaches everything from a biblical perspective. The Shormann’s are homeschool veterans and very helpful, offering Q&A help directly from Dr. Shormann. Here is a sample lesson .
• Pros: Dr. Shormann is acknowledging and responding to changes in standardized tests and college entrance tests. He is using proven methodology from John Saxon, but bringing it into the 21st century by adding a few necessary concepts. Most of the assignments can be completed offline. This is a great way for kids to learn independently. My 14-year-old, who is currently in Calculus, went through all of Dr. Shormann’s sample lessons and enjoyed his clear, live video instruction. She also loved the Computer Science integration and thinks the immediate grading and feedback would be a huge positive, too.
• Cons: Dr. Shormann teaches Calculus from a religious, Christian point of view. My daughter noticed some minor theological differences from what we believe, but she never felt bothered by it. I just want to make you aware of it in case you prefer strictly secular homeschool math curriculum. I really wanted to love Dr. Shormann math, because it seems like it would be such a great follow-up to the Saxon series we love, and I gave my daughter the choice to switch. But she chose to remain with Derek Owens. She said that DO’s explanations were clearer and more concise. She thought Dr. Shormann was too verbose with the Christian element, despite the fact that we are very Christian and have similar beliefs. I also felt that, after looking over and comparing they syllabi, that students would have a greater chance of success with the AP exam using Derek Owens math.

Derek Owens Math (Algebra 1 – Calculus)

• Teaching Method: Mastery but with plenty of review / Conceptual
• Includes: Online video instruction, textbooks can be printed from his site or you can purchase printed, spiral-bound versions from Lulu ($20-$25 per semester), his TA’s grade all assignments and tests.
• Cost: $15 registration fee, plus a monthly fee. Online, asynchronus classes are $58 per month. Nine months is the maximum payment for any course, even if you need more time to complete the course. You only pay for the time you are enrolled. If you need to stop for some reason and resume later, you do not need to pay for the time away. If you finish a course in less than nine months then it costs less. Live classes (taught in Atlanta) are $70-$85 per month. Families that enroll in more than one course at a time receive $10 off the monthly tuition for each course. There is also a self-grading option. Mr. Owen’s staff will send you the answer key and you grade your own student’s work, and the course is half the regular price.
• Scope and Sequence: Syllabi are posted for each class.
• Notes: Our only experience is with the AP Calculus class. I feel that it prepared my children very well for the AP Calculus AB test. Mr. Owens provides clear, concise videos online, along with a partially printed lecture for each video. Students take notes in the text during the videos. Students complete problem sets following the lectures. The AP College Board outlines requirements for each course designated AP, and his course follows it perfectly. He offers both regular and honors versions of his other courses (not Calculus). The honors courses cover material more quickly and in depth than the regular courses. You can watch a few sample lectures if you want to check out his teaching style. He also offers Physics and Computer Science.
• Pros: Students are entirely accountable to Derek Owens and his TA’s. Mom might need to help the student stick to a schedule, but students submit their work for grading and the burden is entirely on someone else. TA’s are also available for help, and they are VERY helpful and respond very quickly.
• Cons: I wish there was a sibling discount for subsequent years. For example, I wish I could purchase the Calculus course outright and own it for my subsequent children. It feels expensive to keep paying the monthly fee, but I still feel it’s completely worth the cost. A successful AP Calculus test grants your children 8 quantitative literacy credits toward an undergrad degree. Even though it feels expensive, this class is a bargain compared to what you’d pay for those credits from a university.

How do I choose with so many choices?

Whew! That’s a whole lot of homeschool math curricula right there, each with plenty of positive aspects. I don’t know about you, but when I’m presented with too many choices, I end up with analysis paralysis!

So let me make this easier on you by sharing a little secret.

The curriculum matters a whole stinking lot less than the teacher!

I’m not joking.

There is honestly not a best homeschool math curriculum.

The program that will be best for your family is one that your family can get done.

A really good teacher doesn’t have to be an expert on the subject. She just has to be enthusiastic about it. The saying that if mom ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy is all too true. If you are a math hater, that needs to change — or you need to use a curriculum that will allow your child to work completely independently, so you can just be excited about the curriculum not requiring you to touch or look at it.

A good math teacher will explain concepts by drawing pictures to illustrate them and using manipulatives to explain abstract concepts in a concrete way. If a teacher can do that, the book can be relegated to the role of a guide, presenting the order in which concepts are learned, and providing practice problems.

The better you teach, the less the curriculum matters. That can feel like a huge weight, but keep in mind that as a homeschooler you have the privilege of teaching the child, not the curriculum. It’s also a privilege to get a second chance at this whole education thing.

Purchasing Homeschool Math Curriculum

I have lots of tips for homeschooling cheap , starting with always checking for used curriculum first. Amazon, Thriftbooks and local homeschool curriculum sales are a great place to find used math curriculum. Here are a few more helpful tips .

If you can’t find what you need used, there are a few great places to purchase new curriculum for a significant discount. One of my favorite places to check for discounts is the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op.

I’ve seen most of these math curricula at the co-op for up to 50% off at different times! Group Buys expire and then begin again pretty often, so check back if the current group buy has expired. You’ll need a membership in order to participate in group buys, but you can get a membership for free!

Learn more about a Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op here . Once you’ve registered for the free membership, check the ‘shop’ section and then search under the math section. 

Get your free membership to the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op!

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41 Comments

We have purchased We Play Math for the first time this year and are struggling with how to use the site. Does the student login with their own username? Or do we navigate to her course somehow via Parent Dashboard? Once I’m in Parent Dashboard, I cannot find how to access her course. I’ve emailed via the contact source on the website, but have not received a response. Help!

I would love to see BJU Press and Denison Algebra reviewed if you ever get the chance!

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Wow, this is such an awesome summary of all these programs! I really appreciate the pros/cons/notes to consider for each. We’ve used a few of these programs and I’ll say you have been right on with your assessment. You mentioned ‘gaming the system’ in TT, my son figured out how to do the same thing with Beast Academy online. He’s one of those ‘just get math done’ kids so reading or watching a lesson is too cumbersome. Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with him because he really is good at math, I’m thinking I may just need to challenge him more. You also convinced me to try Derek Owens for Algebra 1 for my daughter – I was planning Shormann but after we saw his videos (pretty dry) we knew we couldn’t do it so I was up in the air for her too. I had heard good things about CTC but was concerned about my son figuring out the system again. It looks pricey but I like that my kids have to work on paper and scan/email their work to them for correction. Thank you so much!!!

Thank you for sharing your opinions! I’ve had a few other moms tell me the same thing about Beast Academy homeschool math. I was just talking with a mom whose kids had troubles with CTCMath because the assignments are adaptive in the sense that when kids answer a question correctly, another problem, slightly more difficult and usually unfamiliar, pops up. She said her boys found it extremely frustrating and confidence eroding. I hope you like Derek Owens! We’ve really enjoyed the format of his classes!

On Teaching Textbooks website it says they are a spiral method, not mastery. I was wondering if they have changed since you wrote this or if that review was meant for a different curriculum. I’m trying to pick a curriculum for my 7th grader and I have found so much conflicting information on pretty much everything, I’m extremely overwhelmed.

You’re right, Katie! Thanks for pointing that out — I will make that correction.

Thanks for this in-depth review! For 2nd edition of Saxon Algebra 2, what are all the books and resources needed? The student book, teacher’s manual; solutions manual, homeschool testing book, and home study pack?

I really appreciate your thorough review including personal experiences. I thought I’d share my experiences, to add to the discussion, along with some questions for you. My oldest two have been using Mr. D for the last couple years and love the teachers as well as the extra help hours as needed. I love that they’re completely independent at this stage. It has turned our oldest daughter from hating math to really excelling, even at the honors level. We went this route after using Jacobs Geometry for my oldest, which I loved because it gave so much practical application. It was really challenging however, as the test questions were often new ways of applying the information to ensure you truly understood how to use the theorems and weren’t just memorizing them. My oldest son has excelled in Algebra and Trig but struggled with Jacobs Geometry and wanted a teacher (besides me).

We used Saxon with our younger daughter, who has a language learning disability, for two years. It worked well to drill math facts into her for which I’m thankful. I realized she needed a program more focused on mastery as she was finishing 7th grade so we switched to Math U See this year. At this point the manipulatives are not used as much but they have been helpful to some extent. We have appreciated that we can spend as much time as needed on a concept before moving on and that there are no grade levels attached to it. For a struggling student who likes to move forward it can feel frustrating but we have decided we will just take as much time as needed to go through pre-algebra and she has accepted that since she does not feel “behind” compared to others her age. Thankfully we already owned the previous years so we have been able to take a break and review concepts that she didn’t fully grasp from Saxon but this could be a frustration to families that jump into MUS at a later starting point and don’t own the materials. As an example, she was very familiar with fractions so I didn’t want her to do a whole year’s worth of fractions with MUS but she needed the simple Rule of 4 that MUS teaches to fully master comparing/contrasts fractions so we had to go back and learn that.

Our youngest has used Singapore Dimensions for the last 3 years and is finishing the series. His biggest complaint is that he needs more instructional help as he insists the Singapore video series we subscribed to haven’t been helpful at all. We had tried that route because we knew he was capable and we needed to offload math with him for time sake. Although he complains about the difficulty, I’m impressed with what he has learned. My husband and I both do well in math and sometimes the conceptual aspect stumps us as it’s taught completely different than the way we learned. The one area I believe it really lacks is drilling math facts for quick response.

Okay on to my question… We are trying to decide what to use next year for our math-minded rising 6th grader. If I were to estimate, I believe he could probably handle a pre-algebra course but is that too early? I’m thinking I should first look ahead to select what we will use for Algebra I+ and then fill in the gap with a curriculum to shore up any areas he might have missed or needs review before he begins in 7th or 8th grade. Any suggestions on which one? I don’t think Saxon would be a good fit for him because the lengthy daily assignments and spiral nature would bore him.

As for Algebra 1+, after reading your review I’m leaning toward Derek Owens but I’m curious if you’ve looked into Unlock Math? It sounds similar to CTC but potentially with better quality instructional videos and easy access to support.

Any feedback on a gap year or thoughts about beginning pre-algebra so soon are much appreciated.

It definitely isn’t too early to begin Algebra 1 and I highly recommend Derek Owens, but I have not looked into Unlock Math. My 10-year-old is currently enjoying Algebra 1. As long as your son has a strong conceptual foundation he will have no problem

Thanks for doing such a thorough comparison! It was very helpful.

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Thank you so much for this comprehensive review. With respect to the Saxon editions discussion above, does the edition matter (i.e., get earlier editions rather than the 4th edition) only for Algebra I and Algebra II?

The editions matter for the earlier books, too, starting with Math 5/4. The newer editions (the ones with the pictures on the fronts of the books), now published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt since being sold by the Saxon family, have been adapted to meet Common Core standards. They aren’t terribly different, but they’ve added material that I feel defeats John Saxon’s original objective of simplicity. The older editions have the two-toned numbers/letters on the front. Christianbook.com and other places sell the 3rd editions, hardcover, with the answer key (or you can upgrade the answer key to a solutions manual) and test booklet as “homeschool kits”. Those are the ones you want. As far as I know Advanced Mathematics and Calculus are still published and sold in the 2nd edition with the hardcover textbooks.

The homeschool kits with the softcovers have the same content as the earlier editions without Common Core bloat. The only reason I don’t like them is that most of them are so poorly made they barely survive use by one student. They have soft covers, the pages are like newsprint, and they’re still pretty thick so the binding falls apart. I prefer the hardback textbooks so I can pass them on for use by all of my children. I’m frugal!

If you choose to purchase used (I always look for used textbooks first at Thriftbooks, Abe Books or Amazon) just make sure you can find the corresponding answer key — make sure the textbook and answer key editions match. Happy homeschooling!

Wow, thank you. The comments were as helpful as the article. 🙂 Thank you for responding to other people’s questions because so many bloggers don’t, and I’m as glad for the answers as the people who asked. I’ve got a 6th and a 1st grader, and I wasn’t sure what to do with math. My 6th grader has switched programs so many times (currently CTC), and I feel inclined to switch again because of some problems I’m having with CTC, but I didn’t know what to do. You’ve helped settle me for the most part. Of course, switching so many times (Math U See, Teaching Textbooks, CTC, Life of Fred, back to CTC) has wreaked havoc, and I wish I’d never done it, but now that we’re in the middle of Pre-Algebra, I figured that we can make a clean start when we hit Algebra. Still not sure if I’ll stick with CTC or do Saxon (because my son hates textbooks but I have issues with CTC), but you helped me to at least narrow it down to those 2. Thanks so much!

I appreciate your feedback, too, Karis, as do other homeschool parents, I’m sure. May I ask what you didn’t like about CTCMath? I’ve heard so many glowing reports about it and I really like Pat Murray’s math ideologies so I recommend it highly to other homeschoolers — but I haven’t used it myself. I’d love to know what you dislike about it to be able to give fellow homeschoolers better information, if you don’t mind sharing.

I liked CTC, but only for the younger grades, when it would give you a weekly review. The older grades not so much so here I am back at Saxon. There just weren’t enough problems in CTC in the older grades to help them retain the information

Thanks so much for your input, Erica! It’s so helpful to other homeschool moms! I’ve heard a couple of other moms express the same thoughts.

ALEKS math now does have at least some video lessons; it’s improving year by year, IMO.

I just wish they went through Calculus…

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know — I’ll have to take another look.

Thank you so much for these reviews. I keep reading most programs out there are mastery, but could not for the life of me find a list and just kept finding spiral programs with comments on how great they are. I’ve a child diagnosed NVLD who needs things isolated to master, so a sequential incremental mastery approach with more repetition than most provide. But she also does better experientially and with inquiry, she loves story, humor, and color which does help her stay focussed. But too much visual information can overwhelm as her visual spatial processing is slower. Success has been seen more with inquiry methods too though. I did stumble across Math Inspirations which is conceptual, but I’m not confident I could easily follow the instructions. there are no videos and the free sample games have been difficult for me to interpret-just text very little in the way of illustration. But the inquiry based nature is intriguing. The author did a free consult and mentioned also YouCubed and Mathematical Mindset, but it is written for use in the classroom and most activities are for groups. I am really tired of trying to adapt. Wild Math is another I was recently introduced to, but it is common core and spiral, procedural emphasis. We are currently using Stern Math-Stern Structural Arithmetic (Montessori inspired Mastery/Conceptual) with Life of Fred and The Good and the Beautiful-spiral, but so pretty (however they are about to relaunch and not nearly as rich-totally spiral and integrated with video). We also have Kate Snow’s preschool and Math Facts series which we stop and pull from at times. I bought Ronit Bird’s dyslcalculia toolkit books, but find them hard to use-very like Wild Math, just a list of activities. Right Brained Math from Child 1st Publications is similar.

You are a wealth of information, KB! Your daughter will never know how incredibly blessed she is that you’ve done all that research in order to find her the perfect program for her needs. When I get a chance, I’ll look through the curricula you’ve mentioned here. I know TGTB and Kate Snow’s series, but I haven’t looked at the others. Thank you!

I really am relieved to read this blog post and the subsequent comments and answers. Thank you for taking the time for this writing. I have a question- if I want to switch from MUS (Episilon basically 5th grade/ fractions) to Saxon, would you have a suggestion of what Saxon book to switch to? My daughter has done MUS K-5th. I would like to switch because she is planning to attend public school in 8th grade and my older daughter did not have a good algebra foundation (even after doing MUS Algebra 1) when she entered public school. If you don’t have a suggestion, that’s fine (and understandable) too! Thank you!

Hi Sarah! Saxon 54 is Saxon’s typical 5th grade text (or advanced 4th grade). Saxon 65 is typical 6th grade, advanced 5th grade. I think a placement test would give you the most accurate idea of where to start your daughter. She’ll want to take the Middle Grades placement test. Feel free to sit next to her during the test and explain problems to her (different authors use different jargon and you want to see whether she understands concepts) without helping her actually do any problems. Just explain the purpose so it’s not high pressure.

Here’s a link to the placement tests. https://www.sonlight.com/homeschool/curriculum/placement-tests/saxon-placement-tests/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmIuDBhDXARIsAFITC_4GLPw6Wa6zFf6gUohpbd6y425VddZL8nlzrQH_0lbpaYoaiJcV8lsaAjSCEALw_wcB

This has been incredibly informative! Do you have any thoughts on The Good & The Beautiful’s math? We started using it this year (Math U See was not a good fit for my daughter), and I’m feeling like it just might not be enough for my math-minded girl. Thoughts? I’m feeling a bit discouraged, and am not sure where to go from here. Singapore Dimensions or Saxon look promising, but I don’t want to be a curriculum-jumper.

My good friend uses The Good & The Beautiful with her boys. Her oldest is incredibly busy with a short attention span, but he catches on to concepts very quickly and easily. She loves the simple, hands-on manipulatives the program includes and she likes how there is little to no busy work. Her second son takes a little longer to catch on, but is also more patient and willing to work at things, and she likes the program for him, too, except that she wishes it had more repetition. I’ve seen both boys at work and they really do enjoy their math. I haven’t looked through the program beyond her boys’ level, though.

I switched briefly from Saxon to Singapore (on a friend’s recommendation) when my oldest was in Math 3. She liked the pretty, colorful format of the workbooks (as opposed to Saxon’s plain text) but the progression was much too slow for her and she was eager to switch back after a few weeks. We didn’t get very far with it, obviously, but I did purchase several levels at once when I determined to switch (I also had a son in Math 2 at that time) and it seemed to lack the depth that Saxon has. It’s hard to tell with those early textbooks, and my kids skip half of Saxon (they never complete Side B of the worksheets) but I really like the spiral approach where Saxon teaches a concept and then cycles back around to it over and over, but further in depth each time. It really helps the concepts to stick, and it also ensures that the child isn’t just memorizing an algorithm. My kids are on the math-y side and appreciate challenging math. I hope that helps!

Do you kids skip problems when they get to Math 54? When there isn’t an A/B side?

Hi Whitney,

No, I don’t let my kids skip problems at that point. They complete the entire problem set from there on. However, I do let them skip problem sets (if they want to) at the beginning of each textbook because the first few lesson of each textbook are review. I actually feel like it’s very important to complete the entire problem set because of the way John Saxon structured them with review problems (which go further in depth as the textbook progresses) and then new problems, and just because kids need that much practice to really gain math fluency.

Have you ever looked at BJU Press for math? Would be interested in your review on it. Thanks.

I haven’t, Joanna. I still need to!

I bought the sixth grade version for my now 8th graders, it was pretty advanced and they hated it more than Saxon. We moved to CTC for awhile but we’re right back at Saxon.

Thank you so much for these reviews. Have you seen Nicole the Math lady videos for Saxon? Any thoughts there?

Yes! I think Nicole does a fabulous job! I prefer her explanations and teaching style to the old DIVE Cd’s that were originally produced to accompany the Saxon curriculum. I don’t use either of them (Nicole or DIVE) because the lessons in the textbooks are well put together and my kids read through them independently. I love math so I enjoy helping my kiddos when they have questions. But if I didn’t feel proficient, I’d absolutely use Nicole’s videos!

Is it reasonable to choose different programs for different kids in the same family? I have four kids who will be homeschooling this year and their personalities and approaches to math are quite varied, so I’m concerned about finding one curriculum that fits everyone. On the flip side, I don’t want to overwhelm myself by taking on too many different things at the same time. Thoughts?

It depends on your kiddos ages and how time intensive or independent the curriculum is. If your older kids could maybe work mostly independently, that might work because it would free you up to work with the younger kids.

I’m going to be really honest with you, though. My oldest three are in college, so I’m currently just homeschooling five children from 1st grade to high school. I use Saxon with all of them, and Saxon allows kids to work pretty independently. Call me lazy, but I only want to spend about an hour of my time on homeschooling each day, so we all work on math together around the kitchen table. My kids read the lesson and work through a problem set independently, but I’m available for questions and to check them and help them make corrections. That’s the very minimal method we’ve settled into over the years.

As minimal as it is, I am busting my behind during that hour, and it’s rarely really just an hour — we always go over. And sometimes my kiddos have to get in line to have questions answered or concepts explained, which makes me want to pull my hair out, because by line I don’t mean a nice, quiet, patient line. I mean everyone is trying to get my attention at once. Sometimes, even when there is no line, and the fifth child says she is ready to check, I still want to pull my hair out because I just checked and helped with corrections for four people and I’m ready to be done but I still have to work with the fifth.

When I say I’m lazy, I’m joking because I’m actually a very motivated, hard-working person. And I still want to pull my hair out — often. And my kids are all using the same curriculum and a very independent curriculum at that. You’re the only person who can answer your question, but just keep those things in mind. Are you patient? How much time do you want to devote? What does the specific curriculum require?

Also, how long do you want to homeschool? Because it will be a significant chunk of change to purchase four different curricula each year, since you won’t be able to hand them down from child to child.

The last think I want to tell you is that it’s very possible to alter a teaching style to suit a particular learning style, irregardless of the curriculum used. My children definitely have different learning styles and for the most part I’ve been able to honor those but still use plain old, basic Saxon curriculum for all of them, and it’s worked. You’re already asking the right questions (wondering if you’ll be overwhelmed). I recommend erring on the side of caution.

However, if you want to just go for it, it’s not a life sentence. I’ve made all kinds of mistakes in my homeschool and my kids are fine. Most of my mistakes, though, have been in biting off more than I could chew. That is my personality type! Good luck choosing — I know it is daunting! I hope the homeschooling lifestyle will be as big a blessing to your family as it has to mine!

I have sat reading through your blogs for a couple of days now. I’m impressed and awed with your knowledge! I was looking for your view on how to teach science or what curriculum you use. (I’m a firm Saxon Math user as well) . I would love to pick your brain on Grammar and Language Arts in a formal manner, when you begin those and how…… We usually use Sonlight to gorge on books upon books, and turn it into a Unit Study for History and Literature. But , I am forever lost on Science and what to do for writing and grammar.

Hi Jennifer,

I’m super lazy , so I’ve figured out a minimalistic approach to all subjects besides math over the years. We do math every day we do school, but the other subjects not so much. You wouldn’t know it, though, because my kiddos are very successful and receive compliments from their professors when they start college classes in about 10th grade.

I use Delta Science kits to cover science, but we usually just complete 1 kit per semester. The kits include every single thing you need to teach a particular concept, right down to the lab books. Each kit contains enough experiments to cover a full semester (or more), but my kids find them so enjoyable they just plunge in and don’t come up for air until they’ve completed the entire thing. It usually take a few days to a week to complete. Also, kids just ask a holy ton of questions (primarily science related because they want the world explained and that’s science) and we use those as jumping-off points for impromptu science lessons. That’s all I do for science.

As far as grammar goes, I buy the big Easy Grammar Plus book and plop it down in front of my 12-year-olds and just tell them I want it completed and to try to work on it daily and explain how good grammar will benefit them and how they can earn a degree free by earning scholarships but that they need a certain ACT score and grades. Basically, I try to help them see the significance of the knowledge so that they are motivated. None of my children have ever worked on it daily, but they do work on it in fits and starts and generally complete it within about a year. It really contains pretty much everything a person needs to know about grammar.

We play grammar games occasionally (using winston grammar) during elementary school, but probably just a couple of times per year. Not often. After completing the big Easy Grammar Plus book, I buy my kids the consumable Easy Grammar workbooks by grade and let them work at their own pace. I don’t even check their work — I let them take care of it.

As far as writing goes, I can’t handle it. Math is black and white, right or wrong and nobody can argue. Writing is so subjective that my kids argue with me about every little suggestions, and that’s after begging, coaxing, cajoling, nagging and a whole lot of yelling to even get them to write the thing in the first place. I really like the idea behind Excellence In Writing, and we’ve tried a million curriculums, to no avail. So I gave up. It doesn’t seem to have set my kids back at all, though. They write well and none of them want to be writers (so far) so…

I do enroll my kiddos in a community Speech & Debate class beginning at age 12. The instructor is absolutely life-changing, he is so fantastic. My kiddos voluntarily write and memorize and research out of love for this particular teacher. Even with a lesser quality teacher, though, the monthly tournaments would provide peer pressure to motivate the kids to want to write great oratories.

I hope that helps! Feel free to ask more questions!

This is very helpful. Do you have any recommendations for History and Science?

I still need to type up an actual list with reviews, but off the cuff I can just tell you some of our favorites. I loved Story of the World with my littles. It’s broad and general, not deep, so I wouldn’t use it with older kids. It will give them a good overview for further learning later. The best part was the activity books that go along with each course. Beyond that, I’ve pretty much exclusively used literature to teach history. My kids are all avid bookworms, so that’s the most enjoyable way for them to learn.

Our favorite way to learn is by using Delta science kits. They are mainly marketed to classrooms, but you can purchase the Science in a Nutshell kits for family use. They include lab booklets, equipment and supplies. I haven’t purchased them in years because I just replace the disposable parts and keep using the ones I purchased for my older children. Each “Nutshell” is a different topic, and the kits include every single thing you need to study that topic incredibly in-depth. We tend to only study math each day, and other subjects in occasional bursts. So I’ll get out a Delta science kit maybe two or three times during each school year. Each unit contains enough work to last for at least a semester, but my kiddos get so excited by the experiments that they just eat, breathe and sleep science for a couple of days and we finish the entire unit, and then we go back to just completing our daily math assignment. They are really, really, really well done, but can be kind of pricey. They work well for family study, too, from my high schoolers all the way down to my littles. I also use a lot of literature for science, though it tends to be more about great scientists than about actual science. It’s helpful to use those great scientists as inspiration.

A very thorough review of available homeschool math curriculum choices. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading, Teresa! There are so many great math curriculum choices for homeschoolers! 🙂

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Homeschool Math Curriculum: The Ultimate Comparison Chart

By: Author Charlene Hess

Posted on Last updated: November 5, 2024

One of my biggest homeschool curriculum tips is to compare various curriculums before committing to one. That’s why I created this homeschool math curriculum comparison chart just for you!

Homeschooling is  not  easy. But choosing the right  homeschool math curriculum  can help alleviate the pressure. Picking a math program that works for your homeschooling style is just one of my top tips for beginning homeschoolers.

Today we are comparing more than 14 of the most popular math curriculum for homeschoolers on the market today.

Take a look at the options below so you can make the perfect decision for you and your child. Or, if nothing in this list works for you, check out this enormous list of 53+ free homeschool curriculums and resources .

This article may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

Disclosure – Some of the math curriculums in this list have specifically asked (or paid) me to be included. I will still keep all of my opinions honest so you can get a non-biased idea of which curriculum will work best for you and your homeschool math lessons.

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Homeschool Math Curriculum Comparison Guide

If you’re considering homeschooling your child, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is which math curriculum to use. There are many different options available, and it can be difficult to decide which one is right for your family.

Each math curriculum on this list is wonderful and unique in its own special way. Each one will work well for some families but not for others.

Decide what’s important to you as far as price, format, prep time, and more then go through the list and find a curriculum that fits the bill.

Singapore Math Live

Are you interested in or are using the Singapore Math® curriculum but find it challenging to teach?

Singapore Math® curriculum has earned a reputation for high mathematics success BUT it can be difficult, even intimidating, to teach. Singapore Math Live can help you and your child master the logical and intuitive way to think about math.

Singapore Math Live videos are created especially for homeschoolers and give you unlimited access to visual and verbal demonstration of the methods and strategies that your child will use to solve each problem.

The owner of Singapore Math Live, Brenda Barnett, has thoughtfully created a “homeschool path” to help homeschool families facilitate the day-to-day lessons, stress-free, using the support materials available through Singapore Math Live.

Using Singapore Math Live’s path, you will have unlimited access to a visual and verbal demonstration of the methods and strategies that your child will use to solve each problem. A part of your homeschool story will be the growth of your child’s logical reasoning and critical thinking skills, along with a high level of math success.

Singapore Math Live Grade Level

Singapore Math Live is designed for first grade through eighth grade students.

Singapore Math Live Price

Singapore Math Live prices their courses very competitively. They start at only $40 per year per child.

Is Singapore Math Live Physical or Digital?

When you purchase a course, the Singapore Math Live videos are available through the website. This program also exclusively uses the “US Edition” of the Singapore Math curriculum because this is the only version that is both tweaked to use measurements commonly found in the US and not modified for use in a US classroom.

These books can be purchased through the Singapore Math® Inc.

Is Singapore Math Live Secular or Christian?

Like most math curriculums, Singapore Math Live is a secular curriculum.

Singapore Math Live Preparation Time

This is an intensive math course. Parents should plan on daily preplanning and preparation.

High School Math Live

If you’ve got a high schooler, High School Math Live is a great math program that is worth considering. Teenagers are really benefitting from this unique program.

High School Math Live – At My Pace (AMP) Courses are perfect for:

• Students who excel at working independently
• Students who are highly motivated
• Students who need to repeat a semester of a subject
• Students who are required to attend summer school
• Students who successfully completed a subject but are not confident they are well prepared for the next subject
• Students who are seeking to gain multiple credits in one academic year
• Students whose family’s schedule does not allow the student to maintain a consistent pace throughout the semester
• Students whose schedule does not allow the student to attend live classes.

High School Math Live – At My Pace (AMP) Courses offer instruction in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus w/ Trig, and Calculus I. All courses are fully accredited.

High School Math Live Grade Level

High School Math Live is designed for students in grades 7-12.

High School Math Live Price

Parents pay on a course-by-course basis. AMP subjects are divided into two courses – Course A (first semester) and Course B (second semester). Courses are between $300 and $350 per semester.

The tuition cost does not include the cost of the textbook. The student will remain registered in the program until the final exam has been completed or 12 months from the day of purchase, whichever comes first.

If the student does not complete the course within 12 months, the student will receive a grade of incomplete.

Is High School Math Live Digital or Physical?

This is a digital program but it is required that you purchase a physical book separately for use in the course.

When you sign up for the AMP, you will be getting a unique opportunity to partner with a teacher who truly cares about your teen’s education.

When your family partners with a High School Math Live AMP course, you will enjoy:

• Strong teacher-student connections you won’t get anywhere else
• Catered math instruction by a credentialed teacher who cares about your student individually
• Excellent program-long instruction, guidance, grading, and real-time support
• Up to 2.5 hours of private tutoring with your teen’s credentialed teacher

Is High School Math Live Secular or Christian?

High School Math Live is a secular resource.

High School Math Live Parent/Teacher Involvement

This is an accredited math course and as such there will be preparation. Parents should make sure that all the homework is completed before each new lesson and proctor assessment and make sure they are turned in for grading.

Additionally, parents must ensure the course materials are being used appropriately to complete the course.

CTCMath is a good math curriculum for families who are interested in allowing their children to work in a self-paced environment. CTCMath also allows parents to delegate math lessons to a professional teacher rather than having to learn and teach everything themselves.

Personally, we LOVE CTCMath in our homeschool. I have tried several math curriculums over the years and every time I try a competitor, I can’t help but compare it to CTCMath.

Even though my kids don’t like math lessons in general, they get much less frustrated with their CTCMath lessons than with other curriculums due to the simple teaching methods this program takes.

In fact, last month I had the kids try another new math resource (which shall remain unnamed) and by the second day, they were all crying and fighting math lessons. By the end of the week, I had scrapped that subscription and let them all move back to CTCMath. They were all thrilled and haven’t fought me about a math lesson since!

CTCMath Grade Level

CTCMath takes students from Kindergarten through 12th grade and covers all aspects of math they will need to learn throughout that time.

No matter how old your child is, if they are able to work a digital device, they are old enough (or young enough) to find a math lesson for them. (Their online lessons go from Kindergarten basic counting and shape identifying all the way through high school calculus.) This makes the Homeschool Family Membership even more valuable.

CTCMath Price

CTCMath offers either individual or family subscriptions and access to all lessons is allowed with a subscription so you can move as fast or as slow as you want. You can pay monthly or yearly. Expect to pay around $150 per year.

And one of the best parts is, they don’t nickel and dime you for having extra kids. As a homeschooling momma of a very large family (my own 7 kids plus I also homeschool my niece and nephew), I love knowing that every child can have their own profile on CTCMath without having to pay extra. When my next child ages up, I just email them and say, “Hey, my next kid needs a profile now please,” and they have it added within just a few hours.

If you want to save money on this online math curriculum, use this link to access the CTCMath Homeschool Family Membership for a half price discount .

Whether you buy this curriculum at the regular price or at the discount, all of CTCMath’s subscriptions are protected by a money-back guarantee. If you decide this resource doesn’t work for you and your family, just send them an email and they’ll get you taken care of.

Or for even more peace of mind, try the free trial of CTCMath now.

Is CTCMath Digital or Physical?

CTCMath is a digital math curriculum that also allows parents to print out physical worksheets, if desired. This feature was especially handy during our summer of craziness. Due to some issues with closing on our new house, we spent 2 months semi-nomadic with no real place to call home and the kids were still able to keep up with their math lessons because everything was on their phones or on my laptop.

Additionally, when we moved into the new house and didn’t have high-speed internet for 6+ weeks, the kids were able to use their phones’ network data to keep up with this math program as well. Even without me being able to locate our school supplies boxes or access our printer, math lessons did not experience any real interruption.

Is CTCMath Secular or Christian?

Like most math programs, CTCMath is a secular program.

CTCMath Preparation Time

Unless you plan on printing out regular worksheets, CTCMath requires little to no preparation. Once your kids have figured out how the website works, they can do everything else all by themselves. This is especially handy for those of us who are trying to homeschool multiple ages and stages all at the same time.

CTCMath Parent/Teacher Involvement

If you’re looking for a hands-off math curriculum, CTCMath is going to be a great choice. Once your child is logged in and his or her tasks are created, they’re good to go! You only need to chime in if they are having a question or problem.

Related Post – Read our honest review of CTCMath here.

Schoolhouse Teachers

Schoolhouse Teachers is a popular all-in-one curriculum that the entire family can use for one low price. They have a multitude of subjects, spanning from language arts to math to science to history to electives and more.

My favorite part about this curriculum is that it’s a work at your own pace resource so I can breeze through a course in a week or two, or I can spread it out over a few months. The choice is ours!

Schoolhouse Teachers Grade Levels

Schoolhouse Teachers caters to grades K-12 so the entire family can find exactly what they need! Browse through classes on identifying shapes, math foundations, decimals, algebra 1 and 2, geometry, fractions, trigonometry, and so much more! There is even a class that just includes various math games.

And the best part is, every single course is included with one membership so every child in your family can have a custom-catered math class for one low price.

Schoolhouse Teachers Price

This is a very affordable course, especially when you consider the fact that you pay per family, not per child. You will not be nickel and dimed just because you have multiple children. Additionally, they often have sales so you can get their already affordable curriculum at an even better price!

For the most part, you can expect to pay between $100 and $300 per year for the entire family, depending on any current promotions. Check right now and see if they’ve got a good Schoolhouse Teachers promotion running!

Is Schoolhouse Teachers Digital or Physical?

This is a digital resource. All of your courses will be found on their website.

Is Schoolhouse Teachers Secular or Christian?

While many of the courses are follow a neutral worldview, Schoolhouse Teachers is a Christian resource so you’re likely to find plenty of Christian viewpoints. However, there is not much about math that is religious so you can expect the math classes to be fairly neutral.

Schoolhouse Teachers Preparation Time

Prep work is specific to the course you are going through but most require pretty minimal prep work.

Schoolhouse Teachers Parent/Teacher Involvement

You’ll need a small amount of parent/teacher involvement for your kids depending on their ages. Older kids will be able to work more independently and younger kids will need more assistance.

Teacher Involvement

There is very low teacher involvement with the parents since it’s student-led.

Teaching Textbooks

Teaching Textbooks is often compared to CTCMath as being one of the best two math curriculums for homeschoolers. It is spiral in its approach and while you may only purchase 1 year’s course per child at a time, they give you the option of pausing a course for up to 3 months so you don’t lose that time and money.

Teaching Textbooks Grade Level

Teaching Textbooks takes your kids from 1st grade through pre-calculus.

Teaching Textbooks Price

For a year’s family subscription, plan on paying around $200. Or if you’d rather buy an individual grade level for each child, they come in at between $70 and $200 per year, depending on the specifics you decide on (i.e. answer key, DVDs, books, etc).

Is Teaching Textbooks Digital or Physical?

The newer version of Teaching Textbooks is digital but you can still buy older physical editions.

Is Teaching Textbooks Secular or Christian?

Teaching Textbooks is a secular curriculum.

Teaching Textbooks Preparation Time

Minimal preparation time is needed. While it takes a while to learn and figure out the program, once you’ve got that down, the rest of the program is pretty student-led, especially if you have the newer, digital editions. Physical editions might take a small amount of prep time.

Teaching Textbooks Teacher Involvement Time

Teacher involvement will be greater with the physical editions than with the digital editions. Both will require some help in teaching kids the program and in making sure they know how to navigate the website. If you choose to use books and physical tests/worksheets, teachers will need to grade problems using the provided answer key.

Related: Check out this review of Teaching Textbooks my friend Dianna wrote!

UnLock Math

UnLock Math is another digital math curriculum that is taking the homeschooling market by storm. They are a family-owned company and they really care about their students and their product.

UnLock Math Grade Level

UnLock Math takes your kids from PreAlgebra (so roughly 6th grade) through high school. Not for younger kids but perfect for teens and tweens.

UnLock MathPrice

UnLock Math is a little bit pricey compared to some other math curriculums. You need to pay for each individual child and assign each child a level. If your kid finishes a level before their year’s subscription is up, you are welcome to move up as part of your current subscription. UnLock Math does give your kids a personalized math experience so many families feel it is worth the price.

UnLock Math starts at about $300 per student per year but they do offer discounts for larger families.

Is UnLock Math Digital or Physical?

UnLock Math is a completely digital curriculum making it easy to keep track of everything.

Is UnLock Math Secular or Christian?

Like most math curriculums, UnLock Math takes a secular or neutral worldview.

UnLock Math Preparation Time

There is little to no preparation time with this math curriculum. As long as your kids are familiar with the platform, they are good to go for the entire year!

UnLock Math Teacher Involvement

Teacher involvement is pretty minimal. This digital curriculum does all of the teaching and review work so you don’t have to be a mathematician to teach your kids math.

Math U See takes a mastery approach to learning mathematics. You and your children will focus on one core topic each year, allowing your sprogs to go from introductory level to master.

Math U See Grade Level

You can go from primer grade (the transitional period between kindergarten and 1st grade), all the way to calculus (12th grade).

Math U See Price

The first year is relatively expensive since you need to buy the entire kit (the manipulative set). Depending on the grade level you’re purchasing, expect to pay between $135 to $182. Subsequent years are cheaper since you just need to buy the workbooks, instruction manual, and DVD.

Is Math U See Digital or Physical?

The Math U See curriculum is a mix of both. Each week starts with a video lesson. After that, worksheets and manipulatives are used.

Is Math U See Secular or Christian?

The program adopts a secular perspective.

Math U See Preparation Time

For younger grades, you will need to set everything up and help your child through the work. However, when your children hit middle and high school, it’s a very independent course.

Math U See Teacher Involvement

No teacher involvement is necessary. The instructor’s manual sets out clear guidelines to let you know when your kiddies are ready to move on.

Art of Problem Solving

For those of you with older children, the Art of Problem Solving might be the math curriculum for you. This course takes a sequential approach to learning that is designed to provide more detail than the national curriculum advises.

Art of Problem Solving Grade Level

This curriculum covers 6th grade through 12th grade, so middle school and high school. We suggest you stick to this recommendation since the course is very “text-heavy”.

Art of Problem Solving Price

The new textbooks (paperbacks) cost around $35 to $70. But, you can find them for far less on eBay and other second-hand sites.

As far as the online bulk goes, you’ll pay around $545 to $570. It  is expensive but it fuels your children’s prodigy minds.

Is Art of Problem Solving Digital or Physical?

The main part of the lessons is online.

Is Art of Problem Solving Secular or Christian?

It’s a secular curriculum.

Art of Problem Solving Preparation Time

Since everything is done online (with a dash of textbook reading), little preparation is needed.

Beast Academy

Remember the Art of Problem Solving? Well, Beast Academy is developed by the same geniuses so of course we had to include it in this homeschool math curriculum comparison guide. Therefore, it dives much deeper than the national curriculum.

Beast Academy Grade Level

Beast Academy covers grades 2 to 5. It’s perfect for this age range thanks to the wonderfully illustrated comic-like textbooks. They’ll even get to play fun math games and take part in interactive challenges.

Beast Academy Price

You’ll pay $15 a month or $96 a year for an online subscription. If you’re after the corresponding physical books, you’ll pay $150. Just bear in mind that you need to purchase the practice books each year. Although if you prefer free, you can access the Beast Academy Playground (which is filled with free tabletop math games for elementary kids and teens) for free.

Read my honest review of the Beast Academy Playground now.

Is Beast Academy Digital or Physical?

You can decide whether you want your child to participate in the physical  and digital or just the digital course.

Is Beast Academy Secular or Christian?

Beast academy preparation time.

It’s very student-led so little preparation is needed. It’s just a case of opening the book and logging onto the portal.

Beast Academy Teacher Involvement

As a parent, you won’t be given much advice from the math teachers. Instead, you need to listen to your kids and figure out when they’re ready to move on.

Related – If you like fun math games, check out these math board games !

Math Mammoth

Math Mammoth offers a conceptual teaching method in a very streamlined manner.

Math Mammoth Grade Level

This curriculum covers grades 1 to pre-algebra.

With each one, you receive consumable worktexts, word problems, mental arithmetic tests, and cumulative reviews.

Math Mammoth Price

Each grade costs around $45. You won’t be able to find used books since they’re consumable.

Is Math Mammoth Digital or Physical?

It’s a physical course. We’ve found it to be great for those who just want to get math out of the way.

Is Math Mammoth Secular or Christian?

While it takes a secular approach, it’s still Christian friendly.

Math Mammoth Preparation Time

It’s recommended that you purchase a manipulative kit to go alongside the textbooks. Other than that, the prep time is low.

Math Mammoth Teacher Involvement

The teacher involvement level is low to non-existent. If you’re confident with math, this isn’t a problem.

ALEKS Math uses a procedural teaching method. It feels rather static so it might be best for supplemental practice only.

ALEKS Math Grade Level

ALEKS covers the 3rd grade to 12th grade. It’s great if you want your children to work independently and receive immediate feedback.

ALEKS Math Price

You can either pay $180 for a year or $20 per month per child. They do offer a family discount too!

Is ALEKS Math Digital or Physical?

All lessons are taught online with no need for a textbook.

Is ALEKS Math Secular or Christian?

This course has adopted a secular perspective.

ALEKS Math Preparation Time

The issue of prep is non-existent here. Everything is completed online by AI.

ALEKS Math Teacher Involvement

There is no human involvement at all. Unfortunately, there aren’t any videos or graphics either.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a conceptual online math course for kids of all ages, including adults who need to take their own math studies a few steps farther.

Khan Academy Grade Level

Your child can stay with Khan Academy for all their math needs from kindergarten to 12th-grade calculus. There are even courses for adults, if needed.

Khan Academy Price

Amazingly, this math course is free!

Is Khan Academy Digital or Physical?

It’s all completed on their website.

Is Khan Academy Secular or Christian?

It’s a secular program.

Khan Academy Preparation Time

The preparation time is low. Your child can walk through everything at their own pace after logging on to the website.

Khan Academy Teacher Involvement

Unless you’re working with a teacher in a brick-and-mortar school, there won’t be any involvement. Just help your kids learn to navigate the website and you’re good to go.

For those looking for a spiral approach to learning maths, Saxon Math is a good option for you. No homeschool math curriculum comparison guide would be complete without this effective program.

Saxon Math Grade Level

Saxon Math takes your child from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Saxon Math Price

New editions cost between $85 to $100. However, older versions are sold on Amazon for $20. 

Is Saxon Math Digital or Physical?

Saxon is a very physical, tactile teaching method.

Is Saxon Math Secular or Christian?

It’s a 100% secular course.

Saxon Math Preparation Time

You’ll need to read over the material extensively before you can begin. This makes the prep time  pretty high but, ultimately, worth it.

Saxon Math Teacher Involvement

You have to be prepared to knuckle down and coach your child.

RightStart Mathematics

RightStart Mathematics is a math curriculum that is based around the AL abacus in order to heighten conceptual and practical understanding of math concepts.

RightStart Mathematics Grade Level

RightStart Math serves children from kindergarten to grade 8. 

RightStart Mathematics Price

Each level asks you to buy a bundle of textbooks. These will cost you $90. However, you’ll also need to purchase a manipulative bundle for $210 (look for coupons before you buy).

Is RightStart Mathematics Digital or Physical?

It’s a physical course. RightStart values both kinesthetic and visual learning.

Is RightStart Mathematics Secular or Christian?

It’s a secular math curriculum.

RightStart Mathematics Preparation Time

The prep time is high and relatively time-consuming. You need to be prepared to regard this as an investment and take as much time as needed to make it effective.

RightStart Mathematics Teacher Involvement

Again, teacher involvement is high. Your child’s success here will depend on your understanding of the course.

Final Thoughts on Homeschool Math Curriculums

As you can see from the homeschool math curriculum comparisons above, no two math curriculums are created equal. Each curriculum has its strengths and weaknesses and each is geared towards a different style of homeschooling.

Go through the comparison chart and pick out a math program that will work for your individual homeschool needs. Try it out and see how it goes! Some of the digital curriculums offer free trials.

Even if you do commit to an entire year and decide you don’t like what you chose, nothing says you can’t pick another curriculum next year (or even right now if you are willing to invest in another option right away). But hopefully this chart helps you decide on a program that will work for you and your kids.

Recommended Math Curriculum Resources

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Tuesday 5th of January 2021

Such a helpful comparison. Thank you!!

Charlene Hess

Wednesday 6th of January 2021

You're welcome! I'm glad you found it useful.

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Shormann Algebra Reviews?

By RubyPenn , March 19, 2019 in High School and Self-Education Board

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Has anyone used Shormann Algebra?  I'm very interested in this for my rising 9th grader next year.

• 5 months later...

Hi, Bumping this up as I'm wondering too 🙂   Looking at Algebra 2.  Thanks!

blessedmom3

My son has used it; I thought it was a decent math program. Similar to Saxon—incremental and lots of review, so if your student doesn’t learn that way it won’t work. The geometry part was a little weak IMO. We had to supplement with another geometry book. My son placed in College Algebra at a local college after using Shorman Algebra II. He is a strong math student and I was surprised he did not place higher. Shorman claims you can pass CLEP after Algebra II but I am not so sure. I am glad he took Algebra II at the college though; it was a good review for him and it filled in the gaps. 

For my next children, we have decided to go with Unlock Math. They just started Algebra I and love it! The set up of the program is wonderful and we love that it shows on the screen only one exercise/problem at a time. The videos are high quality, concise and very clear, speaking directly to the student, versus a computer screen in Shormann. They are also shorter than Shorman’s. If they struggle with a concept, the computer generates another set of problems and records the highest grade. If they still struggle, there is a chat button to ask directly a certified math teacher!!! My kids thought that was so cool. The teacher answered immediately! 

I have asked before here about the scope and sequence and someone replied that they thought it is comparable to any rigorous algebra program. ( you can search here, it was only about a week ago)

I know you did not ask about another math program, but we are so excited to have found it and I had to share! 

Thanks so much for answering!  I did go ahead and buy the Shormann subscription and my son is two weeks into it.    I'm not so sure if it was the right choice or not, so only time will tell.  He really needs someone to hold his hand through math, but I'm not the one to do it and my husband is too busy, so this seemed like the next best thing after going through CLE math.  A friend of mine uses it with her son and has been very happy with the results, so I'm sure hoping for the best for my kid.

I will go ahead and look into Unlock Math, though.  I've never heard of that program.

On 9/7/2019 at 10:56 AM, blessedmom3 said: My son has used it; I thought it was a decent math program. Similar to Saxon—incremental and lots of review, so if your student doesn’t learn that way it won’t work. The geometry part was a little weak IMO. We had to supplement with another geometry book. My son placed in College Algebra at a local college after using Shorman Algebra II. He is a strong math student and I was surprised he did not place higher. Shorman claims you can pass CLEP after Algebra II but I am not so sure. I am glad he took Algebra II at the college though; it was a good review for him and it filled in the gaps.  For my next children, we have decided to go with Unlock Math. They just started Algebra I and love it! The set up of the program is wonderful and we love that it shows on the screen only one exercise/problem at a time. The videos are high quality, concise and very clear, speaking directly to the student, versus a computer screen in Shormann. They are also shorter than Shorman’s. If they struggle with a concept, the computer generates another set of problems and records the highest grade. If they still struggle, there is a chat button to ask directly a certified math teacher!!! My kids thought that was so cool. The teacher answered immediately!  I have asked before here about the scope and sequence and someone replied that they thought it is comparable to any rigorous algebra program. ( you can search here, it was only about a week ago) I know you did not ask about another math program, but we are so excited to have found it and I had to share! 

I appreciate the recommendation. I purchased Algebra I last year and was looking forward to it. 

Concision is not his strong point. I have a Kathy daughter who feels frustrated. 

On 9/7/2019 at 8:56 AM, blessedmom3 said: My son has used it; I thought it was a decent math program. Similar to Saxon—incremental and lots of review, so if your student doesn’t learn that way it won’t work. The geometry part was a little weak IMO. We had to supplement with another geometry book. My son placed in College Algebra at a local college after using Shorman Algebra II. He is a strong math student and I was surprised he did not place higher. Shorman claims you can pass CLEP after Algebra II but I am not so sure. I am glad he took Algebra II at the college though; it was a good review for him and it filled in the gaps.  For my next children, we have decided to go with Unlock Math. They just started Algebra I and love it! The set up of the program is wonderful and we love that it shows on the screen only one exercise/problem at a time. The videos are high quality, concise and very clear, speaking directly to the student, versus a computer screen in Shormann. They are also shorter than Shorman’s. If they struggle with a concept, the computer generates another set of problems and records the highest grade. If they still struggle, there is a chat button to ask directly a certified math teacher!!! My kids thought that was so cool. The teacher answered immediately!  I have asked before here about the scope and sequence and someone replied that they thought it is comparable to any rigorous algebra program. ( you can search here, it was only about a week ago) I know you did not ask about another math program, but we are so excited to have found it and I had to share! 

thank you so much!  And thanks to the OP for starting this thread.  

We used Jacob's with Dr Callahan in Algebra 1 - found it rigorous and good but a little too teacher (me) intensive for grading and reteaching things that weren't clear to my DD.  Used CTC for Geometry and found out after a school year that it was lacking (compared to another program my other dd was taking at the time).  And now are having a struggle finding a fit for Algebra 2.   We're looking at Unlock now, comparing it to Dive videos.  Thank you! 🙂

7 hours ago, Pour in said:   thank you so much!  And thanks to the OP for starting this thread.   We used Jacob's with Dr Callahan in Algebra 1 - found it rigorous and good but a little too teacher (me) intensive for grading and reteaching things that weren't clear to my DD.  Used CTC for Geometry and found out after a school year that it was lacking (compared to another program my other dd was taking at the time).  And now are having a struggle finding a fit for Algebra 2.   We're looking at Unlock now, comparing it to Dive videos.  Thank you! 🙂

I bought Jacob’s as well and thought it looked intensive for me. We still use & love Unlock Math! I am also pleasantly surprised that unlike other online math programs it incorporates higher order thinking skills and not just in the ‘challenge’ problems as they call them. They are mixed in the practice and stay sharp  sections among simpler, procedural,ones. For me it is easier to go in the kids’ accounts and check only what they did wrong and go over the mistakes to make sure they get it. The solutions are given to them right away  after they click submit, but I am afraid my kids (younger middle schoolers) will just skim through in a hurry without reading and trying to understand the solution. There are some minor issues that I hope they will fix in the future ( like if the student enters capital variable it is wrong— it has to be lowercase) but this is insignificant to the benefit of what it offers! Happy mom, happy kids finally, after I have a whole collections of Algebra textbooks 🙂  

• 1 year later...

I just wanted to jump in late, to help others researching this program. I would be very wary paying the additional for the LIVE class. He is extremely rigid and will make zero modifications for your child. If you ask to make any, they will bump you down the self paced course, despite having paid for the live support. Buyer beware! There are zero exceptions for any later work or to change anything. He also claims to incorporate theology, but it is sketchy at best. Today he told the class that they would be future "fraudulent voters" if they started their quiz a few minutes late. I believe the line of thinking was you are cheating by starting a few minutes late and therefore would be committing voter fraud as an adult . It is concerning, honestly - and shocking. 

• 3 months later...

I signed my 11th grader up for Shormann Algebra 2 this year.  She started the self-paced course.  It looked perfect on paper.  She had completed Saxon Algebra 2 3rd edition last year (10th grade).  She liked the algebra portion but is frankly clueless about geometry.  My daughter really liked Saxon.  However, we chose not to continue with Saxon for 11th grade because 1) it got to the point that she was taking almost 3 hours some days to complete her math; and 2) I had retaught geometry lessons to her.  She'd understand them.  Do well on the retested material.  Forget it all a few weeks later.  Aargh.  So I utterly refuse to slog through Advanced Math with her to complete the last half of her geometry (she gets 1/2 credit for Geometry in Saxon Algebra 2 3rd edition and would get the other 1/2 credit in Geometry in the first 60-90 lessons of Saxon Advanced Math). . Anyway, Shormann Algebra 2 seemed like a perfect answer.  Supposedly, she would be able to review her Algebra 2 as well as complete her Geometry credit without having to slog through advanced concepts.  And it seemed like the format would be similar to Saxon which she likes.  Well, she completed the first 15 lessons and HATES it.  She misses having a textbook.  She feels Dr. Shormann jsut works problems but doesn't teach the concepts well -- just assuming that the student should get the concept by seeing problems worked.  My DD also said that she could usually guess the answer electornically without working the problem so she could make "As" on the quizzes without learning the material.    . So we dropped it after having PAID for it sigh.  She is now doing the High School Geometry course using Khan Academy.  So far, she really likes it.  She's only 20% of the way through it though.  Fingers crossed. . But this is MY kid.  She scores low to mid 30s in her ACT for reading and English, but she scores in the low to mid 20s for math and science (not really her thing).  Maybe try a sample on their site?

ChocolateCake

We also tried it and dropped it about 10 lessons in.  We were coming from Math Mammoth which is laid out completely differently (mastery based).  My kid is not independent enough to do math on his own.  I think one of the chapters introduced about 20 new vocabulary words and kids were told to memorize them.  It was just too fast moving for my son.  If there was a problem he didn't understand, he was supposed to watch the video again.  But, sometimes that wasn't enough.  There's only 20 problems to do and there's no extra problems to have your child work on if it's not clicking.  We switched to Foerster's with Math Without Borders videos.  

• 7 months later...

[to be read in a cheesy advertiser's voice:] Do you want to make your child LOATHE math? I mean, they probably already kinda hate it, but wouldn't you like to suck every bit of joy and wonder from it? If Saxon did not already do the trick, have I got a program for you!

Seriously, I tutor kids in math from elementary to Calculus and right now almost all of my students are homeschooled. Parents choose the curriculum, and I tutor the kid. I have recently decided that I will likely turn down business rather than help a child through any level of Shormann again. (My only absolutely hard no is Abeka Geometry - there is a special place in hell for that hot mess of a textbook, but that's an entirely different discussion.) I've used the Art of Problem Solving, Thinkwell, Jacobs, Foerster, Math-U-See, Horizons, UCSMP (I think I remembered all the letters in that acronym, but who knows?), Saxon, various generic public school textbooks, Abeka, Alpha Omega, CTC, and probably others.

Some of my objections Shormann:

I'm not a fan of not grouping like concepts with like concepts. Let's learn all about functions as one cohesive topic instead of interjecting 14 different concepts between each lesson on functions so the student had no hope of understanding the topic as a whole. The most profound statement I had a Calculus student make about this incremental approach was "I feel like I know a little bit about everything, but I don't know everything about anything."

In case you couldn't find the scope and sequence of Shormann cleverly hidden in their parent guide, derivatives (Calculus) are introduced in lesson 20 of Algebra 1. Why do this to a kid? Yes, it relates directly to slope of a line, but the concept is introduced as a "memorize this fact" rather than giving the student a full picture of what a derivative is. My style is to give a child all the necessary background info when teaching a new concept, so they can tie it to a concept they've already mastered. It stays in their memory longer if they have a logical hook in their brain on which to hang the information. I rarely say "just memorize this for now, it'll make sense later," but I find myself saying this a LOT as I have helped a student through two courses of Shormann, and I'm saying it with less and less conviction. The truth? I no longer believe it'll make sense later if he sticks with Shormann. 

As we work through Algebra 2, I keep wondering what on earth will be left to teach in precalculus and calculus? I took a sneak peak: it looks like he teaches calculus in precalculus and calculus 2 in calculus.

Shormann also has a weird devotion to Euler Word Problems: "Two persons owe conjointly a debt of 29 gold coins; they both have money, but neither enough to enable him, singly, to discharge this common debt: the first debtor says therefore to the second, 'If you give me 2/3 of your money, I can immediately pay the debt'; and the second answers, that he could discharge the debt if the other would give him 3/4 of his money. Required, how many gold coins each had?" That's one of many such questions - bad punctuation and all. I'm sure someone out there is thinking, "But it ties language and math together! Our children need to be able to parse through tough language to derive meaning! How will they be able to ready the classics if we don't challenge them?" Um - by reading the classics and parsing through tough language to derive meaning in a context where they are not also trying to keep afloat in an unnecessarily complicated math class? Don't get me wrong: I loved doing this problem! I am a hard-core math geek. But I don't love it for the student.

And don't get me started on Shormann's approach to geometric proof which again seems to resort to a "memorize these steps" to spit out the info. Not to mention that he rounds everything to one decimal point almost invariably even when the exact answer could be given in terms of pi or a radical, but that's probably an objection limited to math geeks.  So yeah. I've run out of steam.

Bottom line? Choose something else.

Well thank you all for the reviews! Been looking for an option after Saxon Algebra 2.

I'm the OP and we dropped Shormann after a year and a half.  Algebra 1 went pretty well and my son got a low B, but Algebra 2 was a train wreck and I should have quit much sooner.  We switched to Math U See and he has done very well with it.  Shormann might be better suited to a motivated math student who doesn't mind tons of concepts being thrown at them. It is not for one who doesn't enjoy math, and as another poster pointed out, it will make them hate it even more.

• 2 weeks later...

On 10/14/2021 at 8:29 AM, DanaG said:   [to be read in a cheesy advertiser's voice:] Do you want to make your child LOATHE math? I mean, they probably already kinda hate it, but wouldn't you like to suck every bit of joy and wonder from it? If Saxon did not already do the trick, have I got a program for you! Seriously, I tutor kids in math from elementary to Calculus and right now almost all of my students are homeschooled. Parents choose the curriculum, and I tutor the kid. I have recently decided that I will likely turn down business rather than help a child through any level of Shormann again. (My only absolutely hard no is Abeka Geometry - there is a special place in hell for that hot mess of a textbook, but that's an entirely different discussion.) I've used the Art of Problem Solving, Thinkwell, Jacobs, Foerster, Math-U-See, Horizons, UCSMP (I think I remembered all the letters in that acronym, but who knows?), Saxon, various generic public school textbooks, Abeka, Alpha Omega, CTC, and probably others. Some of my objections Shormann: I'm not a fan of not grouping like concepts with like concepts. Let's learn all about functions as one cohesive topic instead of interjecting 14 different concepts between each lesson on functions so the student had no hope of understanding the topic as a whole. The most profound statement I had a Calculus student make about this incremental approach was "I feel like I know a little bit about everything, but I don't know everything about anything." In case you couldn't find the scope and sequence of Shormann cleverly hidden in their parent guide, derivatives (Calculus) are introduced in lesson 20 of Algebra 1. Why do this to a kid? Yes, it relates directly to slope of a line, but the concept is introduced as a "memorize this fact" rather than giving the student a full picture of what a derivative is. My style is to give a child all the necessary background info when teaching a new concept, so they can tie it to a concept they've already mastered. It stays in their memory longer if they have a logical hook in their brain on which to hang the information. I rarely say "just memorize this for now, it'll make sense later," but I find myself saying this a LOT as I have helped a student through two courses of Shormann, and I'm saying it with less and less conviction. The truth? I no longer believe it'll make sense later if he sticks with Shormann.  As we work through Algebra 2, I keep wondering what on earth will be left to teach in precalculus and calculus? I took a sneak peak: it looks like he teaches calculus in precalculus and calculus 2 in calculus. Shormann also has a weird devotion to Euler Word Problems: "Two persons owe conjointly a debt of 29 gold coins; they both have money, but neither enough to enable him, singly, to discharge this common debt: the first debtor says therefore to the second, 'If you give me 2/3 of your money, I can immediately pay the debt'; and the second answers, that he could discharge the debt if the other would give him 3/4 of his money. Required, how many gold coins each had?" That's one of many such questions - bad punctuation and all. I'm sure someone out there is thinking, "But it ties language and math together! Our children need to be able to parse through tough language to derive meaning! How will they be able to ready the classics if we don't challenge them?" Um - by reading the classics and parsing through tough language to derive meaning in a context where they are not also trying to keep afloat in an unnecessarily complicated math class? Don't get me wrong: I loved doing this problem! I am a hard-core math geek. But I don't love it for the student. And don't get me started on Shormann's approach to geometric proof which again seems to resort to a "memorize these steps" to spit out the info. Not to mention that he rounds everything to one decimal point almost invariably even when the exact answer could be given in terms of pi or a radical, but that's probably an objection limited to math geeks.  So yeah. I've run out of steam. Bottom line? Choose something else.    

DanaG:  Do you have a favorite Math Curriculum?  My oldest is in 6th grade and we've been using Math U See since the end of 1st grade. We really like it.  In first grade we tried Saxon, Singapore, and then switched to MUS.  The spiral approach drove me crazy as a teacher (Especially when needing lots of different manipulatives at the young levels.) 

My goal is to have my daughter take part in the running start program in WA state that allows her to take college classes her junior and senior years.  Those classes count as both her high school credits and can also earn her an AA degree at the same time. I want her prepared to begin college her junior year and I've heard that Math U See Algebra (and up) are not as complete as other programs.  I've been considering switching her out of MUS next year when she begins PreAlgebra in hopes of finding a program to get her ready for college by her junior year.  I was considering Saxon and Shormann's Dive because they combine geometry.  After reading reviews I'm second guessing this.  We also take some BJU classes and I was thinking about BJU math as well.  Maybe I should stick with MUS since it's been working for us?  Math is one of my favorite subjects and my daughter does well in it.  I'm fairly confident in our abilities to tackle most programs... I think 🙂

Raisingaremnant

On 10/24/2021 at 10:05 AM, LR14 said: DanaG:  Do you have a favorite Math Curriculum?  My oldest is in 6th grade and we've been using Math U See since the end of 1st grade. We really like it.  In first grade we tried Saxon, Singapore, and then switched to MUS.  The spiral approach drove me crazy as a teacher (Especially when needing lots of different manipulatives at the young levels.)  My goal is to have my daughter take part in the running start program in WA state that allows her to take college classes her junior and senior years.  Those classes count as both her high school credits and can also earn her an AA degree at the same time. I want her prepared to begin college her junior year and I've heard that Math U See Algebra (and up) are not as complete as other programs.  I've been considering switching her out of MUS next year when she begins PreAlgebra in hopes of finding a program to get her ready for college by her junior year.  I was considering Saxon and Shormann's Dive because they combine geometry.  After reading reviews I'm second guessing this.  We also take some BJU classes and I was thinking about BJU math as well.  Maybe I should stick with MUS since it's been working for us?  Math is one of my favorite subjects and my daughter does well in it.  I'm fairly confident in our abilities to tackle most programs... I think 🙂

What did you decide on? My son is finishing Zeta this week and has also used MUS all the way through from Primer. I don’t know if I should keep him in it or go to something else. I was considering Shormann which is what led me to this thread. I am definitely rethinking that now.

• 4 months later...

Our family has been using Shormann for 3 years now, and it has been a very positive experience.  We've used his Alg. 1, Alg. 2 and Precalc.  We felt the level of support was sufficient, style of teaching was thorough (video lecture, lesson problems with a video explanation for each, quizzes and tests with clear instructions on how to prepare for it), we appreciated the Christian perspective injected periodically, the variety of questions touching various real life fields where the relevant math concepts could be applied, and thought it was fun to have the Euclidian math problems included occasionally.  When we had a question, Dr. Shormann replied in a timely manner.  My daughter will be taking college Calc. 1 in the fall, which she was able to placement test into without a problem.  While it remains to be seen how she does in the class, based on her placement test scores, Shormann taught her what she needs to know up to this point, and it was nearly painless for me.  For reference, we had previously tried Math U See, which didn't work well for us.  I'm glad there are a variety of options for the various learning styles/preferences of families.

On 9/11/2019 at 4:57 PM, Pour in said: compared to another program my other dd was taking at the time

What was that other program?

On 3/29/2022 at 5:36 PM, Raisingaremnant said: What did you decide on? My son is finishing Zeta this week and has also used MUS all the way through from Primer. I don’t know if I should keep him in it or go to something else. I was considering Shormann which is what led me to this thread. I am definitely rethinking that now.

 Are you looking for something more structured, with assignments, videos, etc, or can you teach her from a book like Lial or Dolciani?

On 10/24/2021 at 1:05 PM, LR14 said: DanaG:  Do you have a favorite Math Curriculum?  My oldest is in 6th grade and we've been using Math U See since the end of 1st grade. We really like it.  In first grade we tried Saxon, Singapore, and then switched to MUS.  The spiral approach drove me crazy as a teacher (Especially when needing lots of different manipulatives at the young levels.)  My goal is to have my daughter take part in the running start program in WA state that allows her to take college classes her junior and senior years.  Those classes count as both her high school credits and can also earn her an AA degree at the same time. I want her prepared to begin college her junior year and I've heard that Math U See Algebra (and up) are not as complete as other programs.  I've been considering switching her out of MUS next year when she begins PreAlgebra in hopes of finding a program to get her ready for college by her junior year.  I was considering Saxon and Shormann's Dive because they combine geometry.  After reading reviews I'm second guessing this.  We also take some BJU classes and I was thinking about BJU math as well.  Maybe I should stick with MUS since it's been working for us?  Math is one of my favorite subjects and my daughter does well in it.  I'm fairly confident in our abilities to tackle most programs... I think 🙂

Which level of MUS has she completed, Zeta? Shormann and Saxon are both very spiral. That drove you crazy as a teacher, but did it drive your daughter crazy as a student? For prealgebra you could teach from a textbook like Lial, or an online course like Derek Owens, or Unlock Math (in ascending order of independence)

On 8/14/2022 at 9:38 PM, 3sisters said: Our family has been using Shormann for 3 years now, and it has been a very positive experience.  We've used his Alg. 1, Alg. 2 and Precalc.  We felt the level of support was sufficient, style of teaching was thorough (video lecture, lesson problems with a video explanation for each, quizzes and tests with clear instructions on how to prepare for it), we appreciated the Christian perspective injected periodically, the variety of questions touching various real life fields where the relevant math concepts could be applied, and thought it was fun to have the Euclidian math problems included occasionally.  When we had a question, Dr. Shormann replied in a timely manner.  My daughter will be taking college Calc. 1 in the fall, which she was able to placement test into without a problem.  While it remains to be seen how she does in the class, based on her placement test scores, Shormann taught her what she needs to know up to this point, and it was nearly painless for me.  For reference, we had previously tried Math U See, which didn't work well for us.  I'm glad there are a variety of options for the various learning styles/preferences of families.

Can you give us an update on your daughter’s transition to college calculus from Shorman’s pre calculus?  I am devating starting my kid in his pre-algebra, but these other reviews make me nervous.  

• 1 month later...

On 10/14/2021 at 11:29 AM, DanaG said:   [to be read in a cheesy advertiser's voice:] Do you want to make your child LOATHE math? I mean, they probably already kinda hate it, but wouldn't you like to suck every bit of joy and wonder from it? If Saxon did not already do the trick, have I got a program for you! Seriously, I tutor kids in math from elementary to Calculus and right now almost all of my students are homeschooled. Parents choose the curriculum, and I tutor the kid. I have recently decided that I will likely turn down business rather than help a child through any level of Shormann again. (My only absolutely hard no is Abeka Geometry - there is a special place in hell for that hot mess of a textbook, but that's an entirely different discussion.) I've used the Art of Problem Solving, Thinkwell, Jacobs, Foerster, Math-U-See, Horizons, UCSMP (I think I remembered all the letters in that acronym, but who knows?), Saxon, various generic public school textbooks, Abeka, Alpha Omega, CTC, and probably others. Some of my objections Shormann: I'm not a fan of not grouping like concepts with like concepts. Let's learn all about functions as one cohesive topic instead of interjecting 14 different concepts between each lesson on functions so the student had no hope of understanding the topic as a whole. The most profound statement I had a Calculus student make about this incremental approach was "I feel like I know a little bit about everything, but I don't know everything about anything." In case you couldn't find the scope and sequence of Shormann cleverly hidden in their parent guide, derivatives (Calculus) are introduced in lesson 20 of Algebra 1. Why do this to a kid? Yes, it relates directly to slope of a line, but the concept is introduced as a "memorize this fact" rather than giving the student a full picture of what a derivative is. My style is to give a child all the necessary background info when teaching a new concept, so they can tie it to a concept they've already mastered. It stays in their memory longer if they have a logical hook in their brain on which to hang the information. I rarely say "just memorize this for now, it'll make sense later," but I find myself saying this a LOT as I have helped a student through two courses of Shormann, and I'm saying it with less and less conviction. The truth? I no longer believe it'll make sense later if he sticks with Shormann.  As we work through Algebra 2, I keep wondering what on earth will be left to teach in precalculus and calculus? I took a sneak peak: it looks like he teaches calculus in precalculus and calculus 2 in calculus. Shormann also has a weird devotion to Euler Word Problems: "Two persons owe conjointly a debt of 29 gold coins; they both have money, but neither enough to enable him, singly, to discharge this common debt: the first debtor says therefore to the second, 'If you give me 2/3 of your money, I can immediately pay the debt'; and the second answers, that he could discharge the debt if the other would give him 3/4 of his money. Required, how many gold coins each had?" That's one of many such questions - bad punctuation and all. I'm sure someone out there is thinking, "But it ties language and math together! Our children need to be able to parse through tough language to derive meaning! How will they be able to ready the classics if we don't challenge them?" Um - by reading the classics and parsing through tough language to derive meaning in a context where they are not also trying to keep afloat in an unnecessarily complicated math class? Don't get me wrong: I loved doing this problem! I am a hard-core math geek. But I don't love it for the student. And don't get me started on Shormann's approach to geometric proof which again seems to resort to a "memorize these steps" to spit out the info. Not to mention that he rounds everything to one decimal point almost invariably even when the exact answer could be given in terms of pi or a radical, but that's probably an objection limited to math geeks.  So yeah. I've run out of steam. Bottom line? Choose something else.    

I'm sure there is no way you are still on here but just in case: may I ask, what math program did you think was the best? Like it taught math well and students were prepared? I suppose they wouldn't be going to a math tutor if they were great at it, haha, but any insight you have I would so appreciate!

1 hour ago, KPerkins said: I'm sure there is no way you are still on here but just in case: may I ask, what math program did you think was the best? Like it taught math well and students were prepared? I suppose they wouldn't be going to a math tutor if they were great at it, haha, but any insight you have I would so appreciate!

No, the original poster is no longer active. Please start a new thread if you want to ask about maths programs.

• Jun 13 Rosie_0801 locked this topic

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Best Homeschool Math Curriculum

Critical to STEM and coding , as well as business and even many trades, helping your kids develop a strong understanding of math can give them a real edge in both school and the real world.

For homeschool families, a good math curriculum can help kids become fearless learners, helping them learn to tackle even the most challenging puzzles and problems school (and life) can throw at them with confidence. 

If you’re a homeschool parent, sorting through the many options and finding a program that fits your needs can sometimes be a challenge.

That’s why we’ve created this guide to help parents find the best homeschool math curriculum for their students.

In A Rush? Check Out Our Top Picks

What we look at in a homeschool math curriculum.

With textbooks, workbooks, instructor’s guides, assessments and more to buy, it’s important to find a math curriculum that can fit a typical homeschool budget. 

After all, there’s not much point in considering a curriculum if their instructional material is unaffordable. 

That said, it’s important not to get too carried away thinking about dollars and cents. 

After all, math is a core subject that is critical to a variety of educational fields (and everyday life) and can be a subject that kids can easily develop phobias about. 

As a result, while we certainly look favorably on programs that keep their cost under $100, we tend to consider those in the $100-150 range fairly reasonable for a full year’s learning. 

Ease of Teaching

One thing we look for in a homeschool math program is how easy it is for parents to teach with. 

This means that we tend to favor programs that:

• Are well-scripted – we like a program that provides detailed guidance and instructions for parents to carry out lessons, 
• Are familiar – parents should have a reasonable idea as to what they are doing and why they are doing it and shouldn’t get confused by the way in which a program teaches math
• Offer clear instruction and visuals – These can be very helpful in conveying information to a student
• Don’t involve too many moving parts – Although we do like hands-on learning, generally speaking we also favor programs that don’t involve parents having to buy, store and organize a ton of material each year.

Open and Go

Similar to a program’s overall ease of teaching, we favor homeschool math programs that don’t require a lot of preparation of materials before each lesson.

After all, homeschooling parents are parents first and may not always have a lot of time to pour over lesson plans and organize things each night.

We always look at a program’s rigor when recommending it as a curriculum.

A rigorous homeschool math curriculum should provide comprehensive instruction in its math topics, treating them seriously and provide a good amount of challenging exercises and word problems for students to hone their skills with.

We should note that we don’t feel that a rigorous program necessarily has to be an advanced or challenging curriculum, as topics can always be explained clearly, understandably and in an in depth manner.

Grade Coverage

Not all math curricula are K-12. 

Many programs specialize in providing effective instruction for certain grades (preschool, elementary, middle school and/or high school), and this is something that parents should know about. 

Some may place a strong value on program continuity and consistency, while others may be looking for a specialized approach or methodology and may be willing to change programs in time. 

Conceptual vs Procedural (Traditional)

Another thing we look at in a math program is whether it is conceptual or procedural. 

When people refer to a program being conceptual, they tend to mean that it focuses on math concepts, dealing more with why math processes work and why they’re being used, rather than solely focusing on the steps needed to solve them.

Such programs tend to be more word problem oriented, emphasizing critical thinking and logic skills and often teach and practice multiple strategies for solving problems

Procedural programs, on the other hand, are more traditional in style and tend to focus on developing math fluency, i.e. how to solve problems quickly and efficiently.

Such programs tend to focus more on having students memorize math facts and procedures, on doing math drills and generally offering a bit more computational exercises compared to word problems. 

In recent years there has been a definite shift to conceptual math, but many homeschools still value a traditional emphasis on math fundamentals and problem solving accuracy,

Mastery or Spiral

In addition to conceptual and procedural math, we also look at whether a curriculum is spiral or mastery in its approach.

Spiral approaches to teaching math tend to break big math concepts down into smaller bits and then teach them a little at a time, periodically introducing new concepts and ideas, and spreading the learning out over the year. 

In contrast, a Mastery approach goes deeper into a single concept, taking time to explore all it in its entirety, only moving on to another concept when a student demonstrates proficiency at it, or mastery. 

Which is best really depends on how a student learns best.

Some students get bored of exploring a single topic for a long time and want some novelty, they may forget concepts over time if they don’t pop up now and again, or they may better understand math if they see how different topics relate to each other holistically. 

For those students a spiral approach may be a better fit.  

Others, however, may find they need time to explore concepts and work on one skill at a time, or prefer to do so deeply and thoroughly, or just find moving from topic to topic jarring or annoying, in which case they may do better with a mastery approach curriculum.

Best K-8 Conceptual Program – Singapore Math 

The math program that transformed Singapore into a world leader in math, Singapore Math is a well-known mastery math program that has quite a strong emphasis on developing a thorough and flexible understanding of math concepts. 

Most well known for its CPA ( Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) approach, Singapore Math aims to make abstract concepts in math more concrete and understandable to young kids and thereby develop their overall understanding of math concepts. 

It does so by gradually moving them from hands-on, real life examples of a math concept, usually with manipulatives and activities, then shifting into pictorial format and finally turning these ideas into abstract equations. 

This approach can be quite effective in quickly and effectively developing a conceptual understanding of the material, particularly with young kids, although it can take a little bit of time for parents to get the hang of. 

Despite often introducing topics earlier and going into some depth, Singapore Math is actually a math program that can be used by most students – after all, it is used to great success for kids in Singapore’s public schools. 

At the same time it is quite adaptable to student ability. 

Students who want enrichment can enjoy challenging problem sets in the course’s supplemental workbooks, while the program’s supplements for building up mental math and other computation skills can really help those who usually struggle with math.

There are two popular curricula options available for Singapore Math on the market, Dimensions (produced by Singapore Math the company) and Primary Mathematics (the popular Singapore school math curriculum adapted to the US/international market). 

For more information:

Read our review of Singapore Math (including Dimensions)

Check out our review of Primary Mathematics

Best K12 Procedural Math – Saxon Math

If you’re a parent who wants their child to focus more on how to solve math problems and don’t mind not focusing as much on the why, Saxon Math’s complete K-12 curriculum might be right for you.

Compared to other programs out there, Saxon is much more of what we like to call a back to basics program. 

With its strong emphasis on memorizing math facts, learning rules and techniques and  getting tons of practice, Saxon really gives students an opportunity to develop their computational math skills in ways more conceptual curricula do not. 

In doing so, it can help students develop better math fluency and help them learn to solve math problems quickly and efficiently when it comes time for assessments, albeit with less focus on exploring creative solutions to problems. 

And because Saxon math often revisits previous topics, mixing them into exercises and problem banks, it tends to keep kids on their toes while reinforcing essential knowledge and skills.

It is also one of the easier programs out there with which to get started teaching. Saxon includes guides, solutions, prompts and even full teaching scripts that can be used by unfamiliar or inexperienced homeschooling parents to help implement the program for their kids. 

For more information read out our in-depth review of Saxon Math

Best Gentle Math Program – Math U See

Math U See is a complete K-12 curriculum that is known for teaching math in a more straightforward, approachable way. 

Using videos, workbooks and a strong emphasis on manipulative blocks (that continue until Algebra 1), Math U See spends time delving into math concepts, breaking down and explaining why the math works to both parents and students in an often easy to understand way, which is great for students who are a little math-phobic.

Math U See lessons tend to go slowly, with opportunities to review previous material (unlike many other mastery options) and offers a lot more practice problems for kids to work on, which can really help students recall information and perform come test time. 

There is also a great deal of opportunity to slow down and explain things carefully to kids so they can better internalize concepts, and the combination of video, manipulative use, writing and oral summary also makes the lessons quite multisensory. 

As a result, while not the most advanced curriculum out there, Math U See is a one of the better options for struggling students and kids for whom math isn’t exactly a favorite subject. 

For more information read our in-depth review of Math U See  

Best K-8 Advanced Math Program – Beast Academy

If you have an elementary school student who is showing a particular aptitude for and interest in math, and is maybe even considering entering math contests, they may benefit from a math program that’s a bit more rigorous than most but that won’t bore the passion out of them. 

If that’s the case, Beast Academy might be the math curriculum you’re looking for. 

Available in book and online form, Beast Academy is designed for what the company refers to as “math beasts.” That is, young students with a talent, aptitude and interest in math.

Consequently, the Beast Academy curriculum is quite a bit more challenging than most other math curricula out there. 

Developed by a former math Olympiad winner, Beast Academy aims to instill higher order thinking skills, such as logical reasoning and problem solving, alongside mathematical knowledge, and therefore delves very deeply into math concepts. 

Recognizing that, even for so-called math beasts, it can be hard to reach young kids with deep dives into math concepts, Beast Academy engages kids and teaches them important math concepts through a clever use of comic book-style guidebooks. 

But don’t let the fanciful artwork fool you – Beast Academy tends to cover concepts in far more depth and rigor than other programs. 

In fact, because it introduces ideas and topics earlier and with less review than some other curricula, parents are strongly encouraged to use placement tests before jumping in.

There is ample practice to be had, as well.

The curriculum offers relatively fewer computational problems compared to other programs and provides more complex and challenging puzzles and word problems that students will spend time thinking through.

So if you are looking to challenge your elementary school student with a deeper analysis of math concepts and help them develop the problem solving strategies and critical/logical thinking that can help them in math contests or in enriched math courses, Beast Academy might be the curriculum for you. 

For more information read our in-depth review of Beast Academy

Best Middle/High School Advanced Math – Art of Problem Solving

Art of Problem Solving is a curriculum designed for outstanding math students in middle and high school and is a natural progression for fans of Beast Academy (being made by the same company, although there are no comic book guides here).  

Originally designed to help talented math students prepare for competitions, Art of Problem Solving offers a problem-based and rigorous approach to math that goes deeper into middle and high school math topics, examining concepts more rigorously, more thoroughly and with more challenging problems than they would otherwise be able to do in other math courses. 

This curriculum focuses heavily on getting students to independently solve problems with the underlying belief that by discovering how to solve certain problems, kids will develop a deeper understanding of the material. 

Consequently, AoPS offers short and to the point explanations and lessons that are followed by a good deal of exercises, some of which are taken directly from previous math competitions. 

Overall, there is a far heavier emphasis on logic and proof than other curricula, making Art of Problem solving an excellent homeschool math curriculum for outstanding or talented math students looking to hone their math skills, and can be particularly valuable if students plan on taking math-heavier STEM subjects in university later on. 

For more information read our in-depth review of Art of Problem Solving

Best Affordable Conceptual Program- Math Mammoth

Available digitally for less than $50 per year, Math Mammoth is one of the more affordable math curricula out there.

Yet, while affordable, the program doesn’t skimp on the learning and is a very comprehensive and pretty rigorous concepts-based mastery math program.

Available as a full curriculum and as focused skill-review books, Math Mammoth covers elementary school math concepts in a fair amount of depth, providing clear explanations,  and generally encouraging students to understand what they are doing and find different ways to reach solutions. 

Interestingly, it is also designed as a self-study program.

Written to the student, the books are written using clear and understandable language, use plenty of visuals and diagrams to help with learning, offer an above average amount of dedicated review for a mastery program, and generally do a good job at guiding students step-by-step through each concept…even if it doesn’t have quite all the hands-on learning and bells and whistles of more expensive programs.

There are also a wide array of free concept-linked videos and practice exercises available on the company website, to help students if they get lost. 

This can be of great benefit for busier parents who may be working or dealing with the many other tasks that homeschooling requires, although parents will probably still need to spend some time at the beginning of the year setting up a learning schedule.

Finally, the program is also fairly rigorous.

It introduces some concepts ahead of grade-level and offers a good variety of challenging word problems and puzzles, as well as optional, supplemental workbooks. 

For these reasons, we believe Math Mammoth can be an excellent option for homeschooling families who are on a stricter budget but are still interested in a strong, conceptual mastery math program.

For more information, read our in-depth review of Math Mammoth

Best Online Math Program – CTCMath

If you’re looking for a complete and comprehensive online solution to help teach math at home, Australian-based CTCMath might be the right curriculum for you. 

CTCMath is a browser-based digital learning platform that covers the full suite of K-12 math and, while its not Common Core aligned (being based in Australia), there is a specific US curriculum that homeschooling parents can choose from.

Lessons are taught through short videos, narrated by the program’s creator (who works offscreen) and serve to introduce math concepts in a straightforward, easy to understand manner while also providing visual examples and demonstrations on screen.  

Although not the flashiest program out there, CTC Math does make learning math a lot more understandable compared to other options. 

After each video, students answer a series of on-screen interactive questions before progressing to printable PDF worksheets, quizzes and occasional revision tasks. 

The program is a conceptual mastery program, allowing students to spend as much time on each topic, and is fairly strong in terms of conceptual math teaching, delving deeply into the why behind math and providing strategies and challenging questions for students to complete. 

We also feel that the program provides an excellent array of customization tools, such as a powerful question bank wizard, scheduler and the ability to easily pick and choose topics from different grades, which can be used to personalize learning to a fair degree. 

Overall, while not the cheapest self-study math curriculum out there (usually costing somewhere around $200 per year), as a digital math learning option CTC Math offers a fairly rigorous curriculum with a wide variety of personalized teaching options, clear and effective instruction and a high level of flexibility that all combine to help it stand out from the rest. 

Read our in-depth review of CTCMath for more information

Coolest Project-based Program – Redbird Math

Developed at Stanford, Redbird Math is a pretty interesting math curriculum for students in elementary school that exposes students early on to the potentially important applications of the math they are learning.

As a conceptual mastery math program, Redbird places a strong emphasis on explaining and exploring math concepts, as well as critical thinking and mathematical reasoning, and explores concepts at a pretty high level, being somewhat designed for gifted math students. 

It is also a self-paced, digital math program that teaches through audio-video lessons, digital manipulatives and on screen math applications, as well as an extensive bank of adaptive questions that become more challenging as students master the material. 

Where it differs from most homeschool math programs is that Redbird integrates project-based learning into its curriculum. 

After a few units students are presented with a challenge (such as designing and creating a video game, building a wind turbine or figuring out how to make a city more traffic-efficient), which gives them the opportunity to review and synthesize the math that they have learned, as well as honing their logic and planning skills. 

These projects are done digitally and the program provides students with a wide array of interesting and interactive virtual equipment and tools to help them get the job done.

As a result, Redbird isn’t just a program to teach kids math concepts, but also can be very valuable in integrating other STEM skills and get them to better appreciate how what they are learning can be used to solve problems in the real world. 

Read our in-depth review of Redbird Math for more information.

Best K-3 Math Program – Miquon Math

Miquon Math was directly developed from the research and innovations of educator Lore Rasmussen at the respected Miquon School in Pennsylvania. 

Designed for students at the earliest stages of math education (K-3), Miquon is rooted in the principles of child-centric/guided learning and allows students a good deal of freedom to explore and discover math concepts for themselves, often rewarding out of the box thinking.

In the program, students are presented with a variety of exercises and problems and are encouraged (under the gentle guidance and assistance of parents) to make maximum use of their creativity, imagination and logic to figure things out rather than relying on drilling math facts and doing exercises.  

Numbers, shapes, operations and equations are modeled out using a wide array of manipulatives (rods, shapes, and so on), with hands-on activities and tools being tightly integrated into the program far more than most others. 

The program is divided into a number of color-coded books, each of which contains an array of math topics (referred to as threads) that run throughout the program. 

Parents can choose to follow a single thread and use the program as a mastery math curriculum, or go book by book and revisit topics as they come, i.e. as a spiral program.

While many parents might feel that a discovery-based approach would lead to a slower pace and coverage of material, the opposite is actually true. 

With its discovery-based learning, carefully crafted exercises and parental guidance, Miquon Math is actually pretty rigorous and is capable of teaching fairly advanced concepts to K-3 students, such as fractions, inequalities, factoring, series and progressions, sets, graphs and more.

Yet, as it is very discovery-based, child-centric and rather open, the program still manages to be fairly gentle and un-intimidating, which is always a plus when dealing with very young students.

Read our in-depth review of Miquon Math for more information

Best Christian Math Curriculum – Horizons Math

If you’re looking for a math curriculum with strong, Christian values but that still provides a rigorous level of math learning, then Horizons Math might just be the right curriculum for you.

Produced by Alpha Omega Publications, Horizons Math is a spiral, procedural program that offers students a strong foundation in math, helping them learn to assess and solve problems quickly and accurately through a strong, traditional emphasis on learning math facts and procedures and providing lots of review and practice. 

Interestingly, and perhaps unlike many other procedural programs, it integrates a wide variety of hands-on learning activities and exercises into each lesson, even in upper grade levels, which can make learning more understandable and more engaging for students.

It is also fairly advanced as a math program, covering topics in-depth and often ahead of grade level, for example by introducing fractions and operations in Kindergarten. 

Yet, at the core of the program are strong Biblical values, with each book in the series containing a wide array of maxims, inspirational messages, scriptural quotes and references to the bible and biblical values.

As a result, Horizons Math can be considered an excellent opinion for faith-based homeschools looking for a program that contains both rigorous and faith-based learning.

It’s also quite affordable, too, with a complete year’s learning typically coming in at less than $100. 

Read our in-depth review of Horizons Math for more information .

Best Literature-based Math –  Life of Fred

Life of Fred is one of the more interesting and unique math curricula we’ve seen so far. 

Rather than teaching with a textbook, videos or lecture, Life of Fred actually teaches math through an engaging series of novels about a young math prodigy/math professor and his various adventures. 

The books themselves are packed with knowledge and weave clear math learning and demonstrations into an overall storyline, which contains a good deal of playful humor and fun illustrations.

As a result, while perhaps a bit roundabout in its style of teaching, the program manages to make even complex math topics seem a lot less intimidating and a lot more doable. 

While this literature-based approach is highly unusual in the world of math, its overall coverage of math topics is actually quite extensive. 

Progressing from kindergarten through to college-level math, Life of Fred’s stories cover everything from simple addition and subtraction all the way to linear algebra and calculus, as well as real and complex analysis.

The combination of an approachable presentation and extensive topical coverage means that Life of Fred can be an excellent go-to resource for students who suffer from math-phobia, have had a hard time learning it in the past or who are using another program but could benefit from another perspective on things.

More than that, however, Life of Fred’s engaging literature-based approach makes it a somewhat natural fit for homeschoolers interested in teaching using living books , such as those following a Charlotte Mason or eclectic approach. 

Finally, Life of Fred is also quite affordable. 

With its softcover books typically costing less than $20 to buy, it should fit easily into most budgets, either as a curriculum or as a supplement. 

Read our in-depth review of Life of Fred for more information.

What Parents Should Consider

Student needs.

Like pretty much everything else in education, math instruction tends to go through phases and best practices for teaching tend to be influenced by research of the time and the general cultural zeitgeist. 

As a result, it can sometimes seem as if there is a new “transformative way of teaching” coming out every few years. 

While innovations in teaching and methodology are certainly important, homeschooling parents should never lose sight of the fact that they are in a unique position to really tailor learning to their child. 

With math being at once a critical subject and also one that can end up inspiring fear and frustration if taught wrong, it is extremely important that parents consider the needs and ideal learning style of their child over anything else. 

Some students, for example, may learn best with tons of review and drill, others may hate multisensory and activity-based learning and actually prefer simple, direct instruction.

If a student is comfortable with a program and understands what’s being presented they are often less likely to feel frustrated or intimidated by what’s being taught. 

How Much Review

Review is a tricky thing with math.

Review and practice are the main way in which skill fluency in math is developed, and all students need some…and some students need a lot.

At a certain point, however, too much review and practice can result in “drill and kill,” where a student’s motivation to learn is destroyed by what they see as boring busywork. 

Too little and students tend to forget or fail to master key skills. 

As a result, parents really need to examine a program, view it in light of their student’s and their individual needs and preferences and perhaps even be willing and ready to modify or supplement the program as needed.

Word Problems vs Drill

In recent years there has been a debate between including more word problems vs. straight computational problems and drill, particularly at the K-8 level. 

Some argue that word problems foster critical thinking, logic and creativity a little better and others argue that students need more practice in becoming faster and more accurate at calculating.

Without wading into the debate ourselves, it is something that parents will have to consider.

Hands on learning

It sometimes seems like a no-brainer and that hands-on learning in math is the way to go.

While we are certainly fans , feeling that it can help students (particularly younger ones) better grasp abstract concepts, it is important that parents go into hands-on math programs with their eyes fully open. 

Math manipulatives and hands-on activities do require parents to buy and store more materials for each child, they can get distracting for some kids and they can extend the length of each lesson significantly, something that not every family has the time for.

Common Core Alignment

Not every homeschool math curriculum is common core aligned, with many following their own pace, scope and sequence. 

While some homeschooling families may be fine with an unaligned curriculum, others may be bound by local statutes on homeschooling or just may prefer following a more standardized program. 

By and large, there usually isn’t much of a downside either way and it is largely an issue of personal preference. 

Level of Rigor and Challenge

We always like it when a math curriculum is rigorous and thorough in its teaching of math concepts, and we appreciate it when their practice materials can push a child to think a little more deeply when solving problems.

That said, a program’s rigor and difficulty needs to reasonably match the ability, skill and preference of a child.

If a program is too advanced, too complex and moves too quickly, a child can quickly find themselves lost, frustrated and hating math. 

Time Commitment 

Homeschooling can be something of a 24/7 lifestyle and math isn’t the only subject and activity that a child will have over the course of a year. 

Some math programs have short lessons that are easier to slide into schedules, while others may have longer ones with more activities packed into them that can help reinforce learning.

To prevent chaos and a general feeling of hurriedness, a math curriculum needs to be able to fit into the general lifestyle and day to day schedule of the family learning from it. 

Level of Parental Involvement

Finally, parents need to consider just how much time and effort they can devote to a single child in a single subject. 

While every parent would like to say that they are willing to devote everything they have to their kids, the reality of homeschooling (particularly with larger families) is that life often gets in the way of ideals. 

As with other homeschooling curricula, some math programs are very parent intensive and require parents to teach directly and sit through lessons, interacting and monitoring students as needed. 

Others may be more self-study, with the program itself teaching the student on a day to day basis and parents stepping back into an oversight role by making sure students are keeping up with their work. 

As with other factors, there is not one size fits all and it is a choice that all parents have to make at some point.

Bottom Line

Finding the best homeschool math curriculum for your needs can certainly take time, requiring a good deal of research and a realistic evaluation of both your own teaching philosophy and style and your student’s needs, abilities and sometimes even their personality.  

Yet math is a critical component of everyday life and, sadly, a subject that is often taught in a way that frustrates and discourages students. 

As parents we want our children to have the most advantages they can in school and in life, and strong mathematical confidence can certainly be one such advantage, even if the student never pursues a career in STEM. 

So as you pour through the various scope and sequences, just remember that the time spent finding a way of teaching math that fits will be well worth it in the end. 

About the Author

David Belenky is a freelance writer, former science and math tutor and a tech enthusiast. When he’s not writing about educational tech, he likes to chill out with his family and dog at home.  

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Jen Merckling

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Is Saxon Math Right for Your Homeschool?

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• What it is (We’ll look at all grade level options)
•  Pros vs. Cons
•   H ow you can adapt it for your kids
•  Options you have to get some extra help with teaching it !

**Whew…this post is a long one! Scroll through to find what you need and be sure to pin it for later!**

What is Saxon Math?

Saxon Math was created by John Saxon over 30 years ago and was eventually sold to Harcourt (now Houghton Mifflin Hartcourt). His desire was to create a math curriculum that builds a strong foundation in skills with an emphasis on review . The curriculum is used in public, private, and homeschools around the world (and includes phonics & spelling programs). For our purposes–we’ll just focus on their homeschool math programs.

When people talk about Saxon Math they often refer to it as a spiral method .  So what the heck does that mean?

In the spiral method, math topics are introduced in small pieces.   The concepts are built upon very gradually . The next step to expand upon a skill might not be introduced for several days (if not weeks) later.

For example: One day your child might learn about money (let’s say a specific coin–the quarter). The next day it’s fractions. Then you might cover some multiplication…Eventually it wraps back around to a new lesson about money (such as new coin or counting a combination of coins).

Each lesson has opportunities to practice the new skill. But most of the independent work revolves around review of previously taught material.

For example:   A lesson may have 30 problems–5 may be practice over the new skill and 25 will review material from previous lessons.  Practice problems can be combinations of time, money, words problems, measurement, graphs, multiplication, fractions, and addition facts- -anything and everything your child has previously covered.

Saxon Math K-3:

The Saxon Math homeschool program for kindergarten through 3rd grade has a unique format, completely separate from the rest of the Saxon Math Program. The lessons are scripted and designed to be open and go. In addition,  Math manipulatives are frequently incorporated– which I love.

Each level includes a spiral-bound teacher’s manual and meeting book. (That completes the Math K Home Study Kit .) Home Study Kits for Levels 1, 2, & 3 also include student workbooks and flash cards.

Because I already own all the teacher manuals–I just purchase the student workbooks for my younger children.   I skip the meeting book–it’s basically a calendar with counting, graphing, and weather.  We have a separate large calendar that I prefer to use–so I find that the meeting book is redundant and something I tend to skip over anyway.

But if you’re just starting out–buying the complete homeschool kit is usually the most cost-effective way to purchase the curriculum! 

You will definitely need math manipulatives with any of the Saxon K-3 programs.. .these are purchased separately from the homeschool kits. Saxon sells a math manipulative kit to keep it simple…But you can also purchase pieces individually.

Not included with the manipulative kits are base-ten blocks …I personally think these are a must-have for teaching place-value and adding or subtracting 2 & 3 digit numbers.

**A Note About Saxon K:

If your child has previous preschool math experience–they may be ready for Saxon Math 1.

(Here’s a handy scope-and-sequence chart to see what skills are covered!)

Saxon Math Intermediate Grade 3:

In recent years, Saxon has made their public school line of math curriculum available to homeschool families.  This line is known as Saxon Intermediate (Grades 3-5). The Intermediate books do not have teacher manuals–but instead are hardcover student textbooks.  They’re written to the student and follow a similar format to traditional Saxon upper-elementary and middle school math programs (we’ll get to that in a just a bit) .

I prefer the hands-on, interactive approach for grade 3 (so I use Saxon Math 3 )–but if you’re transitioning from the public school system, I think Saxon Math Intermediate 3  is a great choice! (In addition–the Intermediate series aligns with Common Core Standards found in public schools.)

Saxon Math for Grades 4-5:

Traditionally, after Saxon Math 3, homeschool students begin Saxon Math 5/4 followed by Saxon Math 6/5 .

**You will notice the upper elementary and middle school Saxon levels are written in this weird fractional format (though it’s not pronounced as a fraction–just Saxon Math 5, 4)…The first number is the average student grade level and the second number is the advanced student grade level for which the book is intended. So Math 5/4 is perfect for average-level 5th grade math students or advanced-level 4th grade students.

There is a huge change in format from the Saxon K-3 program! At this level, there is no longer a spiral-scripted teacher manual.

Instead these homeschool kits include:

• Student Edition Text (These are soft-cover, with newsprint-like pages.   My kids wrote in them like workbooks. )
• Tests & Worksheets
• Solutions Manual

The Student Texts are written to the student– but I always either read them first or read the lesson with my kids.

The lessons have warm-ups (which we often skipped) and the new learning is short (maybe 15-20 minutes). A small amount of practice problems are focused on the new learning.  (We always worked these together.) Then the main assignment is about 30 problems of mixed practice (problems from previous lessons–with a few from the new lesson tossed in).

I rarely had my kids do all the problems.. .You can get more ideas to adapt the lessons below!

Intermediate Math Grade 4 & 5:

As I mentioned above with Intermediate Math Grade 3 …Saxon offers their public school line of math curriculum to homeschool families for 4th and 5th grade.

I have NOT personally used any of the Intermediate products (but I have readers who use and love them).

In my research, here’s what stands out as the biggest differences in using the Intermediate series vs. the traditional Saxon Math 5/4 or 6/5:

• Intermediate includes a hardcover textbook
• Aligns with Common Core
• Less Teacher Intensive
• More Problem Solving

Saxon Math for Grades 6-12:

Middle school …let the fun begin, momma.

The traditional path for Saxon Math in the Middle School Grades looks like this (especially for those who have used Saxon throughout the elementary years):

• 6th Grade: Math 7/6
• 7th Grade: Math 8/7
• 8th Grade: Algebra 1/2 OR Algebra 1

Or if you started Saxon a bit later or took a slower pace (which is perfectly fine), it might also look like this:

• 6th Grade: Math 6/5
• 7th Grade: Math 7/6
• 8th Grade: Math 8/7

It’s important to note that Algebra 1/2 is very much a review of Math 8/7 –both are considered pre-algebra.  If your child is grasping Math 8/7 with little difficulty–then you should just proceed to Algebra 1.  If your kiddo is struggling through Math 8/7–then go with Algebra 1/2.  

High School …You Made It!

My experience with Saxon Math ends with their “Classic” Algebra 2. My oldest 2 children finished their high school education at our local public high school (Saxon more than prepared them).  And my homeschooled 16 year old loves Teaching Textbooks for high school math.

Be aware–Saxon has 2 different tracks (or editions) for high school! 

• The Classic (3rd Edition): Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Advanced Math (similar to pre-calculus), Calculus
• 4th Edition + Geometry: Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Advanced Math, Calculus

Cathy Duffy has the very best, detailed information and reviews about using Saxon for your high school student! She is my trusted source for the nitty-gritty details!

I can say with certainty that if you are using Saxon Math for high school math–your child will have a very thorough understanding of mathematics!

However–I found it difficult to keep up and teach the lessons as we entered Algebra 2.  If I was using Saxon again for anything beyond Math 8/7–I would utilize videos to teach the lessons. (You can use video teachers much earlier–which makes a lot of sense if you personally don’t have the time or desire to teach the lessons! More about video options below! )

Overall Pros vs. Cons of Saxon Math:

1st the good news… the positive.

The spiral method is great if you like your math in small chunks!

Don’t worry if there were math tears over telling time to 5 minutes, because tomorrow we’re moving on to picture graphs…

The spiral method prevents kids from getting stuck in a difficult or frustrating concept .  They get just a little taste of it to push them a little further along– but tomorrow is a new day!

I find that stepping away from a concept for a few days can be really helpful…The new ideas have time to soak in and get practiced–and when it’s time to add onto the skill, my kids are usually ready.

I also appreciate that the majority of the practice problems cover skills my kids have already learned– reinforcing and reviewing skills, while also building confidence!

In addition, I have found Saxon to be very thorough.  I love how big concepts are broken down into bite-sized pieces–and I think the way they teach math skills is genius…

However …The Not-So-Good

The spiral method can be a discombobulated mess for some kids!

Your child may learn better by focusing on a unit that thoroughly covers a single math concept. This is the way I personally remember learning when I was in school…We would do a unit on fractions or multiplication or telling time…

**However–then I would sometimes forget how to do skills from previous units…**

If your child needs more time diving deep into a skill–Saxon might be frustrating.  Or your child may just find it too jarring–all the jumping from skill to skill found in Saxon.

Ultimately–that’s what happened with my 16 year-old daughter.  We used Saxon until Pre-Algebra and then switched her to Teaching Textbooks . She is much, much happier.

Even for my kids that are especially math-minded… We had lots of math tears with Saxon. (But the one who cried the most math tears went on to get a big engineering scholarship and is majoring in Civil Engineering…She’s currently getting an A in Calculus 2. Her math foundation is firmly rooted in Saxon Math.)

The final complaint I hear a lot of moms make when talking about Saxon is the length… Lessons can get long and the practice can get even longer…

Which leads to my next point…

How to Make Saxon Math Work for You

The lesson can get very lengthy…IF you do it all.

So please, please–feel free to cut, skip, or change the lessons to meet your needs!!

I rarely do the Meeting/Warm-Up part of Saxon lessons…Kids only have so much attention and by the time I get through the warm-up, we’ve reached that limit! So most days I just skip it or just talk about one piece of review!

I look at the objective and if I think there’s a better way to teach it–such as using manipulatives — I change the lesson and do it my way!

If we’ve practiced the objective enough with games and/or hands-on activities– I skip the assignment all together!

We do not do all the math fact sheets!!

Sometimes with little kids- -we do the worksheet orally .

As my kids advanced in Saxon, often the assignments took more time.. Here are some ways I shortened assignments:

• Do just the evens or the odds.
• I pick 5 problems for my kids and they pick 5 problems.
• Do the first 15 problems or the last 15 problems.

And remember–just because your curriculum provides tests, doesn’t mean you have to use the assessments on their schedule!  I often found the testing to be excessive with Saxon and so we would skip some of the tests.   Make it work for you! 

Resources to Help Teach Saxon Math

I mentioned above in the high school section, that if I were teaching upper level Saxon Math–I would definitely utilize a video teaching aid! I know this would have made my life a lot easier! Here are 3 popular options to explore:

Saxon Teacher (Created by Saxon for level 5/4 and up)

If you have younger kids –and you’d like some ideas about how to use math manipulatives, here’s a link to my YouTube video:

A Saxon Loyalist…BUT

There is a lot to love about Saxon– but it’s not for every child or family.  It is incredibly thorough. But its spiral approach is jumpy –and you might prefer a curriculum that tackles math concepts with a unit approach.

I also find it very “mommy-intensive,”–I really had to keep up with it, actively teach it, and help my kids through Saxon Math. In contrast, I’ve found Teaching Textbooks to be a great way for my older daughter to do math independently .

For now –Saxon is my choice for the elementary years (especially the K-3 program). But I would definitely consider it again for upper grades if my kiddo was successful with the spiral method or particularly gifted in mathematics (and I used video support)!

Sending you Happy Math Thoughts and Wishing You No Math Tears!

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