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amyable
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How in the world do you decide which higher level math program (pre-alg, alg, trig, calc, etc) to use with your middle/high schoolers? There are so many! They all seem different, and everyone has their favorites. 
And WHY am I thinking about this the week before Christmas?? 
How 'bout I make this a sort-of-poll: What program(s) do you use for pre-algebra and above (i.e. TT, LOF, Jacobs, etc) and why have you chosen them?
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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Paula in MN
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I am just starting to think about this ~ so glad you asked!
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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Martha
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I only know maybe 3 families that hs high school, so I bought the ones I felt were good in various ways after researching a lot.
I have all of these as pre alg, alg, geo, alg 2 because the only way to know what will work best for different kids is to have it in hand. And I have enough kids that someone will use it eventually.
LoF
key to series
lials BCM
Jacobs
lials intro to algebra
lials algebra
Saxon ( gosh awful dreaded ban of my life but have a kid that does well with it so I sacrifice Saxon)
in case you missed it, I prefer all the others to Saxon. Lials is my favorite. LoF I like and frankly I'd buy it just for reading, but the math is very good too. It's my second fav bc if you have a dc that needs more practice to cement in the learning, you'll to suppliment. I dislike supplimenting math.
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Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
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lapazfarm
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After finishing up the Keys to Algebra, I'm using MUS Algebra II with ds. He seems to like it alright. Though he is fairly proficient,ds will never be a math lover, so we just wanted something very simple and straightforward. MUS fits the bill.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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melanie
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We use Saxon for upper level math so far. Saxon seems to be a love/hate thing with people. It has worked well for us so far though. With my oldest I used it in the early grades too, but it's too time consuming for me now, so we use workbooks until Saxon 5/4.
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Melanie
homeschooling Maria (13yo), Kain (10yo), Jack (5yo), Tess (2yo), and our newest blessing, Henry Robert, born 4/23!
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folklaur
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Teaching Textbooks, because it was the only one that worked (after trying Saxon, Jacobs, MUS, and so many others i can't even remember...)
i had her take the placement tests, i went with the recommendation, and i then the nice voice in the computer taught and explained all the Math. hooray.
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JodieLyn
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I've heard a lot of good things about teaching textbooks.. we're not quite there but that's the one I have in the back of my mind.. but I'd love to know not only which you might be considering but WHY THAT ONE???? 
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Elena
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We have a math tutor who comes in every other week. He also teaches at the local high school so it is not hard for him to come to our home for tutoring. We use the books that he has at his high school to make it easier for him. The benefit to us is that this teacher knows what concepts and problems will be important to know for the SAT and ACT which has been very helpful.
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Elena
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LLMom
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Teaching textbooks because I can't teach higher math (no time) and we don't have co-ops or tutors available.
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Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
homeschooling ideas
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JuliaT
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I haven't reached Pre-Alg but I have given it alot of thought and have come up with different programs for different kids.
My oldest will be doing MUS for the higher math. She does not like math and is not proficient in it but she likes MUS so we are sticking with it. Also, I have heard that MUS is not good for a student who is interested in a math-oreinted occupation, as it is not a rigorous program. I have no worries about this so MUS is a good fit for her. I am also supplementing MUS with LoF.
My ds (9) is in the lsat level of RS, so I need to think what I am going to switch him to. My choices are MUS and BJU. I think ds will end up going in math or science oriented program in college so I think I will go with BJU and may switch over for Algebra with Forresters. I won't know until the time gets there.
Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3 (10,9,7)
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Angel
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We're using Life of Fred pre-algebra right now because my ds staged a rebellion against Saxon last year. He likes humor and stories and really dislikes drill. I was hoping that LoF would appeal to his imagination, thus engendering a love of math.
Well... love of math hasn't actually happened, but LoF has been a lot more successful than Saxon. And the math requires more thinking, since mostly it's all "story problems".
I think I'll probably buy LoF Algebra I as a supplement, though, not the whole program. Right now we're planning on using Jacobs for Algebra for 2 reasons: it's supposed to be rigorous and thorough, *and* it's supposed to be written more conversationally. When I was a kid I used to leaf through my parents' copy of Mathematics: A Human Endeavor, also by Jacobs, and I do think my ds would enjoy his style more than a plain old approach. Will it make him suddenly love math? Probably not. But although my ds doesn't really *like* math, he's actually pretty good at it. So I'm really trying to match ability and inclination here.
Ask me next year how Jacobs is going, though. And of course my dd is going to be a whole 'nother kettle of fish...
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Angela
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Three Plus Two
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guitarnan
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Ds has tried almost everything and is using TT for pre-calc. (He did Algebra II last year with TT, also.) I love this program. He's not a math fan but likes being able to check his own work and go through all the problem solutions.
I wish we'd found it years ago, not because I don't know the math concepts but because it is so self-explanatory and user-friendly. I have this idea that my son would have done better with Algebra I and Geometry in TT than he did in Jacobs, which is what we used.
Dd is doing pre-algebra with TT and I wish they hadn't put so much review at the beginning...the year's half-over and we have not done anything I'd consider algebraic...that comes toward the end of the program.
Angela, TT's word problems are more humorous than most, just FYI.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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mom3aut1not
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Okay, I have used a lot of different items -- some that I would not use today as more things are available. The most used items were as follows. d
Oldest: Saxon (bleah) Algebra and online Algebra 2 (That was all I could get this kid to do. She did not want to understand anything which was painful for this former grad student in math.) The online course was great as someone else got to deal with her in math -- mostly.
Nest Oldest: New Elementary Math 1 -3 and some of New Additional Math (for logarithms), and Calculus in community college (I tried to do at home, but the text I chose -- highly recommended by others -- did not work for her.
Third Oldest New Elementary Math 1 -3, TOPS books on logarithms (really nice), and Key Curriculum Press PreCalculus for a semester.
What will I do with my little guy? Hhhhmmm. I am seriously considering Videotext. I think it would have been a good choice for the older kids, but I didn't think that I needed the help and didn't want to spend the money. I don't need help in understanding math, but VT would have been helpful for my kids with memory issues as well as allowing kids to be more independent. With my little guy, the highly visual aspect would be extremely helpful. I may also use some of Key to ... as I have found these very cost-effective in the past.
In Christ,
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Mackfam
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We use Saxon. It's not perfect, but I've learned to tweak it to fit us and meet our needs. S. is almost halfway through Algebra I this year. We're not rushing. I plan to continue with it through Calc (because I inherited all the books and they already live on my shelf, and I've been through them myself), but I hate to say that I'm definitely staying, it's always possible I could change my mind about something.
I've learned that there isn't a perfect program. I've learned and relaxed into our own family style. I'm trying to use what I have (of course, leaving room for serious issues and changes to meet those needs) and become creative in methods of presentation, expectations, explanations, pace, etc. There are certainly some weaknesses in Saxon. I hope I'm not implying that it is perfect at all! But, it is workable and doable, as I suspect most programs are. Each has strengths and weaknesses. I make the book work for us; we're not slaves to the book or approach.
So...I suppose the answer for me is...I'm trying to be frugal and use that which I already own, coming up with creative ways to address any weaknesses that I find. I think many of the other programs cited are good programs to consider, but I'm committed to finding ways to make this work, and so far, I have been able to do so (and there have been challenges!). I might reconsider especially if I had a child that was mathematically gifted. If I found a copy of Jacobs Algebra for uber-cheap/free at our used book store, I'd probably grab it. I wouldn't mind seeing it and considering it as a supplement or alternative.
I don't know if this has been helpful at all. But, I thought I'd share our perspective since Saxon is never very popular, and many times, for very good reasons. While a book and approach is helpful, and not without importance, it isn't everything.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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Angel
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You know, Amy, I think Jen brings up a good point. While I imagine that, like Martha, we will end up using a combination of different materials, *especially* considering my dd's quirky needs for math teaching (she's in 5th grade, and this year alone we've used Making Math Meaningful, the Key to series, and Saxon 5/4 - but long division finally clicked!!)... I am not discounting Saxon from the mix. It's easy to bash Saxon, and I must confess that sometimes their spiral approach drives me crazy, BUT. The Saxon approach is very thorough and makes lots of practice available for those who need practice. When my ds stumbled on unit analysis in LoF: Fractions (the first Pre-algebra book), I dug up the Saxon Algebra 1/2 book I'd already bought and we went through and looked at the unit analysis lessons. So it was good that I had it there as a reference book.
Since I haven't inherited any programs and what I used in school was totally different and I'm only beginning this with my oldest, I often feel like you do, Amy: it's like being deposited in a big room full of plates laden with food and being told, "Pick the meal your family will like best in the fewest number of tries. Bonus points if you can pick the first time without tasting!"
Of course, if your family has any food allergies (special needs, giftedness, etc.) your task is going to be that much more difficult. 
I guess all of homeschooling is pretty much like that, though. And at least by this point my experience with buying almost every single math curriculum ever written when my oldest was younger and we were still feeling our way through his very low threshold for frustration has taught me that making a carefully considered choice and discovering ways to stick with it is probably better than buying every curriculum in creation. I mean, unless it becomes completely obvious that the curriculum is just TOTALLY unworkable no matter what you do to it. And of course, I also think that as teens get older they really ought to get more and more say as to their resources, etc. Still, these textbooks can be expensive. 
Well, those are the ideas I'm starting out with anyway. 
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Angela
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Three Plus Two
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Martha
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Yes. I really hate Saxon. I hate the spiral approach. I hate the drill kill (and I actually think nath drills in general are great). I hate that if they "get" a concept you can't say to only do the odd problems. I hate that it feels like trudging through waist deep mudd.
BUT bottom line is that it is working and being fairly well enjoyed by my 3rd ds. Go figure.
And no matter what is used, I can bet there will be several times when the kids looks at me in confusion and I have to dig through my other resources for a better explaination.
Then there's the math in science. Just yesterday I had to go to the MIT on YouTube site for a video explaining how to multiply negative fractions with exponents and how to work positive fraction with negative exponents bc even tho he has seen both before, it had been awhile and this was science and then I had to hear 10 minutes of "why can't I just learn science, I hate math and now I hate science and whine whine whine"
so no there's no perfect math program IMO.
And just when you find it, sure enough it won't work for some other kid in the house.
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Martha
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amyable
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Is there a list somewhere of texts that colleges generally consider "good" or "excellent" for high school students?
I'll come back later and answer my own question, right now my washer is making horrible noises and I have to go save it!
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Amy
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amyable
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Right now, my oldest is in the middle of TT 7. My initial plan was to go to TT Pre-Algebra in a few months. But then we bought this: Hands On Equations which is a way to represent easy algebra (solving for one variable) with manipulatives. My oldest two are LOVING it. So I began wondering if, barring a few topics I could maybe teach in other ways, we'd even need pre-alg. Which started me on my quest...
My kids love TT, but I do find the problems easy - they all seem to work out so "pretty" or use easier numbers (i.e. dividing 5 into 2450 instead of dividing 7 into 6244 to practice long division, YKIWM?). Now, while I like that to a point, I don't like how much if it there is. I'm tellin' ya, if my 12 is OK with this math program, it must be easy, LOL!
So *in addition* to TT, I wanted to suppliment, or at least have another textbook on my shelf for each level, for my own reference. I've also heard that TT Alg, TT Algebra II, and TT Pre-Calc all had to be completed to cover the topics in a traditional Algebra I/II course. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I haven't seen a Jacobs or a Lials anything, but I'm interested. I *think* I used Saxon for Calc in high school. If someone dropped ANY of these in my lap I'd definitely utilize them in some way.
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Amy
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Angel
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I was going to ask about Hands-On Equations, Amy, because it's something I was thinking of getting to supplement for my hands-on-ish kids. So thanks for the review!
I've heard that Jacobs Algebra covers Algebra I and II, but then Kolbe says it's only Algebra I. And they use Foerster Algebra II (with Trig). So I'm a bit confused there, too. Kolbe calls Jacob's "a strong course for the Algebra I student." A perk for me was that Kolbe offers DVDs to go along with Jacobs Algebra and Geometry. I don't know what the DVDs are like, though. Maybe someone else could comment?
As far as when to start algebra, this is why we decided that to do pre-algebra with my ds this year. He completed Saxon's 7/6 last year, but had trouble with percents and ratios and some of the harder operations with fractions. Knowing his struggles with being easily frustrated, we decided that it would be best for him to get those concepts down a little more solidly before heading into algebra. At the pace he's currently working, he'll be done with the LoF pre-algebra sequence before the end of the school year. Then we'll have to decide how to split up algebra since we'll have to take a fairly long break this summer with the new baby coming.
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Angela
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Three Plus Two
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drmommy
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This is a good post. My daughter was weak in math, so in order to take Physical Science, she had to be concurrently taking Algebra I (according to Kolbe). So, I ordered Algebra 1/2 and are doing a life science program as a filler science until she can take Physical Science in 9th grade. I am thinking of ordering LofF also as an extra resource. As much math as I took, I don't remember any of it...and am super embarrassed. Thank goodness my 17 year old is around still!
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4Real Forums : Living and Loving Numbers
Topic: How do you decide *which* math program?
