We're using the month trial of Aleks Math now and I'm a bit confused by it. It initially assessed DS at 26% of Level 3 when he took the assessment 2 days ago. I had it reassess him today (because he had missed some stuff I know he knows, but he wasn't used to the format and forgot to click the blue box) and now he's at 43%. He can't possibly be almost half way done with 3rd grade math! Is it possible that he was assessed out of things he doesn't actually know? If that's the case, is it possible to reset those so that he can actually do them?

Also, are the quick tables supposed to help him with memorizing the math facts? There doesn't appear to be much work with basic multiplication facts in the regular course. I'm wondering if we should supplement with Singapore Math 2b since that's where they work with the multiplication facts. He has a lot of them down just from knowing the math behind them, but some of them stump him. I'm just not sure how effective teaching him to do multi-digit multiplication is going to be without knowing his facts pretty well.

Ideas or advice?

Ah, you made me go pull records Mama! At first I thought..."43%, that's nothing", but then I realized your son is only 6, LOL! Very impressive, but also VERY likely. We used Aleks for a few years, starting at 7:something. I think we started at the beginning of that school year, so about 7:8. And he initially tested at close to 50% on level 4.

The software DOES "reassess" really well, so he will have a chance to retest on stuff he might not really know well. I wouldn't worry about "holes" in that regard. In fact, we were very pleased with "hole plugging" while using that software. While enrolled in 4th grade math at school, he progressed quickly through levels 4-6 AND a good bit of "pre-algebra".

We stopped using Aleks over a year ago, when his school placement was more appropriate. Since Aleks doesn't start until 3rd grade, I don't think they do much with basic facts. We jumped in with level 4, having those down cold, and I don't remember them being addressed much at all. If your son doesn't know them yet, I would suggest some other method to work just on those, even if just flash cards with Mom. I don't know the level 3 stuff at all, but suspect that Aleks in general is best after those very basic foundations are well laid (or taken on in conjunction with).

I can't help you with Aleks, but I can speak to the times tables issue, FWIW.

We stopped using Singapore Math near the end of the year last year--though I think it is a good program in general and we may come back to it later--because DS-then-6 didn't have his multiplication facts memorized, he didn't enjoy trying to memorize them (speedy recall is SOOOOOO not his thing!!!), and the lack of memorization was making math painful for both of us.

We got to level 3 (A? I think? Though maybe B? I'd have to look, and I'm too lazy...), but it was just killing his love of math and we couldn't really progress further along the usual path without his knowing his facts.

My personal theory (with no evidence to back it beyond my own experience and general reading about child development) is that memorization of math facts isn't necessarily tied to GTness, and I'm not sure all 6/7/even 8 yos are quite ready developmentally to do that sort of memorization, even if they can handle the concepts intellectually. I think it's another example of asynchronous behavior: they can be ready for the concept of multiplication, but not necessarily the reality of it. I know this was true of my DS7.

Our strategy: focus on branches of math that aren't reliant on math facts. We did geometry to great success last year, and will probably do more this year. DH the engineer is also going to do hands-on physics/calculus with him: light on the equations, heavy on the concepts and the graphing. hopefully he'll pick up some algebra along the way, and even his times tables, maybe!

When he's 8/9 and most kids his age are learning their times tables, I will expect him to know them, too. We'll dabble in it between now and then in small, low-pressure doses in the hopes that he'll pick it up when he's ready. But I can't see a good reason to follow the standard path if it isn't working for him. Why? If it makes him hate math, then let's do something weird and concept-based that makes him like math instead! Then when it's age-appropriate--and hopefully my DS appropriate!--he'll learn the math facts.

That's the joy of homeschooling, right? Individualized curriculum! Even if it's really, really unusual!

Oh, keep in mind too that a good percentage of "3rd grade math" is little more than a solid review of K-2nd. The overlap is killer, and took me a long while to get used to. DS would finish one level, and instantaneously test well over the 50th mark for the next level!

Ah, Kriston snuck in on me, so I'll have to comment on "math facts". That was never an issue for DS, because before he had them "memorized", he was the world's fasted "skip counter" (something they do at the schools to get used to learning multiples). You could ask him what 7x6 was, and almost see his brain go "7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42" at WARP speed, and out would come "42" with a mere second delay. That was one of those regular "PG moments" that scared me at 5/6/7. Eventually he just had them memorized because of use, but we never "worked" on them for DS, and they never slowed him down in any way because of his processing time.

It was a different story for my more visual-spatial DD (though DS is very strong VS as well). We had to resort to picture stories and "tricks" to help her memorize them at a more "age appropriate" time (8/9).

I guess you have to figure out if your kid can "move on" without knowing the facts like DS, or maybe try some parallel path or other option until he's ready.

Yes, DS7 is not fast...at anything! Not even skip counting. Deep, but not fast! And he does have that VS side to him, which reinforces my thought that pushing seems the wrong tack to take with him. Flash cards were a dismal failure...

It would be a bigger issue if we were grade skipping him instead of homeschooling. But as it is, I'd rather go off-road rather than trying to hothouse him (and me!) into misery!

Dottie, I didn't even think about the overlap/review between the levels, that makes me feel a lot better. Singapore seems to run about half a year ahead, so he would be just about to where usual 2nd grade ends and the overlap explains why he's half way through 3rd grade.

Kriston, I try to be Zen about his math, but it's one of the only areas teaching him that I have a hard time being flexible. I think it's because while I enjoyed math in school, I'm not a math person so it's not something I feel comfortable winging. I try to remind myself that it's not his problem that I have issues, lol.

After looking into the Quick Tables some more, it looks like they're drill practice. So, I think what we'll do is have him focus more on those while we have the free trial. If he can get them down fairly well, we'll keep going with the Aleks. He really seems to like it, especially that it lets him show he can do something and move on. We're moving on from Singapore Math for now because he was getting frustrated with the small chunks of concepts it gives at one time. He seems to need to see the big picture for the small chunks to make sense.

If he seems resistant to memorizing them, I guess we'll try something else (see, I'm trying to be flexible, lol).

That's all you can do! Try, and if it doesn't work, try something else.

Remember, my son is VERY clear when he is not in the right place academically. Pushing through was clearly not an option. Not all kids are like that.

Too, I figure there's no point in my pulling him out of a bad fit at school if I'm just going to treat him the same way, giving him material that isn't developmentally appropriate. But I had to make him miserable for a while before I realized that. I'm afraid I'm not the most flexible person in the world myself...

Live and learn, right? I just figure that the worst thing that can happen is that he doesn't get much out of the next few months of math. Well, he's years ahead of public school right now, so I don't think that's a tragedy, really. And if our plan is not working, we'll just try something else. "Perfectionist homeschooler" is an oxymoron!

That line of thought helps me a lot. No pressure, see? No pressure.

(I'll just keep saying that, and maybe one day I'll believe it!)

I can't say anything about 4rd grade math as we started a bit higher here (older child) but I totally agree with Dottie on overlaping. Aleks does lot's of it and constant (ad nauseam) reassesments will take your child back, if needed.
When my daughter starts a new level, close to 60% of her pie is already filled in.