Saxon Publishers 1320 W. Lindsey Norman, OK 73069 http://www.saxonpub.com Phone: 800 284-7019 Fax: (405) 360-4205 Retails: From about $50 for home study kit
For those of you who have never gazed at a Saxon Math book I am going to try and explain a bit about this series. Maybe you are curious about what all the excitement is about when you visit curriculum conventions? This math series has been around quite awhile (1980) and homeschoolers have known about it, let me tell you that!
If you visit the website or call, you can get a current catalog and a placement test to help determine which Saxon math book your child would be in. They now have a CD sampler that you can order for free that contains over 1000 examples from their series. (If you have email only and would like this, drop me a line and I will request it for you.) . I personally own Saxon 54, 65, 76, 87, Algebra ˝, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Advanced Math. The next answer is "NO" I am not selling any of my copies! LOL I have several children to bring up through many grade levels so I will be holding on to them for a while.
Saxon has easy to understand lessons that break down the material at hand. Instead of teaching a difficult concept in one chunk, it is taught in steps so the student will succeed. Each lesson also includes problems from previous lessons for two reasons. #1 to keep the child refreshed on already mastered math principles. #2 to provide success in each lesson which will build math confidence. (I highly recommend not skipping any problems even if your child has mastered the material.) Each lesson is incremental and builds continuously throughout the entire text. The lessons are self-explanatory and work well with both those who need close supervision and self-learners (older grade levels). The book is not daunted with pictures that can easily distract children. (The only complaint in my family is that there is no color in the books.)
Saxon history includes the fact that he began his publishing company from his dining room and drove over 15,000 miles throughout Oklahoma during the summer of 1981 trying to recruit teachers to try his method of teaching. Twenty teachers agreed to test his textbook side-by-side with another math book. Just under 1,400 students were involved in this trial. At the end of the school term, Saxon students were able to complete 2.6 problems for every one problem completed by students in regular classes.
While John Saxon is no longer with us, his ideals and hopes for a mathematically capable America are still alive in Norman Oklahoma. As I understand it, his then 16-year-old protégé from 1980 is now the President of the company and is carrying on the high standards that the Saxon math series is known for. You can't go wrong with a Saxon math book.