Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Redbird Mathematics (EPGY)

Appleton, see if u can ask the EPGY staff to help u change to setting to skip the division. I have enrolled my son to try the program, (he is only 3.5 yrs old at that time), and he finish the old EPGY maths 2nd grade easily, and he tried the third grade redbird. The multiplication and area is too repetitive. And for his age, he can't understand the last section of "practical problem solving" questions, i end up help him to finish it. After doing that part, i stopped touching the Redbird anymore. (Glad that we only enroll for 1 time 3 months period, and the old EPGY maths works well for him)

My son did EPGY Math during class for a bit more than a year and liked it. Once we tried their Geometry though we had numerous problems and realized that technical support and the instructor support was very poor.

We then switched to AoPS and my son has loved the challenge. He has too advanced for their Beast Academy but I have heard and can only imagine that it is very good.

My son has completed several AoPS courses and starts two more in a few weeks. He highly recommends AoPS to anyone that wants to become very good at math.

ruazkaz, for AoPS, what is the lowest math level to start with? and will it be many words? I am looking for a homeschool program for my DS4 and would like to start him in 3rd or 4th grade maths. Will he be too young for it? Thanks a lot!

DS did EPGY for the earlier grades so we do not have any experience with Beast Academy, only AOPS. I just looked on the AOPS website and Beast Academy is for 3rd/4th graders and they have diagnostic tests your son can take to see if he is ready.

AoPS are the ones behind Beast Academy so I would think it would be excellent.

We have no experience of EPGY or Redbird (inferring that Redbird new EPGY) but I have seen numerous reports leaving me with the impression. that the new EPGY no longer allows testing out of mastered sections or advancing once current material is mastered without enormous amounts of repetition.

Any approach that doesn't allow students to advance once mastery of current material has been demonstrated is not just pedagogically wrong-headed it is damaging to many gifted kids.

I would therefore not touch EPGY/Redbird with a barge pole for a kid gifted with Maths.

For a kid struggling with Maths, yes, because the repetitious nature of it may help with automaticity but I wouldn't force a kid that understands already to do drills ad nauseam for the sake of it like EPGY appears to.