Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion After ALEKS - then what?

ITA with what Polarbear said.

The summer following their 3rd grade year, my DS did ALEKS pre-algebra and my DD did ALEKS 6th grade (to keep DS company and to be "fair"). It took them about a month to fill the pie in their respective courses. While ALEKS showed that DS met all our state standards, that did not translate to "acing" our district pre-algebra test. This extra credential along with the DYS consultant and other test scores didn't hurt but ultimately DS had to do well on the district pre-algebra test, which he did although he didn't quite ace it like he did the national algebra readiness test he took at the end of that year to qualify to take algebra this school year.

Last month I had DS compare/describe his various math courses. He explained that ALEKS was really easy compared to everything else he has had because you didn't have to write/explain and the problems do not get tricky and it is possible (for him) to forget a concept here and there since you may literally spend only a few minutes to skim the "lesson" and do a few problems. Now DS is my mathy kid. His not-particularly mathy sister clearly did not get anywhere near the depth of coverage required for full retention. This was not a problem since she did not choose to be accelerated (only regular GT, which is 1 year advanced plus enrichment). While she "passed" the ALEKS topics easily/quickly enough, she probably forgot half of the stuff within a year.

I didn't like the look of the Singapore math curriculum personally but I understand that the challenge problems are at a good level. I think that the key to a good choice depends on your purpose. If you want acceleration within the school, then you have to make sure that they will meet the school's criteria so look to the district's curriculum. If you want to encourage their interest, then pick what you think will be "fun" for them.