Yes, I concur w/ what Kriston has said. Rightstart suffers from the same ie parents complain that DC is just not getting it and then you find out they aren't doing the hands-on stuff and the games. For EM, the review is in the games but most schools don't do them. DS's 1st grade teacher did and it was the only year he liked and how he feels about school centers on how he feels about math.
Now, with a gifted school, all bets are off. Different population of kids. I would bet they'd have to remove the review built into EM. Here's an example as I see it. Multiplication is introduced in 2nd grade in PS in EM. The mathy kids get it right away. But it won't be *really* mastered until 3rd grade and by that time many of the gifted kids will won't something new. And then again in 4th grade, there will be more review and some extension...by that time gifted kids have had it.
Now I've heard of other districts that use pre-tests which come w/ the EM teachers materials but my district never used them. If the gifted schools are pre-testing kids out of stuff they know, I can see EM working. Many gifted kids like it b/c the focus switches daily from on concept to another.
I think Singapore Math (SM) is easier to compact, easier to pre-test.
If all things were equal, I'd go w/ the school teaching SM. I don't like some of the algorithms in EM. IMO, they missed the boat. They adapted mental math algorithms from Asian philosophies (which SM and RS both use) and use them for pencil and paper strategies.
here's an example:
41+27=41+20+7 or 40+20+1+7
Here's EM's algorithm:
41
+27
____
60
8
_____
68
Now for kids who've been doing vertical addition
1
+7
___
8
are now confused when they see
1
+7
__
0
But it could be the school is modifying EM. I know of a district w/ huge success with it but they have modified it and added more standard drill.
