Saxon Math vs Teaching Textbooks vs Math-U-See: Which Is Better?

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Three Solid Programs Compared

Saxon Math, Teaching Textbooks, and Math-U-See are very popular homeschool math curriculum, and in over 15 years of homeschooling, I’ve used all 3.

First, let’s talk about the pros and cons of each program. Then, at the end of this post, I’ll share with you the program I’ve decided is the best fit for my family.

Saxon Math

Saxon is popular because of it’s little-by-little, spiral approach and an emphasis on review.

By spiral, I mean that each day is a different topic, which students will practice again and again throughout the course.

For example, one day students learn how to find the perimeter of a triangle, but the next day they may learn how to multiply decimal numbers. However, students will see these same topics repeatedly in the daily review problems, building mastery over time.

Kindergarten through 3rd-grade levels incorporate a manipulatives kit into the program.

After 3rd grade, Saxon has 2 numbers for each level which indicates grade and ability level placement. For instance, Saxon 5/4 is for average 5th graders or accelerated 4th graders. You can determine which level is appropriate for your child by administering the Saxon placement tests.

Saxon Teaching and Solutions Videos

There are 3 teaching videos available for Saxon Math:

DIVE Teaching CDs – These are whiteboard lessons. My children didn’t care for these because the voice of the teaching is a bit monotone.

Saxon Teacher CDs – These are whiteboard lessons, daily practice problems solutions, and test solutions. They are very useful, especially for daily practice and test solution explanations. Individual problem solutions can be selected from a drop-down menu.

Nicole the Math Lady Video Streaming – These are video lessons of the teacher, Nicole, explaining the lessons. The previous 2 options are just a whiteboard with the teacher’s voice, but these videos have the teacher on camera, and she’s very engaging. Check out a sample lesson below. *Update: Nicole the Math Lady now has a grading option on her site, which gives students instant feedback on answers as they do their work.

Saxon Math Pros and Cons

PROS: The course provides ample review of concepts previously taught. There is an emphasis on computation and application of skills, which is helpful with standardized testing and retention of the concepts learned. There are great supplementary video options. Nicole the Math Lady does a fantastic job of teaching new concepts and the Saxon Teacher CDs contain explanations for how to work out every math problem in the course.

CONS: There are 30 daily practice problems, which may overwhelm some students. Explanations in the textbook are a bit dry without one of the teaching videos mentioned above.

Teaching Textbooks

Teaching Textbooks is well-loved because it’s engaging for students and gives moms a break from teaching math.

There are 2 purchase options: an online subscription, which includes an e-textbook, or CD-ROMs, which come with a physical textbook.

With Teaching Textbooks, the student is completely independent, with interactive video lessons, automatic grading of practice problems, quizzes, and tests, and explanations of missed answers.

Like Saxon, Teaching Textbooks uses a spiral approach. The lessons are organized into units that are of the same topic, with a review of the previous concepts built into the daily practice problems.

Check out this sample lesson from Math 3 below.

Teaching Textbooks Pros and Cons

PROS: Teaching Textbooks is easy for moms, engaging for students, and convenient. Homeschool moms don’t need to teach or grade math problems. The program even includes a grade report, which can be printed out for your records. The lessons are engaging for students with interactive lessons, cartoon images, funny story problems, and customizable backgrounds.

CONS: Teaching Textbooks starts with 3rd grade, so you’ll need to find something else for kindergarten through 2nd grades. Sometimes the online subscription doesn’t work due to heavy traffic to the site. Without parental involvement, children who are weaker in math may struggle. Some homeschool parents say it’s below grade level.

Math-U-See

Math-U-See is a favorite among homeschoolers due to its mastery approach, video lessons with the iconic Mr. Demme, and the use of manipulatives.

Math-U-See utilizes a mastery approach. It’s not organized by grade levels, rather, it’s structured with one topic covered each year.

For example, in the Gamma level, students spend a whole school year mastering multiplication. Then, the following year in Delta, students learn division. There are review pages included in the student workbook of previous concepts taught.

Here’s a link to placement tests: Math-U-See Readiness Assessments.

In addition, videos of Mr. Demme teaching each lesson are included. His multisensory approach and friendly manner have made him a household name among homeschoolers.

Mr. Demme demonstrates new concepts using colorful math manipulatives, including integer blocks, fraction overlays, and decimal inserts. These are available for purchase with the curriculum sets.

Check out a sample from lesson from Gamma level below.

Pros and Cons of Math-U-See

PROS: Mr. Demme explains things in a way that is easy to understand. The multi-sensory approach works for all types of learning styles. There are not many daily practice problems, which provides a gentle learning experience for children that are easily overwhelmed.

CONS: There is not enough review for some students to retain the concepts taught in previous years. In states where standardized testing is required, the mastery approach may result in low test scores since students won’t have covered all the topics yet in the lower grades.

Our Experience With These 3 Programs

We have used all 3 of these math programs extensively since we started homeschooling in 2006. In fact, we’ve used all 3 programs at some point for every level: in elementary, middle school, and high school.

College Entrance Exams

My oldest daughter, who is now in college, used Teaching Textbooks and Math-U-See in middle and high school. She made “A”s in both programs, however, when she took the PSAT her 10th-grade year, she scored well below average on the math sections.

However, after working with a math tutor and using a Saxon Algebra 2 textbook rental for six months, she scored high enough on the SAT to qualify for an academic scholarship. She also scored high enough on the PERT to dual enroll College Algebra, which she made an “A” in.

So, she was capable, but the curriculum we had been using didn’t prepare her well for testing.

Not Enough Review

Another daughter used Math-U-See throughout elementary school. I don’t do standardized testing every year, but after using this program for 4 years, I had her tested.

She scored well below grade level. This can be expected with Math-U-See’s one topic a year approach, so that wasn’t really my main concern.

What concerned me was that my daughter was struggling to remember the topics that had already been covered in previous years. There wasn’t enough review of previously taught concepts in Math-U-See to keep all the skills fresh in her mind.

So, I switched her to Saxon. If you ask her, she’ll say that Saxon is hard. But unlike when we used Math-U-See, she’s actually retaining concepts in math because there is so much review.

What Works Best for My Family: SAXON Math

After trying all 3 programs, Saxon Math has been a fantastic fit for our family. And with the help of the Nicole the Math Lady videos that I mentioned above, we’re having great success.

I’m a relaxed homeschooler in my approach. I don’t like busywork. However, even though Saxon has a lot of daily work, it’s not useless busywork. It’s solid, skill-building practice.

Math-U-See’s multi-sensory, mastery approach really appealed to me and I love Mr. Demme’s teaching style.

Teaching Textbooks’ interactive platform is top-notch with the benefit of instant grading and explanations.

But if my children aren’t retaining the material, it’s not a good fit.

Saxon is rigorous. It’s also thorough. And it’s the program where I’ve seen the best results.

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