Program information

Developer and contact

Saxon Elementary School Math was developed and is distributed by Saxon Publishers, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Supplemental Publishers. Address: 181 Ballardvale Street, Wilmington, MA 01887. Email: greatservice@hmhpub.com. Web: http://saxonpublishers.hmhco.com/. Telephone: (800) 289-3994.

Scope of use

The first Saxon textbook, Saxon Algebra, was published in 1979 by John Saxon for junior college students. In 1980, a high school version, Algebra 1, was published. In 1981, the program was tested by 20 teachers with approximately 1,400 students. By 1993, the company had become Saxon Publishers and had developed programs for kindergarten through high school. Information is not available on the numbers or demographics of students, schools, or districts using this intervention.

Teaching

Daily lessons in grades 1–3 consist of three components: (1) the meeting, (2) the math lesson, and (3) written practice, which includes guided class practice and homework. A typical lesson begins with the meeting, during which students engage in various practical activities (for example, understanding calendars) and enter into math conversations and dialogue with their classmates and teacher to communicate their understanding of math concepts. Following the meeting, the teacher introduces new concepts during the math lesson. Hands-on activities are incorporated into the math lesson to encourage student involvement and further the learning of new concepts. The math lesson is followed by written practice, which includes teacher-facilitated guided class practice of new and previously learned concepts. Students complete the day’s homework independently. Cumulative and written assessments occur every five lessons.

In kindergarten, the same three components are used but may be separated into different sessions, and assessments are conducted as individual interviews between the teacher and individual students. For grades 4 and 5, a daily lesson consists of four components: (1) the warm-up; (2) the math lesson, which introduces a new math concept; (3) practice on the new concept; and (4) mixed practice, including new and previously learned concepts. Students are introduced to concepts incrementally, given opportunities for continual review and practice, and assessed cumulatively and frequently. An assessment score of 80% or lower indicates a need for remediation, and provision for remediation is part of the program.

Cost

Saxon Elementary School Math for grades K–3 can be ordered as a 24-student or 32-student kit that includes all the teacher, lesson, classroom, and student materials. The student kits range from more than $600 to more than $800, depending on the size of the kit. Individual kit components, such as manipulatives, workbooks, student texts, teacher manuals, and materials in Spanish, can be purchased separately. Grades 4 and 5 have a separate student edition ($50–$55) and a teacher manual set ($185). Other ancillary materials, such as blackline master books, practice workbooks, and a test-practice generator, can be purchased separately.