How is Saxon Math different from other math programs?
The first thing that students and parents usually notice about the Saxon textbook is that there are not chapters designated for individual math skills. Examining the table of contents of most math textbooks, one finds a long list of chapters with titles such as addition, fractions or long division, etc. Instead of grouping math skills in mass, Saxon employs an incremental and distributed approach to instruction, practice and assessment. Complex math skills are broken down into smaller increments and are explicitly taught. These skill increments are continually built upon to teach more complex skills. The increments are also distributed throughout the entire math book, both during practice and assessment. With most math textbooks, instruction on a particular math skill is completed once the chapter is completed! With the Saxon instructional technique, skills are continually practiced and tested throughout the school year. Well-established research has shown that this spaced (distributed
