Foerster's VS VideoText Algebra

[jacynamommy]

Hi ladies,
I'm hoping you can help me weigh the pros and cons of Foerster's and VideoText. My son who will be in 9th grade and in the World Geography guide this year finished all Singapore math through 7th grade and in 8th grade did POM 2. I'm trying to decide which program to go with next. Could you tell me from your experiences what you saw as pros and cons of each? Also, I'm curious what math for the rest of his high school years would look like for each choice as well. Could someone help me with that or maybe connect me to a post that has already been written about it? Thanks so much!
Meredith

[StephanieU]

VideoText is a unique sequence but it's at an average level for Algebra. Forester's is more traditional, but at an honors level with Challenging word problems.

As for sequence, if you do VideoText, you have the opportunity of doing Algebra over 2 or 3 years. This includes PreAlgebra and Algebra 2. My guess is that your child is ready for the 2 year option. Then you would have the option of doing a traditional geometry and PreCal program or VideoText Geometry (which includes PreCal).

If you do Forester's, you will follow a traditional path. Next would be Geometry (probably Carrie's pick, but any would work), Forester's Algebra 2, and then PreCal.

[jacynamommy]

Thank you Stephanie! Do you have personal experience using either of these math options? Hoping to hear some insight from those who have used them.

[Carrie]

Hello!

I did VideoText Algebra for our oldest son, Foerster's Algebra for our second son, and mathhelp.com (yourteacher.com) for Algebra with our third son. Our oldest son also did No-Nonsense Algebra prior to beginning VideoText Algebra, just because I wasn't sure where to go next with him in the 8th grade. So, we've done the programs we recommend.

Each has its positives. No-Nonsense is definitely a shorter, no-frills Algebra program. It is for the math student who struggles with math. VideoText Algebra is either for a motivated, independent student or for a student whose parent has time to be involved in the program daily. Foerster's is a more challenging program especially in the area of word problems. It requires a strong, independent math student. I did not help my oldest son with Video Text Algebra. He got through it, but it took longer than anticipated. This was due to the fact that he is a perfectionist and wouldn't move on until he had mastered the material. I helped my second son with Foerster's Algebra I. We did not use the videos and just went over the lesson in the book together. Then, my son worked the problems with some oversight from me. When he later moved into Foerster's Algebra II with the videos, he was able to do his math on his own. I helped my third son this past year with http://www.mathhelp.com. We went over the videos and examples together.

After losing track of my oldest son's math, I determined that I needed to be involved in helping the rest of the boys with their math. I will say that my oldest son did fine doing math on his own, but I wasn't able to help him if he needed help. This left me feeling out-of-touch. So, I became more involved with my later boys.

Each of the programs do a good job of helping kiddos get through math. My sons have varying abilities when it comes to math, and they have all done fine with the programs they have used. Our oldest son was able to test out of most of his algebra quickly for ACE credit which his college accepted. Our second son was able to CLEP out of College Mathematics after doing a quick refresher course. So, we feel good about the math choices we recommend. They do a great job of preparing kiddos for their future math needs. I hope this helps!

Blessings,
Carrie

[jacynamommy]

Carrie,
I appreciate you taking the time to reply, your response was very helpful!
Blessings,
Meredith