We had similar success with math using Saxon. Plus I only had to teach through Saxon Alg II (age 15) and then they’d test into College Alg and the profs took over...no more math teaching for me (good thing too because I think teaching Calculus courses and Trig might have made my brain explode.)
We had the same experience. I taught Saxon Math through Algebra II. Then the community college professors took over.
I can see he merits of allowing children who excel to move at their own pace. However, there are some problems. Does anyone remember the open classroom concept quite a number of communities tried in the 1970s or 80s. I don’t believe there are many of those schools ending up being a productive way to encourage learning or keeping track of what learning was taking place.
European schools do test kids early and based on the outcome. Those children will be put on a prescribed academic track. Unfortunately, and particularly for boys, that can also narrows opportunities pretty early in a child’s development.
Not everyone should or needs to go to college. But speaking as a parent of a son who developed academically on the later side, the element of competition can be useful. His class mates were for a time ahead of him, and that fortunately compelled him to focus and eventually thrive academically.
In my experience with public schools (3 kids) you’ve got to be a very involved parent. Public schools are generally pretty inconsistent, always experimenting with concepts (seems like every few years), and we found huge gaps in our children’s learning experience. Teaching styles vary, and they are constantly changing theories on what and how to teach. There are lots of distracting “special programs” breaking up their focus.
I don’t know what the best teaching method could be, but it’s evident what most public schools are doing now isn’t working. They’ve been asked to provide all things to all people, not to mention being forced to be the parent to those whose parents refuse to take responsibility in raising their own.
College for some can be such a huge waste — waste of money, waste to time (with the exception of hard sciences, maybe). Really what kids learn in 4-5 years could be probably taught in 2. Today’s college experience can be so mired in the boring and plodding status quo, everybody know the answers before the questions are asked.