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What to do after Singapore Math

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What to do after Singapore Math

Are you starting to find the Singapore Math curriculum to be difficult to teach? Is your child feeling a like math is a struggle? That’s not uncommon, and it is important that you (and they) know that this curriculum is asking much more of them than other curricula. The Singapore Math curriculum is worth doing because of the problem solving and critical thinking skills and because it teaches math as a subject to comprehend, not to memorize. What do you do, though, when it is just time to make a change?

Consider using Singapore Math Live support so that you can continue using this curriculum and see the results that you were hoping for when you chose to use Singapore Math. But if it is time to move on to a different learning environment, and especially if your student has completed Primary Math 4 or above, there are many options! It can be very helpful to have outside accountability. Often an older-elementary aged student responds better when “not-parent” is available to teach the concepts, answer questions, and grade their assessments. 

Since Singapore Math curriculum does not follow the “American” sequence of courses, a student may have trouble finding a perfect fit for their next math class.

Consider High School Math Live

I also founded High School Math Live which offers accredited, live and interactive classes that meet twice each week. The teachers teach the lesson, answer homework questions, and grade the weekly assessments. We use traditional American textbooks and many families have chosen High School Math Live as their math solution. Our classes start with Pre-Pre-Algebra (an on-level 7th grade / honors 6th grade course) and continue through Calculus II. On the High School Math Live site I have written “Course Preparedness Documents” for each course to help parents to determine whether the student has mastered the concepts required to register for that course. Click here to go to the website and see the Course Preparedness Documents.

We want to help you with this transition regardless of what you choose, so below are some options that you have, as well as some scenarios to help you think it all through. Happy reading!


Scenario 1 (Primary Math 4)

Student finishes Primary Math 4 (including a significant amount of the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books) and wants to move out of the Singapore Math curriculum:

A student who completes Primary Math 4 has seen all of the necessary skills to prepare them for taking Pre-Pre-Algebra. (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Algebra I Course, including Honors and on-level.)


Scenario 2 (Primary Math 5)

Student finishes Primary Math 5 (including a significant amount of the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books) and wants to move out of the Singapore Math curriculum.

Option 1: A student who completes Primary Math 5 has seen all of the necessary skills to prepare them for Pre-Algebra. (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Pre-Algebra course.) 

Option 2: A student who completes Primary Math 5 but would like another year to build confidence in their mathematical ability could consider High School Math Live’s Pre-Pre-Algebra course. (Click here for more information about the PPA course.

A note about sequencing: 

  • If a student takes Pre-Algebra in the 8th grade, they will be “on-level” for taking Algebra I in the 9th grade.
  • If a student takes Pre-Algebra in the 7th grade, they will be able to take Calculus I during their high school years.
  • If a student takes Pre-Algebra in the 6th grade, they will have time to complete Calculus II during high school. 

Scenario 3 (Primary Math 6)

Student finishes Primary Math 6 (including a significant amount of the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books) and wants to move out of the Singapore Math curriculum.

Option A: If a student has completed Primary Math 6 but it would be helpful for them to gain confidence in math and have the opportunity to have the concepts presented again as they transition into live classes, then Pre-Algebra would probably be the best fit for them. (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Pre-Algebra course.) 

Option B: If a student has completed Primary Math 6, including a significant portion of the IP and CWP books, they are well prepared for Algebra I. Primary 6 does not include a study of exponent rules or integers, so either adding a unit for those concepts or just being aware that when those concepts are presented in Algebra I the student will need to devote a little extra time to learning those concepts will be sufficient. A student who has learned to think mathematically will not have difficulty catching on to the rules that these concepts build on. (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Algebra I course, including honors and on-level.)

Option C: If the student is about to start 10th grade or above, it is important that they take Algebra I as their next course so that their transcript will demonstrate  enough high school level math courses. This may require extra time and effort, but having excellent instruction and feedback will give the student every opportunity to succeed. (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Algebra I course, including honors and on-level.)


Scenario 4 (Dimensions Math® 7)

Student finishes Dimensions Math® 7 and wants to move out of the Singapore Math curriculum.

NOTE: Dimensions Math® 7 includes much but not all of Algebra I concepts so on its own, it will not count as an Algebra I credit – see Scenario 4 below for how to adapt and earn an Algebra I credit.

Option A: If the student completes Dimensions Math® 7 but did not have a high level of accuracy, or if they understand the basic concepts but struggle to comprehend the harder parts of each unit, an on-level Algebra I class will be a good next-step. There will be a significant amount of review of the concepts in Dimensions Math® 7 which will strengthen their comprehension and give them confidence. (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Algebra I course, including honors and on-level.)

Option B: If the student completes Dimensions Math® 7 with a high level of accuracy and strong comprehension of the units, especially if they also complete most of the Workbook “Further Practice”, “Challenging Practice” and “Enrichment” problems, the next course will still be Algebra I, but consider an honors-level course. The student will know many concepts that will be presented in Algebra I, but there are key concepts that they have not seen that would prevent them from skipping past Algebra I.  (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Algebra I course, including honors and on-level.)


Scenario 5 (Dimensions Math® 8)

Student finishes Dimensions Math® 7 and 8

Note: Dimensions Math® 7 and 8 include many concepts from Geometry. Also, the algebraic concepts are introduced and developed to the depth and rigor of an Algebra II course. Not all of Geometry or Algebra II is introduced, but strong completion of Dimension Math® 7 and 8 will allow a student to be awarded credit for Algebra I, as well as a half-credit each for Geometry and Algebra II. 

Option A: If the student is solid in their comprehension, but the textbook assignments felt difficult; if the student did not have a high amount of accuracy (80 or above) on the homework and tests; or if the student completed the Textbook but either none or very little of the Workbook, the student will be a good fit for Geometry as their next class. The algebraic concepts that they were exposed to in Dimensions Math® 7 and 8 will be reinforced in the early part of Algebra II, and the Geometry concepts will be reintroduced entirely. Consider Honors level for both courses since much of the material will be familiar already. (Click here for more information about High School Math Live’s Geometry course, including honors and on-level.)

Option B: If the student completes Dimensions Math® 7 and 8 with a high amount of accuracy and also completes much of the Workbook, the student will be a good fit for a new class that ​Brenda Barnett, founder of Singapore Math Live and High School Math Live is creating. The course is called Math 9 Honors and it will include one semester of Honors Geometry content and one semester of Honors Algebra II content. Information about registration for this class can be found by here. This class will meet online twice weekly in a live and interactive format. Mrs. Barnett will teach the Honors Algebra II semester, Mrs. Kim Kirby will teach the Honors Geometry component. (Click here for more information about the Math 9 Honors course.)


Scenario 6

Parent would like to piece together an Algebra I curriculum from Dimensions Math 7 and 8 without including the Geometry portions.

If the student completes selected portions of Dimensions Math 7 and 8, they can earn an Honors Algebra I credit. By omitting selected portions, they will not be exposed to concepts that are included in Dimensions Math 7 and 8 but are also taught as part of a traditional Geometry class. After completing these chapters, the student will be prepared to take Geometry.

  • Dimensions 7A: Complete Chapters 1-7; Omit Chapter 8
  • Dimensions 7B: Complete Chapter 9-11, 14-17; Omit Chapters 12-13
  • Dimensions 8A: Complete Chapters 1-4, 
  • Dimensions 8B: Omit 

Scenario 7

It’s just not clear what scenario fits your student!

If the student has not cleanly finished a particular level and it feels overwhelming to try to decide what course they fit in to the best, High School Math Live can help! HSML classes start with Pre-Pre-Algebra (an on-level 7th grade / honors 6th grade course) and continue through AP® Calculus AB. HSML has written Course Preparedness Documents for each course to help parents to determine whether their student has mastered the concepts required to register for that course. (Click here to go to the HSML website and see the Course Preparedness Documents.) By taking a live and interactive, online class, the student has outside accountability as well as excellent instruction and feedback from a credentialed and experienced teacher.

I know that changing curricula can be stressful. If you have any questions about any of this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.