When we bought the Saxon math program, we purchased everything from 5/4 through Calculus, except 1/2 Algebra. The guidance I received from Saxon was if my student(s) scored less than 85 percent on 8/7, then do 1/2 Algebra because they weren't ready for Algebra 1, but, of course, a grade higher than 85 indicates they have mastered the pre-algebra concepts sufficiently to proceed without further instruction. Fast forward a few years and my son completed 8/7 with an A average, but he was very intimidated by the math in 8/7. As a student who was intimidate by math as I was going into Algebra, I knew how disastrous that could be and I had to do something. I ordered the 1/2 Algebra set and we worked through the material over the summer. Mission accomplished. The fear and intimidation is gone and he (and I) both are ready to tackle Algebra 1.

There is not an abundance of repetition in the assignments, but there is enough to keep the skills up throughout the year. The lessons are explained well, with clear examples and practice problems for the student. My 8th grader is able to go through the lessons on his own when needed. I did not see a difference between the "homeschool packet" and the regular "Answer Key".

Used it in the past. Still the best!

Saxon Algebra 1/2 provides a solid foundation and preparation for Algebra.

I love Saxon. Have taught it to my kids since they were in 1st grade. But this set of books wasn't well organized. Part of the answers are in one book, part in another. I still haven't found the explanation for the practice sets. Usually Saxon is great! What happened with this level?