Coming in 2009 we will be introducing a lot of new changes. So to keep you up to date we’ve prepared a video introduction to the new changes.
We have been listening and discoursing with you for years on how we might improve the binding. Here is a quick rundown of the improvements we’ve made for 2009.
Instruction Kit Improvements
- Hard Cover (better quality and will last longer)
- Step by step solutions for each problem
- Subtitles on the DVD’s (in yellow and white)
- Improved graphic design
Student Kit Improvements
- Perfect binding (stronger and can stand on a shelf)
- Individual perforated pages
- 3 hole punch (allows placement in a binder)
- Two sided printing on heavier paper (more space to solve each problem)
- Improved graphic Design
Secondary Math Improvements
- Honors books are combined with the current text (lower net cost)
- Step by step solutions for each problem
A word on the Classic Curriculum (1990 - 2003)
We are still committed to Ongoing Classic Support(books published from 1990 to 2003). There will be a price increase due to the diminishing volume of orders from year to year. We were able to not make any price increases for years by purchasing larger and larger quantities to offset paper price increases and escalating printing costs. The new prices will be posted on the Math-U-See web site in early February.
More details and when will all this happen?
Subtitles will be an option on most of our DVDs by the summer of 2009. Primer through Gamma will be available first with the rest of the titles coming afterward.
We will be carrying the current comb bound books until supplies run out, then all books will be done in the new binding with the many new enhancements. Our target date for the new books is March, giving you plenty of lead time.
The new binding, complete solutions, and improved design is leading to a slight price increase. The only reason we have increased our prices incrementally in the past was when we made significant improvements, which we are doing this year. These books are better and they will last longer.
If we were to incorporate all of these enhancements and continue to comb bind them the cost for a student kit (student text and test booklet) would increase significantly. With the information I have now, the price for a new student kit will be just a few dollars more.
With all these changes, when you invest in Math-U-See you continue to receive outstanding customer support from your regional rep, online help, continually improving online helps such as the worksheet generator, online drill, Math-U-See forum, free email newsletter, and the yahoo users group.
Unfortunately we will not have these options available in Canadian and international versions until later in 2010.
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Thank you for all your feedback which led us to make these improvements, if you have any question contact your local rep or leave a comment below. We will do our best to answer your questions and keep you up to date.
Thank you for this informative video. We have been using Math-U-See for 8 years (the only subject I have never seen the need to try alternatives). We are looking forward to the new books, especially as we are starting high school next year.
Merry Christmas
I really appreciate your servant’s heart to please everyone, but I hate to tell you . . . you will NEVER make ALL home educators happy. They are a rare breed of “discontents”
which is exactly why they educate at home (and why they do such a great job at it). I LOVE your program, just as it is and have never expected to you meet my preferences, but so appreciate you meeting all of my needs. Since we left another program, 4 years ago, we have enjoyed the effectiveness and friendliness of your program.
So, thanks for trying to please everyone, but the reason for your success is that you have been affordable and effective. I hope all these improvements will not increase the cost outside of our budget, but I continue to admire your efforts. Merry Christmas and a Happy, healthy, 2009!
GrandPenny
Thank you so much, MUS team! These improvements look fantastic. We have been homeschooling for 10 years and I wouldn’t use anything else to teach math.
Thank-you,
Christine
A happy customer!
PS Oh, one question! For those who have the current versions, but will require new workbooks, will the new workbooks be compatible with the current teacher’s manuals?
Great stuff! We used Math-U-See for five years then switched to another program (for reasons I can’t remember) and have now been back to Math-U-See for three years. All five of my current users LOVE MUS and the 5yo wants her own MUS book for Christmas! As an aside, my only child to use MUS Algebra/Geometry (instead of several other programs we’ve tried) scored the highest on the ACT in Math of all her siblings.
*Ahem* One question: I assume we’ll be able to use the current teacher’s manuals with the new student workbooks?
Christmas blessings to you and yours!
Dear Mr.Demme and team,
Thank you so much for keeping us updated. This has been very helpful. We have been using Math-U-See since the “olden days” of it’s beginning and it has gotten nothing but better. It is one of the first things I recommend when new home educators ask for my advise and I’m still thrilled to see my current students, the two youngest of six, “get it”. :o) Having all the solutions for the upper levels will be such a blessing, speaking from a Mother who had a fear of math, phobia of math and little understanding of Math it will help me “get it” more often and share that with my students. Thank you for listening and blessing us with these updates.
@ChristineG and @Charlotte
Yes the new workbook will be compatible with the current teacher’s manual and DVD.
@GrandPenny
Had we made the improvements to the content (complete solutions, improved design, and space to work the problems) and kept the current binding the price would have been much higher. So by switching binding were able to make the improvements and not make a significant price increase.
We will still remain one of the most economical complete math programs on the market.
So, just to clarify, I currently have “Teacher’s Manuals” & videos for Primer - Delta. I will or will not be able to continue to use them with the new 2009 products? Thanks for the advanced info about the upcoming changes!
@Kellie Hines
Yes if you already have the teacher manuals and videos you will be able to continue using them with the new student texts.
Thanks for the video! We’re looking forward to the new books!
Thank you for the informative video. We always enjoy seeing Mr. Demme and we LOVE the hat! My daughter and I are looking forward to the new books and appreciate your kindness in sharing with us early. We love Math-U-See!
Merry Christmas to all of you,
Thank you so much for making me aware of the upcoming changes. I love the step-by-step solution improvement to the algebra books. My 5-year-old son has almost completed the Primer book and we look forward to moving on to Alpha. We love your product and appreciate that it is affordable and effective. We also love your sense of humor Ethan. You make math fun! My son looks forward to watching the DVD with me before we start a new lesson.
Merry Christmas and God bless you and your family in the new year!
Jenny
Dillon, 5
Mackenzie, 18 mos
Congratulations! I have been waiting on these changes for years. I am now in 9th grade and am looking forward to the improvements, I think
you have thought of everything … Great Job!
Looking forward to 2009!!!
Merry Christmas.
Love the improvements. Thanks for the heads up. I’m not much into surprises. LOL
We are now into Zeta. Have used it from the beginning (starting with Foundations). I just love MUS as does my son. I only wish I learned math this way when I was a kid.
Question: Will the complete solutions be included in the Pre-Algebra? Also, we’ll have to wait until March for these new teachers manuals?
Thanks for all the improvements. I’m excited about all of them, though I was already happy with the current materials.
The only thing I’m sorry about is that I’m going to need to buy Beta in January before the improved books come out! Your hands on approach with manipulatives has my 6 year old whizzing through with complete understanding - and I’m having to limit him to one lesson a day (a huge change from fighting over getting one page done with other programs)!
I’m looking forward to seeing the new books and hopefully hearing you (Steve) speak again at the GHEA conference this coming spring.
Great! Love the Santa hat!
Merry Christmas!
No more chunky bindings on the bookshelf. Yeah! My concern is the double sided and perforated pages. I find they come out too easily in most workbooks that get used a lot. I like having one side blank for him to do the work for the word problems or extra problems I make up. He’s also a lefty so back sides are hard for him without being very messy. The new parent/instructor guide looks great. Can we get the new instructor guide with the old student books?
Your math program is great. We started two years ago using Beta when my son was 10. My son’s math has improved tremendously. Last year he completed Gamma & Delta. This year he started Epsilon. We got off to a great start but by lesson I knew he had lost it. We took a break from Math for two weeks then started the book again. This time I made him show me all his work not just the answer. We are now at lesson 13 and all is well. My daughter is 9 and working on Beta. It has been a real learning experience for all of us and I recommend your math program to others I know who are home schooling too. Looking forward to the new books!
Merry Christmas Sylvia
I am excited about these changes! I have three children: a sophomore in H.S. a 6th grader and 5th grader and MUS is the only Math curriculum we have ever used. My firstborn son is a kinesthetic. Do you have any idea what a “hands on learner” does to the current binding?? LOL!! So, I will be excited to put these new books right in a notebook. I am also excited about the step by step solutions. I am seeing this news showing up on message boards so the news is getting out! Have a wonderful Christmas, Karen Twombly or N. Waterboro, ME.
This is our first year using Math-U-See and have been very pleased with the program. Other math programs left us very frustrated. We look forward to continuing in our math journey with your math program and your new look.
Merry Christmas
Terri
That is awesome news about the subtitles! My son loves watching the DVDs, but often I have to pause it and repeat stuff because of his hearing loss. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad with the new enhancements to the books. Especially extra explanations for those who are Math challenged teachers. I love the fact that we will be able to tear the pages out!
Merry Christmas to all of you.
When all is said and done, Math-U-See is one of the best values on the market for homeschool curriculum. In my opinion it is beyond compare for the understanding it has brought to my children (and me!) in what used to be our weakest subject. Thank you for the advance notice.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Christine in Ocala
Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into your program. We only just started using MUS and I have never seen my daughter excited to do math. She even asks to work on it on the weekends. Thank you Thank you for your fine program and we can’t wait to see the new changes!
I can’t wait!!! My children have loved MUS since I first took them away from PS 4.5 years ago. We always recommend your program to everyone we meet, and I show it to family and friends’ children who are having a hard time in PS. The way you teach has helped them understand something that seemed, at first, to be extremely hard (Alg I & Geometry). It even helped me to remember things that I had forgotten over 25 years ago - LOL. I believe the new set-up will be your best yet!
Melissa in Montgomery, TX
Thank you, MUS & Mr. Demme! I am looking forward to the new books - just because it’s exciting. I would like to buy them now! ha ha
Merry Christmas!
For those of us with the old teacher’s manuals, will there be access to the step by step solutions-short of buying a new teacher’s manual?
We are currently using the Algebra I book. I personally enjoy math, so most of the time have no problem figuring out the solutions. However, I have run across at least one problem where a step-by-step solution would have been great.
@Jen
Yes for those of you who have the old teacher manuals we will make a supplement available that has the step by step solution. We will probably have it as a free download.
Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year to all at MUS!! My son is 6 and loves, loves, loves MUS!! I am excited about the new books because he too has problems keeping the old books together. He loves playing with the comb binding. He is catching on very quickly to his math and is more than half way through the alpha book. I am not sure if I should encourage him to slow down or not! He seems to have mastered the material, but I don’t want him to either get lost or bored later on. Thank-you for making a tough subject easy to understand!!
I am really excited about having the step-by-step solutions; that will really come in handy, especially since I’m teaching math now that I never even took in high school.
Also your online chats are such a life saver! We’d be so busted without that. Thank you for making a great curriculum.
Merry Christmas!
Wow-wee! What great news! I love all the improvements, I can’t believe you read my mind!
We absolutely love our Math-U-See! We presented the Primer workbook to our son as a wrapped gift on the first day of Kindergarten. He was so excited he literally got the shivers. He had been watching his sister go thru it the year before (1st grade for her) and he regularly looked over her shoulder to correct her mistakes. She didn’t exactly appreciate that… he was in preschool!
So we decided to start earlier with him. Steve is a Math Hero to both my children! I’d say “keep up the good work” but with all the improvements it’s easy to see you already are!
Merry Christmas to your and yours!
We appreciate your willingness to be so transparent with all of us brave home educators. Your program makes me feel like teaching my kids doesn’t require quite so much courage, bur instead, tons more FUN!
Your program was recommended to me by a home school veteran, and I am so grateful that I did not have to ’search’ for the best.
Our sons are in Grade 1 and preschool age, and they will always look forward to math, thanks to your hands on approach. They both love building and ‘discovering’ solutions with the blocks.
Thank you again for making us confident and eliminating a lot of worry.
May God richly bless your family with prosperity, health and peace.
Love your material! We are first year MUS users and don’t see any changes in the future! Can I post your video on my blog?? We have a link to your curriculum and would love for others to see your changes!!
Thanks for your hard work and dedication to us homeschoolers!!
Cyndi in Southeast Iowa
I just happened to visit the Math-U-Site website today because I needed info about the classic curriculum scope & sequence. I am writing my daughter’s high school transcript and needed the info.
Wow! I am so impressed that you are able to accommodate your current customers’ needs. Even though I loved the program, I am one of those that abandoned Math-U-See specifically due to the binding. I am now reconsidering it for use with the two students I still have at home. Bravo!
Thank you so much! I am soooo happy to know that the step by step solutions will be included. This was our only negative issue at home with MUS, as I am not good at math (!!AT ALL!!) and the higher levels have been stressful to me due to this. Now with the explanations I can feel confident in what I’m doing and will become a better teacher, as I see it to understand it more clearly. I’ve taught my children math with only MUS and am moving on into the algebra levels. It’s the only subject that I have not switched (to a different curriculum) all these years of homeschooling, it is great! Thank you for all of your support! Merry Christmas~Jesus is THE reason!
This is wonderful and EXACTLY what we need!! Yippeeeeeeeee!
WHAAAAAA-HOOOOOOOOOO!!
I have said for many years that there is nothing better than MUS! Now there is … it’s the new and improved MUS! These improvements will make MUS even easier to utilize in the home, for student and teacher alike. I love that the honors book is now incorporated in the student text, allowing everyone to see the amazing quality of this product without feeling they are spending the extra money! Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over - for your continued hard work and dedication to such a superior product! MUS rocks!!!
I have been using MUS with my son who is dyslexic. He loves it as do I. I only wish it had been available for me. Putting weights and measures embedded in the math facts is awesome. I might have remembered them myself before now if they had not been in a sepatated chapter that meant nothing to me. He loves math and this program has made it possible for him to keep it all straight. I call it forward thinking. I’m excited about the changes to the Agebra teachers manual. Thank You Ethan for having a vision for a new way of teaching!!
I agree with the above post. There isn’t anything better. I used to buy the curriculum and immediately take it to the printer to have the pages taken out of the binding, edges cut off and holes punched. Mostly because seeing all those worksheets in one place stresses me (and my daughter) out.
For me, this is a wonderful improvement, but it never occured to me to ask for it.
Thanks! Even my 4yr old LOVES “Mr. Steve”
HI! Wow Iam exciting about the hearing impaired provision. Will you be doing a sample on the blog?
Thanks for listening. LOL
MK<
I am new to MUS, and think it is great. I have to agree that the huge math book (Primer) is very intimidating to my recently turned 5 year old. I know we will love the improvements. Thank You. Before I forget, my son enjoys watching his “math teacher” on TV.
I enjoyed your video.
I’m with GrandPenny’s comments on the success of your already fine program, but I know the “step by step solutions” will be an improvement we will be very grateful for.
Thanks so much.
Fantastic! You guys thought of everything. I’m a little bummed, as I am preparing to order in just a few minutes and NEED the materials right away… but I guess we’ll wait for next time around for the new ones. Either way we’re excited for new MUS books! Great job, thanks!
Did you say what date the new books will be available? When is the soonest I can order the new and improved books?
I am very excited about these changes! My children and I love your math! Thank you!!
Some of these changes sound good, others neutral and at least one a potential prob./stress to us.
1) will these changes increase the cost by much? If so I am a bit less excited by some of them.
2) will the new student books still lay flat on the table for working in?
If not then especially combined with the printing on both sides of the page,I am not so pleased. One of the things we like about Math U See vs. some of our other books is that they lay flat and are easy to work in. We also liked the blank work space for figuring things out on the opposing page. I will just stock up on scrap paper I guess.
Won’t stop using MUS though, we love the curriculum.
Reading through these responses makes my heart leap! Steve, Ethan and the design crew at MUS have worked hard to really take the materials up a level. The new look is really classy compared to the current comb binding. I am really excited to see this new material! I had the priviledge recently to see the most recent versions and they look GREAT!
The layout of the inside is beautiful! A tremendous improvement over the current materials.
The hardbacking of the Instruction Manual is very sturdy and will wear well over time.
The step-by-step solutions are wonderful!
There are a couple of little surprises that I won’t give away, which really add to the look of the materials.
The new materials will cost more because the new books are make of higher quality materials and designed to last longer. How much more is still TBD, but I know that Steve is VERY cost conscious and will do everything he can to keep the prices low. MUS is one of the most cost effective curricula available today.
The lay-flat issue was a very large concern for me. I know that it is much easier to work on a flat surface than a curved one. These books are made so that, while they do not lay perfectly flat, they have very little curved surface. I personally did not have any problems working in a book when I opened one up. Also, if the lay flat issue is critical (which it might be for some students) then the pages are 3-hole punched and perforated so that you could tear it out and use it on a flat surface.
As far as printing on both sides goes, this is actually a plus because what was once on one page, is now on two with more room to work on the problems right on that page.
I am very excited about getting these materials to show at conferences! I truly believe that the MUS-Users will be very pleased with the end result!
Blessings!
The changes sound great. Can you define, “slight price increase”? It would help to know, so I can make the decision to purchase now, or wait for the new version.
Thanks!
Thank you for the improvements! My lefty has a very difficult time with the current binding and this will make it so I don’t have to rebind his future books for him:) He will be very excited!
Blessings,
Teresa
This is wonderful news! Thank you very much. It is so nice to use products that are well made and especially nice to work with a company that listens to its customers.
MUS continues to be a smashing success in our homeschool. Thank you.
Warmly,
Kate Kessler
Product Reviews Manager
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC
Thank you so much for the new changes. I’ve been considering changing to a new math program for Geometry next year, but I’m glad to say that because of some of the changes I won’t have to! We really wanted to have the solutions to all the problems and I didn’t think I could make it through the upper levels without them. I have three daughters and we’ve used MUS since 1st grade with all of them. I’ve been researching and haven’t found another program I liked better. I feel hopeful that we can continue with MUS. We love it so much!
When will the NEW Alpha student and teacher books be available. I will be finishing up the Primer program with my daughter in the next month or so, and would LOVE to get the new version instead of the old when it’s time to order. If I could have an idea when that would be, I can “stall” us a bit and do some more games and math books to keep us going until they will be available.
Thanks!
Christine
The new improvements sound great. We have been using MUS since we started homeschooling 9 yrs ago. It is the only curriculum we have never questioned - we have been that pleased with it. I never hesitate to recommend MUS to anyone. This year I reviewed a PS math book at my oldest child’s level and wondered how those students manage to learn math. I wish I could have learned with MUS. We look forward to using it for years to come. Thank you so much!!!
Thanks so much for subtitling your DVDs. My son too has a major hearing loss and needs subtitles to watch any film. He loves MUS already, but the subtitling removes the stumbling block altogether. Thank you!!!
I have really been impressed with Math U See during the time that we have been using it. These improvements are taking a great product and making it even better. Thanks for being there to help change this mathematically-challenged mom to the math-loving, number-confident person I never thought I would be.
Thank you so much for the addition of subtitles to your DVDs! That was very exciting news for our family. I’m only sorry that I have to order the next level before the subtitled version will become available.
i LOVE that you are continuing to improve an already AMAZING product! i think that is what God continually asks us to do…be our best!! i am SO very thankful i heard of Math U See this year (my first year of homeschooling) and have recommended it to EVERYONE i know (even those that will not have the opportunity to homeschool…and they have seen some GREAT success with it! may God continue to bless all your efforts…may you always know what a shinning light you are to our dark world for Christ!!
Thank you for the changes. I think it will work out great! We love Math U See!!!!
~The Rods
Is there a place to see what the new Algebra and Goemetry student text looks like ?
Thanks
Can you give us a heads up when the newly revised books will be for sale and how much they will be? I want to purchase Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 in the next couple of weeks, but if there will be new products I can wait a little longer. If it is going to be longer than March I will need to purchase the current sets as I need it ASAP. My kids are struggling to learn Algebra and I am too. Thanks Steve.
Oh yay! I’m so excited! I just answered a poll regarding Math products that asked us to rate our favorite (you guys got a 95-99% rating). The author of the poll asked us what our Math company would have to do to make it to 100% - I replied that it would need to be 3-hole punched! Wow, to have my wish answered so very quickly is absolutely amazing. Thanks for listening to us (and thanks for the “heads-up”).
I just heard from a friend today about the changes to the MUS materials. I’ve read through most of the above comments and feel rotten that I have to disagree with most. I absolutely love the program just the way it is and hate to see the blank pages disappear - (this was a selling point for me when I encouraged other homeschooling moms considering the program). I have not seen a reply to the question of whether or not the new books will lie flat on the surface - another big issue for our family.
I will have to wait and see the new materials before I decide if we will continue with them. The catch is - I don’t want to purchase materials ahead while you still have them in case I don’t like the new ones but by the time I can see the new ones you’ll probably be out of the old…
Discouraged but hopeful…
Re: Susan L
Yes the new student books, because of the perforation on each page, will lie very flat.
Yes we have removed the blank empty pages and instead increased the blank space around each problem so your student can work out each problem on the page instead of on a separate page. Of course you are still free to use a blank piece of paper in addition to the workbook.
Hope this helps answer your questions.
We love Math U See!!! We have been using this for five years now and it is the only curriculum we have not changed. Sometimes I think I keep homeschooling because of Math U See. Thank you so much for changing the bindings! I wish I had Mr. Demme as my math teacher growing up. We have all learned a lot and now our friends have starting using Math U See too.
Thank you for taking out the blank page. My daughters see this as their art page. Something about that blank page fills them with the desire to draw and doodle. We’ve had to take their pages out so the blank page doesn’t draw them in. :o)
Sandy
Thank you! MUS is the only part of our curriculum that has NOT changed over the years. I also believe it is because of this program that all four of my children actually love math. I’m most excited about the extra room to work problems on the pages, this will help so much! The new binding also sounds wonderful. While we are happy to use the program in whatever binding available, I definitely will not miss the comb binding and the mess the books seem to become by the end of each year. Thank you again for making math enjoyable for me and my children!
The new changes sound great for the way most people use the book, but I like to separate them into 4 parts and comb bind them with smaller combs (we have a comb binder that makes it easy). I’m working on Pre Algebra now, and since Algebra 1 will be my last year I’ll just order before the supplies run out of the old binding. What I was wondering is when will that probably be? I don’t particularly want to order at once, but if they’ll be running out soon then I’ll have to. Thanks!!
How will we know when the new books are available? Will we have a choice of getting the new ones or do we have to buy the old ones until supplies run out? I’m somebody who will wait because with three lefties it is totally worth it to me to hold off until the comb binding is no more.
For some reason I can not see the video player on my screen. I would really like to see the video…any ideas???
thanks
I don’t see the 2009 editions available for sale yet via the website. When will they be available? And, will parents have the option to buy 2004 Student Texts once they are released?
The new binding sounds wonderful. And I’m especially excited about more detailed solutions in the Instruction Manuals.
So, why would I want the ST 2004 version? Because I prefer to have a whole blank page for writing of any problems that need some extra work space. So far, none of my DC have needed extra space for EVERY problem. I also am concerned that there may not be enough space for certain problems now that MUS has decided how much to allot for each problem.
Too bad we couldn’t get the best of both–a better binding, but same page layout. Of course, I’m sure others would disagree with me as to what is “best.”
To recap, will the 2004 and 2009 editions both be available, and when will the change occur? What is the pricing for the 2009 editions?
Thanks!
i have just started using math us see, but my children love it, i don’t have to fight them to do school work anymore. they are bugging me to start and tehn they don’t want to stop.
Are the new pre-algebra sets available. I will need them by month’s end.
I can not access the video for the new curriculum. Please advise! Thanks!