Saturday, June 24, 2006

saxon math : Saxon History

The founder, John Saxon, was teaching algebra at a junior college in Oklahoma when he discovered that his students were neither comprehending nor retaining the algebra they were being taught. What started as writing out some problems for his class became a highly successful algebra program. In 1979, Saxon Algebra was published in two texts for the junior college level. He continued to write and adapt his work into a text for high school algebra students and enlisted several high school teachers to try his manuscript with their students. They too were successful using the program.

In October 1980 his Algebra 1 book for high school became a reality. In 1981, Saxon recruited twenty teachers to try his method of teaching. Approximately 1400 students were involved in the test. At the end of the school term, Saxon students were able to solve 2.6 problems for every one problem solved by students in regular classes.

By 1986, when the company changed its name to Saxon Publishers, Inc., four books were available: Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Algebra 1/2, and Advanced Mathematics. By 1993 the company had published thirteen books and programs for students in kindergarten through high school, including a calculus and physics text. In 1996 Phonics K-2 was introduced to schools throughout the country; followed in 1999 by Phonics Intervention, a program designed especially for older non-readers.

The Saxon approach to marketing is quite unique in the industry. The sales force is made up of former teachers, most of whom have taught Saxon programs in their classrooms before joining the company as sales representatives. School districts in all fifty states, and also several foreign countries, use Saxon texts.

Saxon Today
Today Saxon Publishers is an imprint of Harcourt Achieve. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Harcourt Achieve provides customer-driven educational materials that fundamentally and positively change the lives of young, adolescent, and adult learners and empower those who teach them. The company is also the publisher of the Rigby and Steck-Vaughn product lines. Click here to learn more about Harcourt Achieve.

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