Hello,

Let me reassure you that you can absolutely still use this for your older daughter.

When placing them into our program I usually suggest calling our 888-272-3291 customer service number, as they can better find where your child belongs by asking more questions and for your particular situation.

For you second daughter, if she places in Level C she may belong there. I would not judge the program on its levels as too high or too low and we have many, many teens using level B. It is better to think of it as ability in math, not on a level of grade.

If she can not add or subtract double digits in her head, she should be in level C.
If she can not do four digit subtraction on paper and explain WHY you need to borrow, she should be in level C.
If she can not skip count 1 thru 10, she should be in Level C.

If you find she can do those things and explain WHY, then she can go to level D.

If you find she is borders on Level C and Level D, I find it is better to go the lower level if she does not like math, or go the higher level if she likes math but is missing some things. Again, this is better discussed with a customer representative over the phone. Because if you go the higher level and she is missing some things we have suggestions as to how to “catch her up” or if she really needs the lower level.

As to your first daughter, if you find that she has problem which mental math, or doesn’t really understand the foundations of math, you can either do Activities for the ALabacus, and math games, which would help her.
If you find she does well in math but needs more review on concepts like multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percentages, etc, you may like Level E.
If you find that she does well on all of those but she is ready for a challenge, but quite ready for algebra, then the Hands On: Geometric Approach is the book for her. It is taught to the child, it has lots of hands on geometry, and it uses math in ways that makes math real and meaningful. Plus ,if she likes drawing she will like this program.

I hope these suggestions are helpful, feel free to email me directly at Carissa@alabacus.com if you more questions.

Thank you,
Carissa
Customer Service Rep