Dec. 18, 2008
ALEKS Math & 1-month free trial for you
Posted in Product Reviews for Homeschooling
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Another review, it's true! This is for the online math curriculum, ALEKS. Have you received offers for a free trial before? They offer a 48-hour free trial at their site, but they are allowing us to post THIS LINK for you to receive one month free! This is something you'll only want to invest your time in if you're looking for a math curriculum, but we've enjoyed it, and it's on my "maybe" list for next year. Their homeschool curriculum is for grades 3-12, and ALEKS offers family discounts with 6- and 12-month subscriptions. I think their program is worth it. You have "one-on-one tutoring available 24/7," and ALEKS customer service is helpful for technical issues. After I got past my initial frustration of not being able to access ALEKS via Internet Explorer, and I downloaded Firefox, I registered my two children that fit the age/grade criteria, and they took their assessment/placement tests. My 8-year-old son was barely at the third grade level, and I was afraid they'd tell me he couldn't do the program; I was pleasantly surprised when they allowed him to continue with the basics! ALEKS assesses the student as he/she works to see what topic is to be covered next and ensure that previous lessons/skills have been retained. There is no multiple choice, which I didn't like in another program, so the children can't guess and continue guessing until they get the correct answer. Another concern I had was about practicing writing: with ALEKS, the student does their work on paper, then enters only the answer. The explanations and definitions are excellent. There is math I know how to do but don't know how to explain. My number-loving son needs the explanations so he can "get it" and solve away, and ALEKS does that. I did have to help my son read through some and make sure my daughter took time to read directions, too! They really can work fairly independently; You can have progress e-mails sent to you, instead of having another thing to remember! You can easily compare where they are now to their assessment when they began the program and see what they're ready for next. It's an easy to use, complete program. Currently all 50 state's standards have been integrated for grades 3-8, and by February 2009, they will be in place through 12th grade. This is all my opinion based on younger students. If you have older children you may want to check out The Homeschool Crew blog and find reviews that would pertain to your childrens' levels. One review for a middle schooler is here; another for high schoolers is here. This isn't a "cutesy" or entertaining program, but my children enjoyed doing it. They liked being able to check their own progress with the pie graph. My son was only able to do one pie of his graph, and my 10-year-old daughter is anxiously working so she can go farther with fractions! I'm not sure if we'll use ALEKS next year, but I will keep this program in mind as my children grow and math gets more difficult: that tutor would come in quite handy! Thanks for stopping by! Be blessed, Danielle |
Comments
Jul. 24, 2009 - aleks
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Posted by Jennifer from Indiana