Tuesday, December 9, 2008

ALEKS Math Review





ALEKS Math is math gone digital! For the child that is technology and computer inclined, this is a dream. Their math program is comparable to the other great book programs out there with several cyber pluses.

Here is what it says about ALEKS on its own website:

ALEKS is a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ALEKS then instructs the student on the topics she is most ready to learn. As a student works through a course, ALEKS periodically reassesses the student to ensure that topics learned are also retained. ALEKS courses are very complete in their topic coverage and ALEKS avoids multiple choice questions. A student who shows a high level of mastery of an ALEKS course will be successful in the actual course she is taking.
ALEKS also provides the advantages of one-on-one instruction, 24/7, from virtually any web-based computer for a fraction of the cost of a human tutor.

Here are some of the things I liked about ALEKS:
1. It provides a pie chart based on what your child knows , needs to learn, and what has been accomplished (based on an assessment taken at the beginning). This makes targeting your child’s weaker spots easy to find. The pie chart lets you know what areas are still incomplete and what needs to be done.
2. It provides a worksheet based on MY child’s needs. All I have to do is print it out.
3. Something I really like is the dictionary. While I tried this with my 3rd grader, I thought of older students who are constantly looking up definitions in their math books. This can take up a great deal of their work time and it's nice that a dictionary with all the terms in it is just a click away.
4. The reports you get are just wonderful! All I have to do to figure out how my child is doing is read just a one or two page report. No figuring out averages, asking myself what are his strong or weak spots, or analyzing every piece of work he has done. That is a relief!
ALEKS math is like one of your better math programs only it is digitalized. They have grades 3-12 available for homeschoolers, just tutoring, and even a higher learning course! Grades 3-12 are complete courses, not just a supplement, so there is no need to buy another math program that year. It also integrates YOUR states standards into the math so you know you are getting at the very least what the other children in your state are receiving. What a wonderful feature to have!

I need to mention that for the child who is inclined to love anything on the computer, this is a wonderful solution to many boring math programs they may have done. If you are developing or gently supporting a child’s love for the cyber world and techy things, this math may be just what you are looking for. I think they may even see it as a gift from you!
Here is the pricing:
A subscription to ALEKS is
$19.95 per student, per month, or
only $99.95 every 6 months, or
only $179.95 every 12 months.

They do have a family discount program that will help you save money if you have more than one child in the program. To Visit ALEKS Math click here. There is even a free one month trial so you can try it out before you buy.

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