ALEKS

This was taken from the ALEKS website.

Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces 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.

So far both of my kids really seem to like ALEKS, no arguments when it's time for math.  They actually work ahead on it because they thinks it's fun to finish out their pie chart.

I love the fact that each of my children has a program specifically tailored for their math needs.  This ensures that each of them is learning what they need to learn and that I haven't accidentally missed something in their math education.

ALEKS even offers some fun games that help keep them interested while they are learning.

You can even print worksheets out.  I print out the worksheets and have them do these while we are in the car driving to dance or to a field trip. All of the rest of their work is done on the computer, which means we don't have any workbooks to keep track of or any DVD's to misplace.

Once your child masters a topic they are automatically moved on to a new topic.  Each topic builds on the previous topic and before you know it your 6th grader is doing 8th grade math. Neither of us even realized it until I was looking through our master account and saw an 8th grade level next to my daughter's info.  It made me happy to know she's enjoying math and getting a lot out of it and she's happy because she can boast a little about her fabulous math skills.  The Master account keeps track of your child's progress, you can create quizzes for them, review their attendance report, and change the grade level of their work. 

My Opinion

I recommend this program it really seems to work!  I do think it can be a little dry at times but you can help by adding fun games and hands on manipulatives.   Subscriptions are available for $19.95 a month, $99.95 for 6 months of access, or $179.95 for 12 months.  For families with more than one child, discount pricing is available.

If you would like to see what members of the TOS crew have to say about ALEKS click here.

Thanks for reading,