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Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is a Web-based math program, using an artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. The program begins with an assessment test. The assessment took about 30 minutes to complete and tested in all areas grade-appropriate. It will give you a good starting point and enables the program to tailor content to what your student is ready to learn.
This is a screenshot of Ben’s assessment pie chart:
As you can see, Ben has a good grasp on Whole Numbers, but has limited mastery of the other pieces of the pie. Because of this assessment, we knew to exactly what areas needed lots of work. I realized that because of Ben’s difficulty mastering his math facts, we had been spending too much time in an area he has already mastered pretty well, while neglecting to move forward. This pie chart is also the starting place for each days work, by clicking on a piece of the pie.
Each day that Ben worked in ALEKS, I allowed him to choose lessons in whichever area he wished, as long as it was not “green”. ALEKS periodically reassesses the student to ensure that topics learned are retained, and then uses those reassessment results to adjust the course where needed. The courses are very complete in their topic coverage and avoid multiple-choice questions. I love that part. Last year, Ben was able to fool me all year with another math program that uses a lot of multiple choice questions. He was smart enough to deduce the correct answers without really having a good grasp on the subject matter.
Learning rates are high with ALEKS because the program is constantly monitoring the learning success of the student, deciding what the student is ready to learn, and presenting that material. The average historical learning rate with ALEKS is 90%,
Even though Ben showed decent mastery in the area of Whole Numbers, I’m still quite aware that he continues to struggle the memorization of his multiplication tables. So I was thankful to have this next area called, Quick Tables:
Here, you can see where Ben was working on some simple multiplication facts. The color-coded table makes it easy to see which facts he is mastering and which he still needs work on. This is my favorite part of ALEKS. Quick Tables is like flash cards, only because it’s done on the computer, it doesn’t seem quite as boring. Students are encouraged to answer quickly so that they are not taking time to count on their fingers.
This screenshot was taken early on in our review. After working in Quick Tables most every day, Ben has mastered many more of his multiplication facts. Quick Tables are available for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. If you prefer, there is also a printable worksheet option.
Another cool feature–when your student logs off the system, it automatically remembers where he left off when he logs back on the next time. Also, parents are given a master account to monitor progress and make assignments, if desired.
The course list is extremely comprehensive. From third grade through higher education and continuing education, ALEKS is sure to meet the needs of every student, both child and adult, in your home.
Overall, I would have to say that ALEKS was a hit for us. I like being able to easily see which areas Ben needs more work and he loves being able to see what he’s mastered. For a child like Ben, who needs that instant feedback, ALEKS is perfect. I found that the method of teaching in this program meshed well with Ben’s learning style. The pages were not immature and distracting like many online programs I’ve seen. This may not be as appealing for your younger students, but for Ben (5th grade), it was appreciated.
Not convinced? Sign up for a free trial.
ALEKS is priced at $19.95 per month, $99.95 per 6 months or $179.95 per year, with automatic renewal to your credit card. This cost is per student. They do offer a family discount for more than one student. You can sign-up on their website.
Thank you to the folks at ALEKS for introducing us to your program!
Read what other members of the TOS Crew are saying about ALEKS.
Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are those of myself and/or my son.
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