Curriculum Review: ALEKS

What is ALEKS?  The following is from the ALEKS website:

Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is an online mathematics program that provides personalized learning and assessment tailored to a student's individual needs. Using artificial intelligence and adaptive, open-response questioning, ALEKS quickly and accurately determines what a student knows and is most ready to learn within a course. Learn more by watching a quick 2 minute video.



With a comprehensive course library ranging from elementary school math to complex subjects such as PreCalculus, ALEKS acts much like a human tutor to help take the stress off of homeschooling parents.


ALEKS offers highly-targeted, individualized instruction from virtually any computer with Internet access, making it a comprehensive and mobile education solution for students in grades 3-12. A subscription to ALEKS offers access to all courses and students may take as many courses as needed during their subscription period.

When I found out I was going to review ALEKS, I was a bit concerned.  ALEKS is for grades 3 and up, and Chad is doing 2nd grade math this year due to his delays.  When we took the assessment though, the program kept adjusting until it found what he could do, and then found plenty of areas for him to work on.  The picture directly above is what the parent's master account looks like.  Each child also has their own account.

After the initial assessment, the child has their own pie chart, which shows what they have mastered and what they need to work on.  They can then choose which items they want to work on that day.  Chad liked having the choice to pick what he wanted to do, instead of Mom telling him.  Here is the pie chart:

While working on problems, the ALEKS program is constantly adjusting to meet the needs of the student.  I really think that is amazing!  I'm not the best at understanding technology, but I'm really impressed with that.  The child gets immediate feedback, and the parents get a report by email on what the child has learned/accomplished that week.  When the child takes a quiz, parents get the results right away. 

How much does ALEKS cost?  A subscription to ALEKS costs:

$19.95 per student, per month, or


only $99.95 every 6 months, or

only $179.95 every 12 months.

Learn about their family discount program.
 

You can also request a free 2-month trial by clicking here.  Two months is a long time for a free trial, and would really give you a chance to decide if ALEKS is for your family. 

Overall, I thought the ALEKS math program would be a great math curriculum or extra resource.  To read more TOS crew reviews of this program, click here.

*Disclaimer: I was given a free trial of ALEKS in exchange for my honest review.