Friday, January 15, 2010

MathScore Review

TOS Crew Review

Product: MathScore - Math Practice and Assessment Online

Publisher: Accurate Learning Systems, Corp.

Price: $9.95 per month (discount will apply when there is more than one student)

*I received this product from this company (for free), for the purpose of sharing my opinion.*

Math score can be used as a complete math curriculum for homeschoolers or as a supplement. It covers 1st grade through Algebra I.

Our Experience:

I love the non-fluff aspect of this program. You are taken directly to a screen and see a list of topics in the left sidebar. The student can choose what they want to work on for the day. They are also given mini-lessons as an example. Each activity is timed, which is excellent. The student also receives instant feedback.

Amy (15) has progressed very quickly. She has received trophies (awards) and moved up in her level. This is an encouraging feature. When a student completes a task, they see fireworks! There is just enough motivating encouragement to keep the child going without wasting time.

John (12, and dyslexic) had a problem with the timed aspect of the program. The morning after he mentioned this to me, I found an automatically generated email which had the children’s activity listed. There was a note that told me exactly how to increase the time on John’s account. I was delighted! That problem was easily fixed. I will have to put him back on the typing aspect, so he can develop speed and efficiency before letting him move on.

John was delighted whenever he saw fireworks and called me over to see how well he was doing. He was thrilled when he became  a “cadet.”

I also plan to use this with Matthew (17). I think it will help him cover all the gaps in math and help him succeed. He does not like to waste time on games and would rather do a program that got right to the point. This is exactly what he needs. I can’t wait to get him started on this!

The e-mail reports:

Each day, I received a summary of what my children accomplished. Some of the information included:

1. Topic name (such as “fast addition” or “Bar Graphs”). This was whatever topic my child actually worked on.

2. Rating, points, accuracy, % (such as 100% or 98%), etc.

3. How much time it took the child to do the lesson.

4. How much time the child was “idle” during the lesson.

I found this fascinating! It helped me, as a teacher, to see exactly what my students were doing, so I could analyze their progress.

I plan to post a monthly update about my children’s progress using MathScore. I would also love to hear how this program is working for your family! (You can access a free trial from the website. After you’ve checked it out, come back and tell me what you think.)

From the website:

“Did you know? In one school year, the average student practices more than 10,000 problems while using our online practice program only one hour per week!”

“Developed by MIT graduates, MathScore® is proven to raise math test scores through adaptive math practice.”


To find out more about my reviews, please visit "Introduction to our Homeschool Parlor"

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