Tony Silva

ALEKS
http://www.ALEKS.com
$19.95 per month. Family rates available.


Math curriculum comes in all shapes and sizes these days. The age of one-size-fits-all, show your work tedium that once dominated math teaching are numbered. Our family has used most of the good ones, and we’re happy with our current program. However, when the opportunity came along to take ALEKS for a free spin (see offer at end of this article), we jumped on board.

More Than Just Math

First, let’s clear up some misconceptions. ALEKS is not just a collection of math tutorials. In fact, math is not the only subject you can study on the ALEKS system. While it is true there are far more math courses on ALEKS than other offerings, you can also study accounting, business statistics and chemistry.

ALEKS is an acronym for Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces. Without getting into a lot of geeky instructional design stuff, what you need to know is that ALEKS uses artificial intelligence and a concept called, “adaptive learning” to figure out where your child is in the subject to be covered and then tailors the instruction to your child’s unique learning needs.

Using ALEKS

Using the system can be a love-hate relationship. Kids love the motivational features such as the progress chart (called a “pie”) that shows them how much they’ve learned in each topic and Quick Tables, timed quizzes that take math facts to the next level. Some will hate the plain vanilla interface and the sometimes balky answer builder feature.

While the answer builder features can be a challenge to use for higher level math, there are well-designed tutorials to guide you through answer entry. If you pay attention to what is presented in these tutorials, you won’t be as embarrassed as I was. Our third grader mastered the concept on the first try. His grad school educated dad fumbled and mumbled for an unspecified (but lengthy) period before figuring out how to enter an answer.

ALEKS is not flashy or fun. It’s very effective and functional. If you hate programs that rely more on talking animals and clever animation than sound teaching principles, you’ll probably be quite comfortable with this program. However, there is something to be said for use of audio and multimedia aids for visual and kinesthetic learners. A lack of multimedia is very noticeable in ALEKS after testing several programs that make good use of these teaching tools.

Also of concern is the lack of support for early reading challenges faced by third grade boys. With no audio or visual cues, the new reader has a tough time getting through the instructional material. An adult or an older sibling can help out, but doing so defeats the purpose of an online course. What we found though, was that the eight year-old had no problem using ALEKS once he learned a given concept. Reading instructional material that covered familiar concepts was much faster as we progressed through the free trial.

Cool Tools

Reporting and assessment features are a given in any quality computer based teaching program. ALEKS excels in both categories. In the parent control panel, you can request a new assessment of any student you have registered and it occurs the next time they log on. ALEKS not only keeps track of your child’s progress and provides motivation through the “My Pie” feature, it can be set up to send the parent a regular progress report for each student. We received ours every other week.

In the progress report, information about state and federal standards your child has met for the subject is available along with a list of skills your student has yet to master.

Reports are not the only cool tool available in the parent’s control panel. You can add or remove students, pay your subscription and do a variety of other management tasks. Several reviewers for The Old Schoolhouse’ “TOS Crew” participated in focus group sessions for ALEKS where the company introduced a spiffy new control panel that is more easy to navigate and contains more “at a glance” information than the one in the service we reviewed.

Commitment to Homeschoolers

The series of focus group sessions are evidence that ALEKS, a longtime player in the homeschool curriculum community, has a serious commitment to homeschoolers. The questions they asked seemed to focus on how they could better serve homeschoolers and not merely how to market their product to them. Two of the most frequent comments we’ve heard about this program – indeed, nearly all online programs – is that it is too expensive for many homeschoolers in the current economy and that it is not friendly to the “pass down” culture of homeschoolers. Unlike a book, a subscription to an online service cannot be passed down from one sibling to another or offered up at a “used subscription” fair.

The tables below show how ALEKS has dealt with the cost issue. Providing annual and semi-annual subscriptions along with a group discount based on the number of students puts the service in reach of more homeschoolers. You would definitely want to take advantage of any trial offers to make sure this is the right investment for your family. To make that easier, ALEKS is offering our readers a full month free trial subscription instead of their usual 48 hour trial. To claim this trial offer, visit the ALEKS Website



6-Month Term
Students Price Discount
1 $99.95 16.50%
2 $169.90 29.03%
3 $239.88 33.20%
4 $299.84 37.38%
5 $374.80 37.38%
6 $449.76 37.38%


12-Month Term
Students Price Discount
1 $179.95 24.83%
2 $305.90 36.11%
3 $431.88 39.87%
4 $539.84 43.63%
5 $674.80 43.63%
6 $809.76 43.63%


Quibbles & Bits

ALEKS is a great service that made a lasting impression on the whole family. As an instructional designer, I was fascinated with the way things worked. As a homeschooling dad, I was impressed at how well things worked. If you’re already using a program that can be re-used for more than one child, the cost may be a concern. If what you’re doing right now doesn’t work, give ALEKS a test drive. There’s no cost for the first month, and you might find it is a good fit for your needs.

Other than the rather plain look and feel, the only complaint we had was the lack of features targeted to early readers or to visual & kinesthetic learners.

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