Sunday, January 31, 2010

MathScore / Accurate Learning

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I was able to review a website called www.mathscore.com . This site was developed by Steven Yang Founder and CEO, MathScore.com. He is an MIT graduate, and according to the website, has earned many awards for the site. The mission of mathscore.com is: "to improve the education of millions of students by providing a superior learning environment compared to existing solutions."

The site has all the qualities of a solid math teaching tool. It can be used as a math curriculum or as a supplemental component to any homeschool. Children who attend traditional schools can benefit as well from this program. The math topics are for children who are at a second grade math level or above through algebra one.

Your student is timed while doing math drills, you pick the math topic you want them to practice. As each student masters a level, they are given a reward such as a trophy. The parent is also able to monitor progress and view an assessment of the students work.

I would recommend this product for an older child who may be struggling with higher level math. One aspect of the site that I found lacking, was no audio/video explanation of the website. If a child is not a great reader, they would need the instructions read to them. I do think this is a bias on my own part since my children are younger than the target audience, so I see the value in this product, I just think the child should be at a third grade reading level or above.

MathScore's pricing starts at $14.95/month for the first child and gets significantly cheaper beyond the first child. With a 9-month commitment, the first child's price can be locked in at $9.95/month. A really nice aspect of the pricing is that you can freeze your account (over Christmas break, or while on vacation) and activate it again when you return, which means you aren’t paying for time that you are not using.


There is a free trial available, so you can test it out for yourself here. I would suggest checking it out, the program is a quality one, and with the free trial offer, you and your child have a chance to play around with it and see if it is a good fit for your homeschool before making a financial commitment.

1 comment:

  1. Katie -- It's tough sometimes with the younger kids and these math programs, isn't it? I think your third grade reading level advice is spot on.

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