Aleks

Since we began homeschooling, I have struggled to find a good solid math program for my 6th grader.  I started out with a 4th grade program when he was in 5th grade.  I wanted him to have a solid understanding of math facts, and since he was public schooled up until then, I wasn’t really sure what he knew or didn’t.  He did fine with the chosen math program for the first year.  Then we got to the stuff he hadn’t learned yet.  And he began to fight me on math everyday.  I have been trying to find a program we can both be happy with since them.  Let me be honest with you here, I wasn’t sure about Aleks when I first found out we would be reviewing it, so I dragged my feet in getting into it.  And boy do I wish I hadn’t. 



We received a month long subscription to Aleks to review.  I set up my sixth grader on it.  I now find him doing Aleks outside of “school time”.  I have found him on it during weekends and his free time.  So let me just jump into the things we loved.

What we love about Aleks:

The great client support, quick response time, friendly and helpful.

The fact that it is hands off for me.   I can just check his progress through my parent account, and work with him on specific things he needs help with.

He is doing math when I tell him to and even when I don’t. 

We both love the way it has a pie chart of all the things to learn and all the things you have learned.  It really shows him exactly where he is at, and how much further he has to go.  Tommy really likes knowing what is ahead. 

You answer a few questions and show you know how to do the type of problem, if you get it right you move on, if you get it wrong it teaches you, and you try again.  It shows you what you got wrong and how to do it right. 



Aleks remembers where you last left off, and just restarts you on the next problem when you get back on. 

What could have been better:

The assessment was long for Tommy, about 45 minutes to answer 30 questions, and while it had to be done, he struggled with the feeling that it wasn’t going to end.  While I feel this purely had to do with my son’s attitude, it was still a struggle for us. 

The next button stuck on him quite a few times.  He would have to close out and restart.  He found that frustrating. 



Normally, Aleks offers a 48 hour free trial.  Now for me, I would need more time to be able to decide.  So for my readers they are offering a free 30 day trial!  That is so great.  I recommend at least trying it with your children to see if it meets their learning styles.



For Aleks the price is $99 for 6 months, which is expensive for me, but when you have been searching for a complete math program that your child is willing to do without fighting you on.  The price is worth it. 

To see what my crewmates said about Aleks check out our crew blog. 

{I received a 30 day trial of Aleks in order to write this review.  All opinions are my own.  No other compensation was provided. }