Math can be a not so fun subject to teach as it's not a favorite of my youngest. It's been quite difficult as a matter of fact which is why I wanted to try out A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft Inc.) Adaptive Math Curriculum Online program to see if this would be the magic link to what she needs to get interested in a very much needed subject. Starting out with the program was easy and enrolling me student was equally effortless.
Once I enrolled my student into the program, she had to take placement tests which I found helpful in understanding where she was from a learning perspective. The first mini-tests gauged her skill levels and automatically adjusted the difficulty level of questions based on her answers as well as detected any gaps between the targeted level and her actual level. Since the Adaptive Math Curriculum Online is geared towards grades 1-6 and pre-algebra, I was confident that she would gain from the program.
Note, there is another program called the Family Math Package that does not pre-test students and also incorporates all the grade levels as the Adaptive Math Curriculum Online. It allows flexibility in moving the student to different grade levels pending their knowledge.
Quick Overview of Student's Dashboard:
The student's Dashboard provides the following options:
- Take the Adaptive Placement Test
- Provides a test for each concept (Number Sense, Addition, Subtraction, etc);
- A visual Goal line so the student can see their progress;
- Options for lessons, worksheets, reports and details are available; and
- Option to retake the test.
- View My Lesson Plan
- View Video Lessons & Interactive Review - this portion of my review is covered below.
- Practice with Online Worksheets
- Worksheets are provided per concept and has 10 questions that provide a summary of correct, incorrect and unanswered questions.
- View My Reports
- Summary Reports provides a list of all math concepts for my student's grade level. Each concept has notations on whether my student was at the grade level expected, how many attempts were made and I could view the Summary Report.
- The Summary Report helps the student understand where they might need a little more help and an opportunity to review the Video Lessons and Interactive Q & A.
- Progress Reports provides the student an understanding of their progress relative to each lesson and how far they are from the goal if they hadn't met it yet.
- Coming soon, a How to Get Started? (View Tutorial) isn't available yet but I suspect it will be helpful to new students.
Review:
The results of her mini-tests established a good area of focus for her to begin with the lessons. I had to spend a little time helping her to navigate through the format and how the program works. She is used to textbooks and actually prefers them over online programs as I found working through the A+ Interactive Math (by A+ TutorSoft, Inc.). She quickly learned that she does have to read each instructional screen to understand the next steps in proceeding with the lessons.
The Table of Contents provides the various concepts such as Number Sense, Addition, Subtraction and so forth. Once the student clicks on the manila folder to expand the selections, they choose the first lesson that begins automatically with an audio that corresponds with the topic with demonstrations and explanations of each concept.
The voice is easy to understand and isn't too fast. My student, who is impatient, thought the voice was too slow and became easily bored and distracted.
There is also an interactive Q & A that provides the student with an opportunity to ensure they understood what was just taught.
At the top of each lesson, a completion date and status are provided so the student can track their progress which is good so they can see where they are relative to learning as well as to track where they left off. After they complete the interactive Q & A, a screen pops up with their score and a chance to print off the certificate. The questions are animated with a frog to place the answers in and to provide further encouragement by making it fun.
Overall, I think this is a good program for students who prefer to learn online. It's very thorough and ensures the student is retaining the information they are learning. They are also detailed in demonstrating and explaining how a problem is answered. I like how the students have the ability to retake lessons when they need further assistance in understanding each concept and how the student can always check on their progress. My student is rather bored easily and impatient and I believe she prefers the old school way of using textbooks.
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