Treehouse Review Week
MathScore Home Page
Quick Information Guide for Homeschoolers
Instant Demo Page
Free Trial
What is MathScore? "Math Practice and Assessment Online. Developed by MIT graduates, MathScore® is proven to raise math test scores through adaptive math practice. MathScore supports 1st grade through Algebra I."
Crayons was originally signed up for Grade 3. Some of her topics included:
1. Copy Cat Preparation
2. Copy Cat (these are keyboarding drills to get students comfortable typing numbers quickly)
3. Fast Addition
4. Fast Addition Reverse
5. Fast Subtraction
6. Mixed Addition and Subtraction
7. Understanding Multiplication
8. Beginner Multiplication
9. Multiplication Facts Strategies
10. Fast Multiplication
11. Fast Multiplication Reverse
Ponytails' Grade 7 topics started with:
1. Copy Cat
2. Fast Addition
3. Fast Multiplication
4. Distributive Property
5. Greatest Common Factor
6. Least Common Multiple
7. Prime Factoring
8. Estimating Square Roots
9. Scientific Notation
10. Scientific Notation 2
11. Distance, Rate, and Time
12. Train Problems
13. Fraction Simplification
14. Fraction Addition
In spite of the wide variety of topics listed, there are suggested sequences and priorities, such as working on addition and multiplication facts. Each topic has short lessons, followed by online "worksheets." Older students can also take asssessments to see what they need most to work on.
Some useful features: "If you set the time zone offset to your time zone, when you analyze student progress, all dates will be reported in your time zone. If you set the state and we happen to support your state's standards, then our topics will explicitly align to your state's standards. If we don't, we'll default to California standards, which are highly acclaimed by many educational experts."
"If you click on a student's name, Edit Student Settings will allow you to modify the student's name, username, grade level, and password. It will also allow you to pad extra time for every problem the student does. The Progress By Grade feature gives you an excellent snapshot of a student's overall progress within a grade level."
How much does this cost?
First child: $14.95/month
Second child: $5/month
Each addition: $3.95/month
For the first two months, however, the first child only costs $9.95/month. And when you start your free trial, regardless of the number of student accounts you create, you get a half-month free trial. There are also other options including pre-paying for a certain number of months. You can "freeze" your account temporarily if you go on vacation or otherwise won't be using it for a length of time.
In Actual Practice: Crayons tried out the program briefly but didn't enjoy it, even when I adjusted the time allowed for her to answer. She complained that sometimes it didn't seem to be working properly, or "changed" the answers she typed in; I'm not sure what the problem was there. It just wasn't her favourite, so I let Ponytails do most of the testing.
Ponytails has been using MathScore a few times a week and thinks it's "okay." She enjoyed doing the assessment, but didn't find the regular lessons as interesting. She suggested that "more graphics" might make the program more appealing as well as more helpful. I don't think she meant just in the entertainment sense, but rather using graphics to demonstrate math concepts.
Final take: I think this might be a good option either for students who need some extra help, particularly on just a few topics, or as a self-teaching program for homeschoolers who for whatever reason don't want to use a traditional textbook.
For more reviews of this product, see the Review Crew home page.
Dewey's Disclaimer: This product was received free for purposes of review. No other payment was made. The opinions expressed in this review are our own.
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