Product Review—MathandAlgebra.com

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in
exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I
compensated in any other way.

One thing I rarely request for reviews is a math curriculum. I’m happy with what we have, and it’s hard to switch to anything else. We ended up being put on the MathandAlgebra.com review, though, so I’ve been using it to supplement Mr. Sweetie’s regular math book. He’s been doing some of each, and when he finishes his regular math for the year this week, I’ll keep him doing this Basic Math for another month or so, to help prevent that “summer slump.”

There are four levels in this online homeschool math program. There is Basic Math, Advanced Math, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra. Basic Math starts with whole numbers and moves on to fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions and percents, and geometry, algebra, charts and graphs, probability and statistics, and word problems. Each topic has 4-16 lessons. Each lesson has a roughly 5-minute video lesson and a worksheet. Each section ends with a quiz, and there is a final quiz at the end of the level. To begin, I had Mr. Sweetie do the quiz at the end of each section, and if he got everything right, I figured he didn’t need to go through the lessons in that section. When he reached the part about ratios, proportions and percents, he didn’t do well, so he started there. He says that the lessons are presented clearly, and he is obviously understanding the concepts. This is something he hasn’t done much with in his regular math lessons, but he’s doing well here. He watches the lesson, works the sample problems with the instructor, and then works the rest of them on the worksheet himself. There is an answer key that he opens separately, and checks his own work. Each worksheet has about four review problems, ten for the new concept, and a word problem at the end. There are also speed drills, which we haven’t used yet because he still has them with his other math book.

Advanced Math covers the same topics as Basic Math; I presume it goes into more depth with everything. Pre-Algebra starts with sets, integers, fractions and decimals, and goes on to exponents and square roots, ending with number theory, number lines and coordinate systems, equations, and more about probability and statistics. Algebra starts out with 22 lessons on “Tools for Algebra.” Then it goes on to equations, solving and graphing them, polynomials and quadratic equations, and finishes with algebra word problems.

This seems to be a fairly thorough math program. It would be great for a student who needs to get through several years’ worth of math in a short time. There are no extras here, and no busywork. In a lot of ways I’m impressed with it. One real plus is that the child can do it with no help from Mom. I showed Mr. Sweetie how to reach the site through a bookmark, login, resume where he left off, and print his worksheet, and he was off. I rarely have to help him at all with this. So, if you’re struggling with math, and have a child who is 10 years old or older, this might be just what you need. It is recommended for grades 4 and up.

The group leader’s console is very basic. Mostly, it allows me access to all the courses; one tab allows management of students. Under that tab are two tabs; one lets me remove a student, and the other gives a report of their progress. This picture shows Mr. Sweetie’s progress. As you can see, he got 60% on his first try of the Ratios quiz, but 100% after going through the lessons. He starts Geometry today, and he’s a bit scared of it, but I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.

We did find a few problems. They were fairly minor, just a bit annoying. One lesson had exactly the same worksheet as the one before it, and a couple of times the answer key had the wrong answer. I went over the problem several times to be sure. I also had trouble getting Mr. Imagination logged in when I wanted him to start using this for review here over the summer after he finished his regular math. I contacted support, however, and they got on to the problem quickly and got it solved.

Bottom line? If you need a math program when you just don’t have time to spend with your children, you might want to check this one out. I saw on their website that they offer a 30-days trial with your money back at the end if this program doesn’t work for you, so it may be worth checking out. Also, have a look at what 48 other families said about this program!