ALEKS is short for “Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces .” The program is designed for grades 3 and above.
This is a computer based mathematics program that families can access from virtually any computer that has internet capabilities.
ALEKS is available for $19.95 per month, $99.95 for six months, $179.95 for twelve months, or like most homeschooling families who have multiple children, ALEKS offers a family discount according to how many students you have.
I was not in the least bit familiar with ALEKS before our family was chosen to take part in a review of their product. So our expectations were not anything but indifferent.
Right away I had some problem getting ALEKS to install on my computer. I usually expect those types of things to happen because while we have newer computers and operating systems, these technical difficulties are, well lets just say they follow us.
I immediately looked up the number to their technical support and got busy chatting with them.
Turns out that our Java was a bit out of date. So tech support guided me through all the necessary steps and guess what? It was so easy.
The tech support was very knowledgeable, helpful, nice and well it was a pleasure talking with them. It was a quick process that was slowed down only by the speed of my laptop. Pretty Soon we were up and running.
I was given the chance for all three of my children to review this product. I will start from youngest to oldest and go through each age/grade we have.
My Daughter – Age 10 – Grade: All her own 
I felt like the product was a bit misleading from the initial impressions I got from the age and grade range.
I was under the impression and also read on the website that this product was for grades K-12, however that is not the case.
I always like to start my daughter a year or two younger than what she should be in the math department because math is not her strong suit. I do not want her to be more discouraged then she already gets with her math. She learns math at a slower pace then most and that is okay.
When I signed her up I quickly realized that she would be placed at a third grade level because that was the lowest grade available.
We tried working through a lot of the problems but the format and the degree of higher leveled questions were just not getting through.
We explored and found they had some lovely games and something called quicktables. These failed to be impressive for my daughter. These are meant for children who are drilled on a timed basis for math facts. So basically the quicker you answer the better your score. My daughter didn’t answer quick enough and it kicked her out of the game. She was less than thrilled with this discovery.
I tried to create quizzes for her to help boost her confidence in this program but no matter what I tried with her within the program, she was not geared or ready for it.
So overall, with my daughter, the program was not a good match to her learning style or even her level of mathematics.
My Middle Son – Age 11 – Grade: 6th/7th
I signed my middle son up for the pre-algebra portion of ALEKS as that is what he is working on in his regular math program.
This is what he had to say about the program…
“The program was all right but half the time the program didn’t explain the material very well.”
“I liked the lines and angles portion the most. I also like the perimeter and area problems.”
“That’s it.”
I felt like he enjoyed the program because he was allowed more time on the computer as well. He enjoyed the challenge of competing with his brother on the pie chart percentages, so that kept him interested also.
My Oldest Son – Age 14 – Grade: 9th
This is what my oldest son had to say about the program…
“It was all right because some of the problems were not fully explained.”
“I liked the progress percentage bar because I was able to see my progress as I kept going through ALEKS. I was able to see how well I did at all the problems I was doing.”
“That about sums it up for me.”
He also enjoyed the challenge of trying to beat his brother in the progress he was making.
OVERALL
I agree with my boys…the program was all right. It is not something we would have sought out and paid money to purchase a subscription to.
I was disappointed that the program started at the 3rd grade level and would like to see ALEKS expand to meet the needs of kindergarten and above grade levels.
I loved the technical support! I was happy with their service, timing and knowledge. The best part of tech support was that I was able to understand the technician on the other end!!
I am happy we got the opportunity to experience ALEKS and have the opportunity to tell others about it.
Interested in reading what my crew members had to say about ALEKS?
Just pop on over to the TOS Review Crew Blog and read what the rest of the crew has to say.
**I was given a free subscription to ALEKS in exchange for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given. This review is part of my fullfillment to the TOS Review Crew. My experience may differ from yours.**