CTCMath has given us a generous one year subscription to CTCMath Homeschool Membership in exchange for our review.

CTC Math is a comprehensive onlline math tutorial. Each of my boys( David-11 and Daniel-6) received their own login. this program is created to help students who are struggling with math, but really, math is a strength for each of the, so I was interested to see how engaging they found it.

When they log in, each will have options appropriate for their age and level of math. They will only see and work on what you, the parent/teacher has selected for them. With six children to homeschool, it is really neat to have one program that I can customize for each student easily.

Once they log in, they can work through the lesson independently. The lesson uses brief videos (four to nine minutes each) to explain a concept, then allows the student to work problems related to the video. The videos, are brief, but engaging. The videos are done in a simple, but high quality way so that the technology is not a distraction. The speaker does have an Australian accent which I could listen to all day. I was worried at first that his accent may be a distraction to the boys, but neither of them commented on it, so it was a non-issue. As the student watches the video, it can be easily paused, rewound or sped up to accommodate the learning speed of the student, which can admittedly vary from lesson to lesson.

Here’s an example of a video:

When a lesson is completed, the student can print a summary page to put in a binder for later review. This is helpful for students who might like a quick review reference. We did not use this feature since this is not the boys primary math program. I did not want more paper to maintain. But if this were the only math program we were using, I certainly would.

Next, the student is given problems to complete, which start easy and get increasingly more complex to check for comprehension. These are graded automatically, and the program adjusts the problems based on the student’s comprehension and accuracy. When they complete a lesson, they can print out a sheet showing their work and the results. They also earn certificates for completing sections, which can be an exciting incentive for some students.

Since this is a computer program, I considered this to be a hands-off activity for me. I set the boys up and let them go to work. You can decide whether you are comfortable with this. We have a very restricted internet filter on their computer, so I was comfortable with it. But I still do want to know what they are using, how they are progressing. What’s nice is the parent gets a login as well, where I can check on the progress of all my students. Here’s an example of the feedback:

Friday, July 01, 2016 5:27pm

David Russell logged in.

5:27pm

David Russell viewed From 100,000 to 999,999.

5:28pm

David Russell got 80% in From 100,000 to 999,999.

5:37pm

David Russell correctly answered 24 questions in one minute in Speed Skills Level 1: Addition.

5:46pm

So I can see not only how long he worked, but also what videos he viewed and what percentage he received on the homework. As the parent, you get to pick the “passing grade.” If you want them to work for 90% or 80% proficiency before moving ahead, you get to choose that mastery number. Depending on how you are using the program you can make it more or less difficult to pass.

Another feature I really like is the diagnostic tests. If you are not sure where to start your student you can give a diagnostic test which will let you know whether a student needs certain materials. Here’s an example:

Detailed Report for Daniel Russell

Wednesday, 3 August 2016

Number, Patterns and Algebra		Eff. Rating	First Att.	High Att.	Att’s
Kindergarten
Number I
Diagnostic Test	70%	70	70	1
1. Numbers 1 to 5 (1000)	91%	95	95	2	1

One of my favorite features is the ability to skip around if they need to go backwards and cover a concept from a younger grade, and the ability to test to see where to be placed in any particular school subject.

Another feature I like is that if you don’t take the time to log in and check their progress ,you can set the program to send you weekly updates on the student’s progress. This is helpful for me since I have so many students in different grades, it is sometimes really not a priority to go and log in to check it. This weekly report is an opportunity to remind me to check on them and to set up tasks and assignments for upcoming weeks.

My impression: This is a good tool for in-home tutoring and we will continue to use it, probably adding it in even more aggressively in the fall when we are back to full-time schooling. Even though we school year-round, we are very relaxed in the summer and if the kids have an opportunity to play outside or do yard work, etc we let them focus on that instead. I am looking forward to seeing the boys progress. The good news for large families is that you can have up to 10 memberships on one family account, and homeschoolers get a 60% discount.

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