MathScore - Another Great Math Resource

MathScore offered me a free trial to review their math subscription service. The free trial is available to anyone. Click here to sign up and give it a try for yourself. After that, the subscription is $14.95/month for the first child, $5 for the second, and $3.75 for each additional student. However, right now they are offering a discounted rate of $9.95 for the first child. I'm not sure how long that will last.

For homeschoolers, MathScore offers a choice of either a full curriculum or a supplement to your regular curriculum. They offer levels 2nd grade through Algebra 1. I tried the 5th grade which had 105 topics to choose from. The computer makes recommendations on what you should do next, but the decision is ultimately up to the student. I like the fact that Lesson 1 is a CopyCat lesson. This helps to build up the student's keyboarding skills. Numbers are not always covered (or at least not very well) in typing programs. Learning to use the number pad (10-key) is immensely helpful in many jobs. For me, my 10-key skills have actually got me more than one job in the past. The way computers run everything today, that may be a more useful skill than the math itself. I'm kidding, of course. I like the way the lessons are quick and to the point. My easily distractable student is able to stay focused long enough to complete a lesson at a time. I am not crazy about the fact that you are timed and have to repeat the lesson if you run out of time. For some students, that challenge is a good thing. For the easily distractable and frustratable ones it is not. I do love that they can earn "trophies" for completing certain assignments. It is amazing how motivating even fake rewards can be.

As a side note, if you are not a homeschooler, MathScore also offers supplemental practice for school kids.