REVIEW: IXL

IXL is an online learning program that allows your student to feel as though they are at "play" while practicing their schoolwork.  They offer two subjects of study- IXL Math and IXL Language Arts.  It is aligned with each of the state-required standards of education and common core.  The site is not intended to TEACH concepts but to offer a supplemental resource for 'practice makes perfect'. I was given access to both subjects for this review.

The spectrum of topics within these two subjects is so vast and so varied...it was incredible.  The program is applicable to children from PreK-12.  The IXL Math covers area of study from Pre-kindergarten learning skills all the way up to Algebra I and II, Geometry,  and even Pre-calc with over 3,000 concepts (including word problems) covered.  The IXL Language Arts program covers topics from identifying parts of speech (2nd grade skills) to the use of parallel structure and identifying the differences between related words (eighth grade) so your grammar, vocabulary and spelling is covered.

IXL is an absolutely phenomenal resource for parents and students.

For students, I think the success lies in the no-baby-fluff website that is easy to use and understand but takes into account different learning styles.  IXL does not just use words and numbers for their practice problems but uses visual aids like graphs, charts and interactive activities as well as the option of having the questions read to the student (a great help to those struggling readers).  Children are able to unlock awards as their practice time and skills improve and I, for one, believe children absolutely adore incentives.  Am I right?

I try to have one day of the week as a no-bookwork day in Math which is the perfect opportunity for my children to enjoy IXL.  They get the same practice but without the tediousness of texts.  They love no-bookwork day, especially now.

For the parents, this website is a great resource to keep us informed and up to date on how our children are doing.  Easy to understand weekly email reports show your child's progress as well as their strengths and trouble spots.  They reveal how your student would rate up against common core standards and let you know of your childrens' accomplishments.  You are also able to see, at a glance how much time your student has devoted to certain topics.  Your student is timed on his/her work so you can easily devote a certain amount of time each day to practicing while also being able to follow what concepts take your child longer to finish.  As you decide what skills to practice during a particular section, IXL provides instant pop-up examples of the topic covered so you can see, instantly, the types of problems within that topic.  Unlike other online resources, their website has ONE login for as many students as are using it.  That is super nice because it pretty much stinks to have to try to remember login names and passwords for more than one person.  (Ask me how I know.)

The cost of this program for one student is $9.95/month for your subject of choice, or $15.95/month for both the Math and Language Arts program.  Additional students are only an extra $2 per month.  Or, if you don't like recurring bills each month (who does?!?), you can purchase an annual subscription which is only $79 for one subject, or $129 for both math and language arts for the first student.  Each additional student is only an extra $20 a year.

The membership gives you direct access to the website, thus, there is nothing that needs to be downloaded.  The internet and a computer is all that is necessary to utilize IXL and there are Apps available for iPad, Kindle, and Android as well.