Upon logging in you select a grade level and then a whole screen full of practice areas is available. As your kids get problems right in a particular practice area their score ticker on the screen moves upwards towards 100. If you miss problems your score moves backwards. For each area you complete you get little stickers revealed on your brag board (my word, not theirs!!!). You also get a completion status next to that area in the list of skills, so you know what you've completed and what you haven't.
I used IXL with Bentley about 18 months ago to figure out if we had any gaps in our math coverage and where he *should* be if we wanted to be aligned with our state standards. At the time we weren't using any formal math program so it was a good indicator of the holes that existed in what we'd covered. With Jake and Viva this fall I've been letting them use it to bounce around and drill whatever type of math facts they fancy. They spend about 20 minutes at a time when they use IXL - of their own free will!
What's to love?
- For the Pre-K up through 1st grade crowd you can click on the questions to hear them out loud. This is nice if your child isn't a fluent reader yet.
- With your subscription you have the ability to jump between the different levels (aka grade areas). You aren't required to pick and stick with one grade level.
- IXL has a new iPad app, it's awesome! My kids liked IXL well enough when it was just on the computer - it had the "game" type of feel to it that appeals to kids. Now that they have a very well put together iPad as well? Icing on the cake. The kids ask to "play" IXL. I'm happy to let them spend as much time as they'd like on a math app.
- You can use IXL for free - your child can do 10 problems a day per category for free, the only caveat being that your scores and progress are not saved in anyway. If you want to enhance the tracking and enable the ability for more extensive practice then you'll need to upgrade to a paid license.
- The fact that IXL math standards are aligned to the standards for whatever state you live in. It's a very easy way to see where your kids are compared to where they *need* to be.
- Access to detailed reports from the parents login area help you see what your child has been doing and what they might need additional study time with.
- It's colorful and fun but not too crazy with animation. The kids like it, and it's a nice ad free and uncluttered site.
- IXL is great for your Pre-K students all the way on top to 12th graders. Right now they have through Alegeba 2 available and Pre-Calc is on the way. If your child enjoys the site you should be able to get many years of great practice out of it!
- I like that IXL times the kids. The "fuzzy logic" of the site keeps an eye on how long it takes a child to answer a question and that helps to play into their score and if they are able to master an area.
How much does it cost? It is $9.95/month, or $79/year for single subject access. If you want access to both the math and english areas available through IXL the license is $15.95/month or $129/year. Additional kids can be added onto your account for $2/month or $20/year. There is a 30 day guarantee if you decide to try out the year access, so keep that in mind too!
Sometimes with kids it can be hard to tell which sites are the "two week hits" and which have more enduring power. I myself have purchased access to IXL in the past because I find their practice well laid out for kids and their reports useful to me, so obviously I personally believe they're in the "more enduring power" category!
Go here to check out other reviews from TOS crew members. Some of them also checked out the new English study side of IXL, which I have not had time to explore yet. I'm betting it will be just as nicely put together as the math side.
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