My sons really excel in math, so I am often searching for ways to challenge them with a homeschool math program that still makes math fun. We were able to once again review the 12 Month Family Plan online math program from CTC Math over the past several weeks and use it as our core curriculum. We have used CTC Math before, and my 8 year old son was particularly excited to use the program again.
CTC Math
This online math program can be accessed from mobile devices, tablets, and computers. It gives the student access to all levels of math, from kindergarten through trigonometry. It doesn’t lock the student into a specific grade level, so students that are excelling in one area can continue on to higher grade levels or review lessons in lower levels with no pressure to perform at a specific grade level.
My 8 year old just finished 2nd grade a few weeks ago, so I have been having him complete the 2nd grade videos and quizzes. He loves math and CTC Math is his favorite program because it is fun for him. As you can see from above, he has completed a lot of work already and is cruising along steadily through the program.
With CTC Math, students first select which course they want to work in (in our case, grade level), then they choose a “Stream” or broad topic of study. Then they choose a specific topic and then choose a lesson from there. Once the lesson is chosen (It sounds more complicated than it is. This process literally takes seconds.), the student watches a video to learn and practice the material.
If your student really needs to have something in their hands to hold and touch in order to learn a concept, CTC Math also has a printable summary of the videos available.
The videos are short and to the point. There is no fluff worked into it at all, which my math-inclined son really appreciated. Once the video instruction is over, students work on questions relating to the content.
Once they’ve completed the questions, your student is given a score and a summary of how they did. It includes everything and is also printable, which would be great for students needing to fill a portfolio with their work.
Depending on how well the student does, they can earn little virtual medals, which also include printable certificates. Platinum is for getting 100%, Gold is for 95-99%, Silver is for 75-94%, and Bronze is for 50-74%.
I have my son’s account set up where he has to get at least an 80% to pass and show as completed, so he knows he has to do a good job to have it count as done. He loves and excels in math, so it is not a problem. However, on more difficult problems, he knows that he can try again. The program averages the scores, so it is possible to bomb it the first time and still get a passing grade by showing that he has learned the material on a later attempt.
There are also Speed Skills for students to practice. If you’re concerned about your student learning basic math facts and practicing the skills they’ve learned, make sure they check out this game!
My son loves to see if he can beat his past records and actually chooses to play on Speed Skills without me even having to ask.
It is also easy to print out a quick summary of how your student has been doing. Again, this would be great for portfolios and good to mark progress over time. There is also a more detailed report available which breaks it down even further to include the various lessons for each main topic and the date each specific lesson was completed.
Final Thoughts
We do enjoy the CTC Math curriculum. The videos are engaging and make a lot of sense. The man narrating does have an accent, so that could be a potential issue for some, but wasn’t for us.
CTC Math would work well as a stand alone curriculum, but would also be great for extra practice for anyone. Even adults could benefit from the higher level lessons. It’s almost like having your own tutor there to walk you through each concept, step by step, on the videos.
Keep in mind that this math program is mastery based. The concepts will not be revisited unless you choose to tell your student to complete them again. Once they have shown proficiency, their dashboard will show that it is complete.
For my math loving son, this is perfect, because he doesn’t have to do the same concepts over and over again. He likes being able to complete the topic and move on to something else. Then he likes the challenge of the Speed Skills!
This online math program works very well for him, and he will continue to use it again this year!
Krista says
I’m always looking for easy Math lessons for my kiddos, I’ll have to check this out.
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MJ @ Creative Madness Mama says
We have truly come to love this program!
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