Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.
Don’t you just love homeschooling in today’s world?! We have so many incredible resources to pull from to help us make homeschooling even easier. As my kiddos get older (and the work gets more challenging), I really appreciate online programs that do the teaching for me. One program I love is using the 12-month family membership of CTCMath. It is an adaptive online math curriculum that takes a lot of stress out of my day. I want to share a little about the program, so you can see if it will help you too.
Table of Contents
- What is CTCMath?
- How Does This Adaptive Online Math Curriculum Work?
- Final Thoughts on CTCMath’s Adaptive Online Math Program
What is CTCMath?
I’m sure you may have seen CTCMath pop up when you’ve searched for a homeschool math curriculum. I know I did and overlooked it for years. It wasn’t until I started working with the Review Crew that I looked at the program and found I really liked it. I didn’t think an online math program could be effective. But I learned otherwise.
Adaptive Online Math Curriculum
CTCMath is a complete math curriculum. You purchase a 12-month family membership for one low price. Homeschoolers get half-price memberships compared to schools. After all, Pat Murray, the founder of the program, has 10 children who were homeschooled. He understands homeschool families.
Unlike some math programs, your membership really does cover the whole family. You don’t pay for each student. That is a plus in my book right there.
The curriculum covers Kindergarten through 12th grade. When I say 12th grade, I mean it teaches all those high school math topics of Algebra through Calculus. Thank goodness! Pat worked as a high school math teacher, so he understands how to teach higher-level math.
Take a look at the courses covered:
- Kindergarten through 6th Grade
- Basic Math and Pre-Algebra
- Elementary Measurement
- Elementary Geometry
- Algebra I
- Geometry
- Algebra II
- Pre-Calculus (with Trigonometry)
- Calculus
The program is an adaptive online math program, meaning the work adjusts to your child’s abilities. It can adapt if they need a little easier or more complex work. Perfect!
How Does This Adaptive Online Math Curriculum Work?
So, I gave you a brief background, but let me share HOW this adaptive online math works.
Online Video Lessons
First off, the math curriculum is all online. Each kiddo has a dashboard of their own. Kids log in and watch a short video lesson. I don’t think I’ve noticed any over 15 minutes. Most are shorter than that. The lessons walk kids step-by-step through solving the problems.
Here is an example of a lesson within CTCMath.
Online Math Practice
Now that kids have watched the lesson, it is time to show what they learned. So next, kids do some practice. Here is where the adaptive online math comes in. Kids work on problems based on the lesson they just watched. It is recommended that kids work out their problems with paper and pencil (my kids have a math notebook in which they do all their work).
Depending on the grade level, kids may have the option to do interactive math problems. Kids simply answer the question online by clicking on the answer or typing one in.
Don’t worry about the kids in your family that aren’t readers. CTCMath has got you covered. Kids can click on an icon to have a problem read to them.
Another way kids may answer questions is with a PDF worksheet. Now, you can print off the sheet if you like or just have your child work the problems in a notebook.
After, they match their answer to one in the answer bank. Finally, they fill in the letter for their response and then record it online (it is super simple to do).
Here are some screenshots showing you what I mean.
My first thought with the worksheets was, “Uh-oh, the kids can just eliminate answers without doing all the work.” However, this is NOT the case. There are more answers than problems, so kids NEED to do the work. Another win for CTCMath.
When kids finish the problems, they see their scores immediately. I have it set that my children need to receive 80% or better, so they go back and redo assignments until they get 80 or better.
Then, if kids rewatch the videos, redo their work, and are still struggling, they can view the solutions for their worksheets. The problems are worked out for the kids, so they can see where they are getting things wrong. I love this!
More Than Just Video Lessons
If your kiddos need extra help or review, they can rewatch the videos, but there is another option. You can assign your kids a Question Bank.
Question Banks
Question Banks are helpful. I’ve used them for review, extra practice, and a quick assessment. You determine what you want your child to review, how many questions, and how many easy, hard, and challenging questions are in the mix.
The Question Banks are available up to the Algebra 1 level. I wish you had this option for all levels.
Revision Sets
Another way to review is through Revision Sets. Unlike Question Banks, that review a particular topic, Revision Sets provide a mixed review of the topics covered for the year. As a parent, you can schedule these sets throughout the semester.
Unfortunately, the Revision Sets are only available for grades 1-6.
Grading and Reports
CTCMath not only does the teaching for you, but it also does all your grading and generates reports for parents. It does this in several ways by grading:
- Worksheets
- Question Banks and Revision Sets.
- Topic Tests
Parents can see these grades in an easy-to-access report. It shows you what your child scored, how many attempts were made, the scores for each worksheet, and when it was completed. I printed this out for my son’s portfolio at the end of the year.
Another neat feature is that you not only see your child’s scores, but you can also click in and see the problems they got wrong in assignments and see a complete log of when they logged in and for how long. Plus, you see if their work is late. Unfortunately, my daughter hasn’t realized this yet.
You are always in the loop with how your child is doing. I like that a lot.
Final Thoughts on CTCMath’s Adaptive Online Math Program
So, you can probably tell that I like CTCMath. It has been a helpful adaptive online math program for our family. I am writing an informed review for this review because even though we use this program in our homeschool, we are not using it consistently. Our summer has been a little crazy.
However, I was happy to write this review because I feel CTCMath can be a great online math program for many homeschool families.
The program seems overwhelming at first. Fortunately, CTCMath provides helpful videos that walk you through the program. Seriously, click on the Need Help? Button in the right corner. You will be glad you took the time to watch the short videos.
How We Have Used CTCMath in Our Homeschool
My 7th-grade son used the Basic Math and Pre-Algebra Course this past school year. I assigned his work for the week (called tasks) and set the due date for Friday. From there, he is on his own. Well, sort of. Sometimes he struggles with a particular lesson. So we’d sit down together, watch the video, and pause the video to discuss the assignment.
For the most part, my boy does math independently. However, I use my Parent Dashboard to keep tabs on how he is doing. If I notice he did a lesson several times, I open up the worksheets to see what he got wrong. It gives me a little insight into why he may be struggling.
My daughter finished 9th grade and will use CTCMath’s geometry course for 10th grade. She has started it and likes it.
Both my kiddos like this adaptive online math program. It adjusts to their needs which is a big help. Once fall begins, we will be back to using the program full-time.
I have done two other reviews of this math program that go into more detail about how we’ve used the program and different aspects I didn’t mention here. You can look at my 2020 review and 2021 review to learn more.
Other Crew Members reviewed CTCMath. You can read their reviews by clicking the banner below.
Happy Homeschooling!
I am looking for an online Math program for my 8th grader. I have used a few different ones but she always finds a way to cheat with the online programs. Is there ways to get the answer without doing the work but make it look like they didn’t cheat with this CTCMath program?
Your child shouldn’t be able to cheat with the videos or Worksheets. As the parent, you’d have to go into your settings and click a setting to allow them to see the answers without attempting to do the work. My kiddos have not been able to get away with not doing the work and cheating. I hope this helps.