Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.
Math can be overwhelming when you have kids at different grade levels in your homeschool. Sometimes it’s just hard because, as parents, we don’t feel confident teaching it. In addition, though it is hard to believe, others don’t enjoy teaching math. Gasp. Joking aside, luckily, there is an online math curriculum called CTCMath which can make the homeschooling parents’ job more manageable.
As part of the Homeschool Review Crew, I received 12 months of access to CTCMath. I’ve explored the program and want to share all it has to offer. Maybe it can help you in your homeschool.
Table of Contents
What is CTCMath?
So, if you’ve been doing ANY research into homeschool math curriculum, you’ve probably come across CTCMath at some point. Many homeschool families use it for their math curriculum.
You may be wondering, “What IS CTCMath?”
Well, CTC is an online math curriculum for grades K-12. They even include calculus! I find that quite impressive because I really don’t want to teach calculus. And when I say math curriculum, I mean a full curriculum. It isn’t a supplemental math program.
For homeschoolers, the one-year subscription includes the whole family. You don’t pay for each child. This is a big help for homeschool families, especially for those with many children.
Each yearly plan not only covers the whole family, but you have access to all grade levels. This allows a lot of flexibility in your homeschool.
How Does It Work?
Helpful Videos
Overall, I find this program easy to use once you understand all it has to offer. When you click the Need Help? Button at the top of the Parent Dashboard, and you’ll find videos that walk you through the whole program. They are super helpful. You’ll want to start with these so you can see all the math curriculum has to offer.
Placement Testing in CTCMath
If you are unsure where your kids should begin, they offer placement tests to help you out. Kids take various Diagnostic Tests to see where they have a good understanding and where there are gaps. The detailed Parent Reports allow you to determine where to start your child in the program.
The nice thing with this math program is you are not locked into one grade level for your child. So, for example, if they perform OK overall in 3rd-grade math but have one area they need some extra practice, they can work on only those areas they need after you can move on to what they need next.
Parents are in complete control of where their kids start and what they work on in the program.
Lessons
Ah, the math lessons…CTCMath does the teaching for you. Yup! It’s true. Isn’t that great? They also do the grading too.
The math lessons are short videos that walk students through their lessons. The problems are shown on the screen, and the instructor explains all the steps. As the teacher goes through the steps, things are highlighted on the screen so kids can easily follow along.
I watched many six-grade and Algebra 1 lessons since these are the levels my kids are working at. However, I did look at some kindergarten lessons, too. I was curious.
I was highly impressed by how well done the videos were for the various age levels. The kindergarten videos were age-appropriate and straightforward. On the other hand, the upper-grade math lessons didn’t have any cutesy animals; they were definitely geared towards older kids.
Overall, I think the lessons are very well done and easy for kids to understand. In addition, the videos get right to the point and don’t drag out example after example. After all, if the kids need to, they can replay the video.
Now, once the kids finish the video, they have questions of their own to try. When they click on the question button, they get to answer a series of questions. They get instant feedback if their question is correct or not. At any time, kids can click back into the video and rewatch it.
Worksheets
Once the lesson is complete, and the interactive questions answered, kids can complete a worksheet for extra practice (and some paper and pencil work). I found these worksheets mainly in the upper grades.
You can either print off the worksheet or view the problems online. Kids then work through the questions and then type in their answers. Next, the program corrects their work for them. Finally, the solutions are provided so kids can check their work.
I love that it has online work and encourages kids to work out their problems with paper and pencil.
Other Features of CTCMath
Besides the regular lesson worksheets, parents can assign Weekly Revision Sets to review previous skills and give Diagnostic Tests when kids complete a section to check mastery.
Another fun feature is the games! Kids can find three games at the bottom of the screen: Speed Skills, Times Tables, and Swap Pieces.
- Speed Skills has timed tests to assess how quickly kids can do math in their heads. They can choose among four levels to see how quickly they can answer addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and order of operation problems (depending on your level).
- Times Tables is a video-style space game where kids blast the answers to their multiplication facts.
- Swap Pieces is a logic puzzle that requires students to move red and blue pieces in specific ways. It is challenging.
Times Table 
Speed Skill 
Swap Pieces
CTCMath Reports for Parents
Besides the fact the program does the teaching and grading, another great feature is all the reports. You can check-in and see when your child logged in and what they were working on. At all times, you can see how your kids scored on assignments and tests. You can even click into an assignment and look at what problems they got wrong.
You can click in and find more detailed information! 
It also tracks your child’s activity! It’s a quick snapshot of what they did.
You can indeed keep track and fully understand how your child is doing with all the reports they provide. I love it!
Who Can Benefit from CTCMath
Overall, I think many kids can benefit from the program. First, you need a child that can watch and learn from videos. The videos are only a few minutes long, so I think even easily distracted kiddos could sit through the lesson with no problem.
The program is pretty simple for kids to navigate. Also, I believe even younger kids can learn how to log in, click on the lesson, and answer their questions for the day.
If you have a child that needs a more hands-on approach or more teacher interaction, it may be a little more difficult for them.
My son has used this program in the past and loved it! However, when he hit a few concepts that were a challenge for him, he needed far more one-on-one instruction.
When it comes to my daughter, she is a little resistant to online programs. She is a traditional learner and likes books and workbooks. However, I did have her give a couple of lessons a try again. We found that some of the Algebra concepts she struggles with are explained better for her in CTCMath. She finally understood some of those challenging concepts. So, we may be going back to using it.
All in all, CTCMath is a great math curriculum option for homeschool families. It does the teaching and grading for you making homeschooling a little bit easier. The videos are well done, and parents are in complete control of what their child is working on. Plus, you know EXACTLY how your child is doing.
It really is a good math option to investigate!
If you want to read more from others using CTCMath with their kids, click the banner below to see more reviews.
Happy Homeschooling!
