If you are looking for an individualized math supplement, then Smartick is worth investigating.
Smartick is a way for students to practice math online in order to reach their full potential. Did you notice I said “full potential” and not “get caught up” on their math? This is huge because this means the program truly is for everyone.
This program will be great for your child that is behind in math to help them catch up to their current level. It is also great for the child that is advanced in math so they don’t get bored. For the advanced student, Smartick could be the answer to keeping them engaged and challenging them.
Even though it is for any student, Smartick does have a program that is specifically geared towards homeschool families.
Everyday Math Practice
Smartick is intended to be used every single day for 15 minutes each day for at least 5 days per week.
This is not a quick fix for a math problem or a way to improve your child’s math knowledge so they can score higher on the next test. It is a long term, daily method of improving their math skills over time. They recommend not even taking off for weekends or holidays for complete consistency and success.
As this is not a quick fix type of program, Smartick asks you to not try to evaluate the effectiveness of the program for 6 to 12 months. Although, it also says you may see progress after only 3 months.
The program begins with placement questions so that it will start your child out in the correct “level” so to speak.
After that, the program is intuitive. This means it will adjust the activities and lessons it gives your child based on how your child did with similar activities in past lessons.
Each day you will get an email with a report on how your child did. This includes an email to tell you that your child did not do their Smartick lesson that day.
This is great because Smartick is basically a hands off program in terms of parent involvement. So the email really gives you insight into how your child is doing with the program. Plus, if you are letting your child be more independent, it tells you if he or she missed their lesson for the day.
Here is an example email I just got recently:
I love the way it is broken down by subject for me to see what she did. Also, where it says “outstanding” at the top, they also put words like satisfactory and improvable. I’m not sure how many types of words they use, but those are the ones I remember seeing.
Also, as you can see at the bottom of that email, there is a place you can click to go to the Parent Page on their website. As you might imagine, that page gives you a little more in depth information. You can also look at your child’s incorrect answers if you choose.
Along with math skills, it’s important to note that Smartick helps to improve your child’s reading comprehension, along with logic and reasoning.
I like this program because it gives your child an individualized lesson plan based on skill level. A lot of supplemental programs just do rote memorization or repetitive math problems. This one is actually geared to what my daughter needs. For that reason alone, it is worth it!
I encourage you to see what other crew members have to say about this program and see if it could be a good fit for your family.
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