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What is IXL?

IXL (Pronounced as though you are saying, “I excel”). Is an online learning program that covers all subjects from Pre-K To 12th Grade. It is used by homeschools, private schools, public schools, and charter schools alike. 

How much does IXL cost?

For private IXL use (meaning using the program as a family or individual, and NOT as a part of a school system), IXL has a few different pricing options. 

The least expensive option is to use IXL for one subject only. You may choose between math or language arts only. This option is $9.95 per month per student. 

The next option is the combo package. It includes both math and language arts for $15.95 per month. 

Finally, you have the core subject package which includes math, language arts, science, and social studies. This program costs $19.95 per month per child (a whole lot cheaper than Elephant Learning, huh?). 

Is IXL a full curriculum?

Yes. Because IXL includes all of the main subjects, I would definitely classify them as a complete curriculum.

How much time is required?

This is going to depend on what you personally want out of the program. Kids can work for five minutes or for five hours. It is very individualized so that it can work for each family (or even each child). 

How Does IXL Work?

As a completely online curriculum, IXL has all of the tools needed right on their site (or app, depending on your chosen device). One of the things IXL prides themselves in is the individualized approach. As such, there really is no one “right way” to use the site. 

Assessments

Assessments on IXL work differently than any other program I have used thus far. You can stop and start the assessment whenever you would like. If a child doesn’t know the answer to the question, rather than having to guess (as you do in Elephant Learning and Khan Academy), IXL allows the option of clicking, “I don’t know how to do this.” When that option is chosen it gives an encouraging message such as, “That’s okay. We’ll work on it later,” and moves on to the next question. 

If a student gets the answer correct, the system gives an encouraging message such as, “Great job!” If a wrong answer is given it gently says, “That’s not quite right. But we’ll work on it later.” 

As you go along answering questions, the system begins slowly “narrowing down” your levels. Unlike many other programs, IXL does not place a student in a grade across an entire subject. For example, Kirsten (age 9)’s levels showed 6th grade for algebraic functions, but 2nd grade for fractions. 

Whenever you go to the levels area you can see the breakdown of levels for each skill. You are also given the option to work on the skills that need work. When going there, you can see examples, and there are links to videos of the concept being taught to help you improve. 

Students continue to be given similar problems until they get a certain number correct in a row before moving on. 

As they complete skills, you can visibly see their academic levels rising.

Plans

Another option on IXL is plans. There are several different options available including:

– Plans based on grade levels
– Plans based on state standards
– Plans based on textbooks 
– Plans broken down into weekly assignments. 

Parents may also choose to have lessons sorted by type of skill.

Recommendations

Another unique part of IXL is the recommendations tab. Here, students are shown recommended skills based upon their assessments and skill work. They have the ability to choose which ones to work on to improve their scores. 

What Do We Think of IXL?

At this point in time, we have only allowed one of our homeschool students (Kirsten, age 9) the ability to use IXL for math. Here is what she thinks:

Kirsten's Review

Overall, Kirsten is not a big fan of IXL. Keep in mind, however, that she is NOT a math loving child so her dislike is NOT a surprise.

Her Likes:

  • It’s easier to “write” on the screen than Khan Academy is. 
  • It tells me when I get a problem wrong.
  • When I get it wrong it doesn’t make me feel stupid. 
  • It shows examples of how to do the work
  • Sometimes it lets me choose which question or skill to work on.

Her Dislikes:

  • The teaching videos don’t make sense
  • There are so many different things to click I always need help knowing what to click next
  • It’s really boring
  • Sometimes I really do understand a skill but I still have to answer the same type of questions over and over again anyway

My Review

I really think IXL has a great methodology of teaching math skills! It is lacking in a few areas, but I am looking forward to using this program with other students and for other subjects in the future.

My Likes:

  • I absolutely love that it splits the mathematics course into different subjects and puts them in grade levels for each subject.
  • The flexibility of different ways to individualize the program.
  • The leveling system achieved via the assessment option.
  • The examples of how to work the problems.

 My Dislikes:

  • IXL is not very user-friendly.
  • The videos could be done in a more understandable way.
  • I wish the instructions on how to use the curriculum were more clear.

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By : Jennifer