Community Home Education Program, Orange County Department of Education Mission Viejo, CA
Grade(s): K - 8 Scenario: Home Access Purpose: Core Curriculum ALEKS Portion of Curriculum: 66-100% Time Spent in ALEKS: 5 hours per week, 45 hours per term ALEKS Course: Mathematics - LV 3 (with QuickTables), Mathematics - LV 4 (with QuickTables), Mathematics - LV 5 (with QuickTables), Mathematics - MS/LV 6, Middle School Math Course 2, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, High School Geometry
Cheryl Taylor, Teacher
I work in a public school setting with families who homeschool. ALEKS is one of the choices our students have for their math curriculum. I have 18 students in ALEKS.
Scenario
What challenges did the class or school face in math prior to using ALEKS? Because parents at home are the instructors, students sometimes lacked instruction in math. Some parents do not have knowledge of algebra.
How many days per week is class time dedicated to ALEKS? 5 days a week.
What is the average length of a class period when ALEKS is used? 60 minutes.
Implementation
How do you implement ALEKS? Students use ALEKS as their math course.
Do you cover ALEKS concepts in a particular order? Algebra 1 is the only course we cover in a particular order, because we are able to write quarterly tests and administer those for student grades.
How do you structure your class period with ALEKS? Students work independently.
How did you modify your regular teaching approach as a result of ALEKS? Instead of working from a textbook, students work with ALEKS.
How often are students required or encouraged to work on ALEKS at home? All student work is completed at home.
How do you cultivate parental involvement and support for ALEKS? Parents see ALEKS working for their children and that it is individualized, which influences parents to come on board. Parents are introduced to ALEKS individually by the teacher.
Grading
Is ALEKS assigned to your students as all or part of their homework responsibilities? If so, what part of the total homework load is it? ALEKS is 100 percent of homework.
How do you incorporate ALEKS into your grading system? Time online, progress, and quarterly tests (in Algebra) are divided evenly.
Do you require students to make regular amounts of progress in ALEKS? They should make the percentage of progress each quarter that will take them to the end of the course.
Learning Outcomes
Since using ALEKS, please describe the learning outcomes or progress you have seen. ALEKS is great because it is individualized and I can really keep track of their progress. I have found it works for students because it offers immediate feedback. Additionally, they enjoy seeing their pies and bar graphs grow. It gives them incentive!
Best Practices
Are there any best practices you would like to share with other teachers implementing ALEKS? I email my students individually to encourage them and let them know I am watching their progress and time spent online. I also let parents know how their student is doing.
