Review of TenMarks

For the past couple of months, I've had the privilege of reviewing the math program, TenMarks, in my home.  I was given a six-month subscription to this online math program in exchange for my honest review.  Well, honestly, the best word I can come up with to summarize TenMarks is AWESOME! 

My nine year-old daughter has loved math for most of her life.  The exception seemed to be when she was doing 4th grade accelerated math.  Something about that year changed her attitude about math.  Even though she still excels at it, it is not the subject she will run to when given a choice.  Because of her sometimes unwilling attitude, I was thrilled to have the chance to try an all online program.

I registered my daughter, Therese, for 7th grade math, and a quick browsing of the program assured me that it was the right place for her.  Each week of TenMarks lessons comes with five worksheets, each on a related topic.  When the student begins the day's lesson, the screenshot shows how many videos are associated with that particular topic.  The student has the choice either to "learn" or to "practice." There are some topics for which my daughter has chosen to skip the videos and go straight to the worksheets.  If she finds that she is having trouble with a particular problem, she has the option to access up to three hints on it.  The hints work her logically through the problem-solving process.

Every time Therese begins a new week's worth of worksheets, I receive an email.  If she completes the week's worth early (and she usually does the work in one day), she has the option of fast-tracking herself and beginning the next week's worth of work.  She can track her own progress through the grade's concepts by looking at her completion graphic:

I can track her progress by viewing her report card.  It allows me to see how many questions on each worksheet she answered correctly and how many hints she used.

One feature I especially appreciate about TenMarks is that it allows Therese to go back and redo the problems she answered incorrectly.  In this way, she has the opportunity truly to understand that which she was apparently unclear on at the outset. Another great feature is the snapshot view of which concepts Therese has mastered.  In this screenshot, she has earned certificates of mastery in Patterns, Functions, and Graphs and in Geometry. As a reward for mastering these concepts, she has unlocked three games to play. 

 I tried to get a screenshot of a video lesson in action, but for some reason I can't get my software to recognize the white board writing.  Essentially, you are watching an arrow move across a white board as numbers appear on the board.  The teacher is a man with a very pleasant voice, although you never see his face.

I can't think of a reason not to love TenMarks.  For a homeschooling subscription, TenMarks costs only $10/month, which makes it less expensive per year than many more traditional programs. I love the fact that you can subscribe on a monthly basis, and I love the freedom of having so many courses from which to choose (3rd grade through high school Geometry).  Being able both to track Therese's progress and to have her complete more than one week's work per week is wonderful.  I have no doubt that when my complimentary subscription to TenMarks is over, I will be paying for this wonderful program.

To find out more about TenMarks, visit their website, or email them at info@tenmarks.com.  To see what other Crew members had to say about TenMarks, visit the Crew blog.