Review of Pearson's MyMathLab Algebra I

For the past six weeks, my ten year-old daughter has been using MyMathLab's Algebra I in our homeschool.  In first grade, Therese began moving ahead in math very quickly, skipping two years entirely and often doing two years' work in one. Her progress has not been without bumps, though.  We have switched math programs several times (often through the impetus of receiving a wonderful review product from The Review Crew!), have gone through periods during which math was a tear-fraught struggle, and, sometimes, went a few weeks with no math at all.  It was with some trepidation, then, that we began this particular math course.  Happily, my fears were unfounded: Therese loves it!

The Pearson Homeschool Edition of Algebra I is a complete Algebra course.  It offers all of the necessary instruction, practice problems, and tests, including thousands of instructional videos.  The program is 100% online and is fully customizable for families.  Fair warning: I found the set

up a tiny bit confusing, but the instructions were clear and I was able to navigate it with no outside help. Therese had absolutely no problem jumping right in and getting started.  Best of all, I did not have to urge her to work on it for our review; she has been doing several lessons per week.

The approach of Pearson is fairly standard for online programs. Concepts are introduced and sets of problems are presented.  The student can choose to see the problem solved step-by-step, after which he will be given another problem that is solved the same way.  This is one feature of the program that I really appreciate: getting help on the problem does not mean that the student gets a "pass" on that problem.  Instead, it is used as a teaching opportunity which is then immediately "tested" when the student has the chance to solve another problem on her own.

Much of what you see on the screens can be customized. So far, I have let Therese work as she wants, but I love knowing that I can have a heavier hand in her schedule if I want to.

Algebra I is available for $49.97.  Parent access is an additional $30.  For the price, the course is excellent.  It would be excellent for twice the price.  I can definitely say that we will be continuing with Pearson for Algebra II.  I am so grateful to have been introduced to this wonderful product!

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DISCLAIMER: I received the course, MyMathLab Algebra I, free in exchange for my honest review.  The product was free, but the opinions are mine.