Crew Review: A+ Interactive Math

Math is not my strongest subject so, when teaching mathematical concepts to my daughter, I like to use a variety of programs and methods to ensure that she is understanding and can transfer that knowledge to a different program. So I was happy to give A+ Interactive Math a try! It was a nice change of pace from our usual daily math drill.

While we used the program as a supplement to our main curriculum, A+ Interactive Math, from A+ Tutorsoft, Inc. is a full math program all by itself. It covers all math concepts and is divided by grade-school years, covering 1st-6th grades as well as Pre-Algebra and Algebra.

What's included: We received the online program of A+ Interactive Math to review (it's also available on CD) so, after an easy sign-up process we were ready to go. Once you've signed up for a parent account you can easily add each individual student with their own username and password. After logging in, students can watch a short tutorial and start using the lessons.

Each lesson begins with a short audio/video presentation (pictured below). The Table of Contents on the left side enables the student or parent to go through each lesson in topical order. In the third grade level the topics include:

• Basic Number Sense
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Decimal Numbers
• Fractions and Basic Operations with Fractions
• Math Operations using a Calculator
• Basic Graphs
• Time and Money
• Measurement
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Basic Probability
• Word Problems and Problem Solving

After watching a video, the student can do an interactive quiz to make sure they understand the concepts presented in the lesson. When your child is ready, you can have them complete a worksheet, either online or printable, that covers the material learned in the lesson. You'll also find exams for each topical unit (also available online or as a printable pdf).

The program also includes a tracking feature and certificates of completion. The tracking feature is available in two ways - it automatically tracks completed online worksheets and exams and there is also an option for manual tracking if you are using printable worksheets. You can find some free resources to get a good idea of how the program is formatted - including free multimedia lessons and quizzes, worksheets, and exams.

If you are planning to use this program as your primary math curriculum, there is a weekly recommended lesson plan chart included, ensuring that you cover all the video lessons, interactive quizzes, online worksheets, and exams. It's easily set up to check off what you've completed and to see what else there is to complete.

Our thoughts: While the initial sign-up process was simple and the program was easy to start using, it wasn't our favorite math program. TJ found the videos dull and the sound was kind of muffled. I found some of the interactive questions a bit difficult for a third grader to understand. One of the questions was "What does the multiplicative identity property state?" Even after watching the video she couldn't answer that question.

I had her complete the online worksheets after watching various videos and doing the interactive quizzes. The worksheets were simple enough to follow but I couldn't figure out why they weren't showing up in the progress tracking area. After a lot of playing around we figured out that you had to press submit after each answer instead of just clicking next. And then you have to make sure to press finalize to get the completed worksheet to show up under progress tracking. I found this very user-unfriendly, especially for grade school kids who want to get their math done as quickly as possible. ;-)

Despite my reservations and initial confusion in trying to figure out how to save the completed work, I would recommend this program to those who are looking for a full online curriculum that takes the pressure off the parent as the math teacher.

Each grade level of A+ Interactive Math is available online ($19.95 monthly, $49.99 quarterly, $124.99 yearly) or CD (standard edition - $99.99 and premium edition - $124.99). Each subscription covers one student. The vendor has kindly offered a coupon code for TOS readers who are interested in purchasing - 50% off through the end of March (coupon code: SPOFFER50).  You can also sign up for a free one-month online subscription to give the program a try before purchasing. If you'd like to read more reviews check out the Crew blog!




Now for the fine print (Disclaimer)… I received this product free of charge through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for an honest review. I have no obligation to post a positive review and no compensation was provided.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.