College math CLEP or ALEKS

[sdobis]

My son is not great (not horrible either) at math. He is 14 and finishing up high school algebra. The example test for college math doesn't look too difficult. Would it be more beneficial to just test out at that point and then take intro to statistics with Aleks or make him work through Intermediate Algebra and Pre-calculus and then intro to statistics through Aleks. What to do?

[rebel100]

It won't hurt to try the ALEKS...it's cheap and it's great prep for the CLEP series.

My daughter couldn't use the ALEKS for credit....but used it extensively to prep for the others.

[Westerner]

Try some College Math practice tests—the Clep isn't nearly as hard as it seems. I was thinking/hoping I'd at least score in the high 50s-low 60s...I got 77. Practice, practice, practice and pray.

[Getiton1]

It won't hurt to try the ALEKS...it's cheap and it's great prep for the CLEP series.

My daughter couldn't use the ALEKS for credit....but used it extensively to prep for the others.

Some people love ALEK's and other's say they hate it. I am not sure why? From going to the ALEK's website it looks like you just are given questions in order of what you know and they get progressively harder, right? What's the difference between Straighterline and ALEK's? How do each of these programs work? And back to the original question- Which is better? Straigherline or ALEK's? With both these tests do you have to take a CLEP? Or how does it work? Which takes longer to complete? ALEK's or Straighterline?

Thanks for asking this question!

Sorry I am just adding to it and not offering more insight.

GOOD LUCK
-T

[Publius]

I agree with the above posters in regard to the original question. ALEKs is nice and cheap, but also does a good job of preparing for others. CollegeMath on the other hand, is also very easy and more widely accepted in the world of colleges and universities.


For the SL vs ALEKs question...

STRAIGHTERLINE VS ALEKs:

Cost:
SL: $99 per month + $49 per course. SL does NOT charge for transcripts.
ALEKs: $20 per month (though it’s not included in “ALEKs” to get credit you’ll need the course reviewed by the ACE and create an ACE account. Eventually it include sending a transcript to whichever school you’re going to from ACE. The first transcript is $40, additional ones are I think, $15)

Method of learning:
Both are self paced and online.
SL now has the option (at an additional price) for a “professor led course” as well as (at no extra cost) 10 hours of online tutoring assistance via SmarterThinking.
Note: For SL, it’s highly beneficial to purchase a textbook. A used earlier edition (which is usually no more then $5) is extremely helpful. ALEKs, no textbook is necessary.

To earn credit: (Of course depending on the you’re school’s policy this may vary so I’ll list the ACE standard)
SL: Complete ALL exams with a cumulative grade of 70% or more. There can be anywhere from as few as 6 exams to as many as over 20 in any particular course. SL, now requires all Finals to be proctored by ProctorU. As an example, say here are 10 tests (8 normal, 1 midterm, and 1 proctored final). Each test is worth 100 points and the course is worth a total of 1000. By the end, you need 700, (70%) to pass.
ALEKs: You’re given a pie chart with the concepts that you know and that you need to learn after taking an assessment. You may request an assessment at any time and when you score 70% or more on the assessment, you may request you’re course be transferred.

Other Notes:
ALEKs only counts for Math and Statistics, meaning only those courses are reviewed by and approved for credit by ACE. For the $20, you can take ANY of there courses (and as many as you'd like) but only certain ones will count for credit.
StraighterLine has many more classes in a wide array instead of just Math and Statistics that are worth credit.
If you’re school accepts both SL and ALEKs, ALEKs is probably going to work better for the Maths.
Also if it makes any difference, with SL they use moodle to run their courses, where ALEKs uses something different "their" own version (i.e. not blackboard or moodle).

BOTH SL AND ALEKS OFFER, FOR FREE, A TUTORIAL. IF YOU’RE NOT SURE, TRY THEM BOTH BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR ONE.

[cookderosa]

My son is not great (not horrible either) at math. He is 14 and finishing up high school algebra. The example test for college math doesn't look too difficult. Would it be more beneficial to just test out at that point and then take intro to statistics with Aleks or make him work through Intermediate Algebra and Pre-calculus and then intro to statistics through Aleks. What to do?

Well, not every school that accepts CLEP accepts the College Math, and of those that do, it may not be high enough for his major. That said, even fewer accept ALEKS, so this may not be his last math. Since he's only 14, he really has more than enough time to go through College Math CLEP (if you want) and also work up to College Algebra CLEP. College Algebra is a best-bet for most non-science majors, and since he has enough time, I'd seriously suggest you shoot for that.
ALEKS can be used alone or as a prep for the CLEP exam, it's only $20 per month rack rate, and you can likely get 2 months free if you are a first time user registering as a homeschooler (google for a current code). In addition, if you have more than one kid using ALEKS, you can get a family discount.
Stats can be taken in any order, but know that it might be a little easier after intermediate algebra, and probably a lot easier after he's gotten his feet wet on ALEKS. ALEKS stats can be a bit of a killer (I found the DSST exam SO MUCH EASIER than ALEKS. My 12th grade son decided to push through and not try the DSST, so he finished the course, but he took it last- after all the algebras, geo and trig.)