ALEKS - Assessment and Learning

Implementation Strategies


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St. Margaret of Scotland, Archdiocese of St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

Grade(s): K - 8
Scenario: Computer Lab, Computers in Classroom, Home Access
Purpose: Improve State Test Scores
ALEKS Portion of Curriculum: 30%
Time Spent in ALEKS: 1.5 hours per week, 9 hours per term

Megan Patel, Teacher
ALEKS has been great for my students. Their math retention has increased since we started using the program in our school. I have been able to teach and complete more math concepts with my students because they have already encountered many of the topics in ALEKS.


Students' computation scores were low.

How many days per week is class time dedicated to ALEKS?
2 days per week.

45 minutes.


How do you implement ALEKS?
When I introduce a new math lesson, many students say they have already learned it in ALEKS, so I'll use the terms that ALEKS uses in my lesson.

Do you cover ALEKS concepts in a particular order?

How do you structure your class period with ALEKS?
Students work independently and have notebooks in case they need to work through a problem. I walk around and answer questions that they didn't understand after using the Explain button. Sometimes I do mini-lessons with students based on the topics they are ready to learn.

I still teach about the same, but the terminology I use has changed.

Students are required to do one hour of ALEKS at home per week. This one hour does not include QuickTables.

How do you cultivate parental involvement and support for ALEKS?
We discuss the program at length with parents at the beginning of the school year. Parents are supportive. We have an afterschool program once a week for students who don't have Internet at home so they can complete their hour of ALEKS time.


ALEKS is part of their homework. They have to do an hour of ALEKS each week. They also have homework on other things we do in math throughout the week.

How do you incorporate ALEKS into your grading system?
I give ten points a week for completing an hour of ALEKS.

No, but I plan on doing that in the future. I feel like it's a better way to get students to progress with their pies.

Learning Outcomes

I have seen an increase in retention of multiplication facts due to ALEKS QuickTables. Additionally, students are very happy with their progress and want to continue to move on.

Best Practices

I like the mini-lessons I do with students. Also, monitoring how many topics they master is key.