I received a free subscription to My Math Assistant in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, not was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.
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Math is one of those topics that can elicit groans from the most veteran homeschool parent. Finding the right program that fits your child and his or her math learning style, is challenging, especially one that isn't too easy or too frustrating (for both the child AND the parent). Switching from one curriculum to another is intimidating because as with other skills, you want to avoid gaps in your child's learning, and different curriculum options present math skills in different ways and in difference sequential order.
I've shared before that Saxon has worked beautifully for my ninth grader and we have used it with her consistently except for one year that we took to explore Euclid geometry. We used it with my son (now in fifth grade) as well, until about halfway through third grade, when math was turning into a daily battle for several reasons. For one, my son has a condition called palmar hyperhidrosis, or extremely sweaty palms, that makes writing on paper a true challenge. Our solution to that was to have me be his scribe, but that took extra time, and working out problems was particularly frustrating. That, combined with the length of Saxon's lessons, sent me looking for another solution.
We found and switched to a math program that was 100% online, and it worked great in some ways. No more problems caused by sweaty hands, plus it has bells and whistles (literally) that make math lessons more fun. But we have found it is still taking a LONG time to finish his math lessons, and I am still a fan of Saxon's approach. I also know what Saxon will look like in high school, and I was unsure of how that would be with the other program.
My son has also been asking about the possibility of switching back to Saxon, but the issue with his hands remains. That much writing is just wearying for him! Then I found My Math Assistant, and that is what I want to share with you today.
I've shared before that Saxon has worked beautifully for my ninth grader and we have used it with her consistently except for one year that we took to explore Euclid geometry. We used it with my son (now in fifth grade) as well, until about halfway through third grade, when math was turning into a daily battle for several reasons. For one, my son has a condition called palmar hyperhidrosis, or extremely sweaty palms, that makes writing on paper a true challenge. Our solution to that was to have me be his scribe, but that took extra time, and working out problems was particularly frustrating. That, combined with the length of Saxon's lessons, sent me looking for another solution.
We found and switched to a math program that was 100% online, and it worked great in some ways. No more problems caused by sweaty hands, plus it has bells and whistles (literally) that make math lessons more fun. But we have found it is still taking a LONG time to finish his math lessons, and I am still a fan of Saxon's approach. I also know what Saxon will look like in high school, and I was unsure of how that would be with the other program.
My son has also been asking about the possibility of switching back to Saxon, but the issue with his hands remains. That much writing is just wearying for him! Then I found My Math Assistant, and that is what I want to share with you today.
What it is
My Math Assistant is a companion website for Saxon math. That means you need to have the physical Saxon textbook, testing book, and answer key, BUT it helps you with all of the management AND teaching of it. It enables me to make the most of the parts of Saxon that I love and to adjust what hasn't always worked for us.
My Math Assistant includes several main components.
Video instruction for each lesson is provided in a concise, easy-to-follow writing-on-the-blackboard format. There are also links in the Extra Practice problems back to the video for the lesson each problem comes from, so if a child is having difficulty, he or she can go back and watch it. I really like the no frills, no distractions look of it.
The self-grading feature gives immediate feedback to your child. This is huge. It tells my children right away if they are on the right track without them waiting for me to grade their assignment. You can also change the settings to allow multiple attempts and to adjust the grading (or not) for repeated attempts. If they make multiple attempts and can't get it, or if they are frustrated and want my help, they can also click on "I need help" and move on to the next problem. I will then get an email, or I will see it in my dashboard when I log on, and we can work on that part together.
Facts practice is available for all levels. In Saxon, those are the pages of math facts that are typically anywhere from twenty to a hundred on a page. They are great practice, but can be overwhelming! In My Math Assistant, I am able to choose how many problems to do and which kinds of facts practice, or even if I want to skip them for a while.
ACT/SAT Test Prep is something that I will be using with my daughter (the ninth grader). These are short videos that walk through typical problems and also give test-taking tips. You can add them to lessons or use them as a stand-along feature.
My Math Assistant includes several main components.
Video instruction for each lesson is provided in a concise, easy-to-follow writing-on-the-blackboard format. There are also links in the Extra Practice problems back to the video for the lesson each problem comes from, so if a child is having difficulty, he or she can go back and watch it. I really like the no frills, no distractions look of it.
The self-grading feature gives immediate feedback to your child. This is huge. It tells my children right away if they are on the right track without them waiting for me to grade their assignment. You can also change the settings to allow multiple attempts and to adjust the grading (or not) for repeated attempts. If they make multiple attempts and can't get it, or if they are frustrated and want my help, they can also click on "I need help" and move on to the next problem. I will then get an email, or I will see it in my dashboard when I log on, and we can work on that part together.
Facts practice is available for all levels. In Saxon, those are the pages of math facts that are typically anywhere from twenty to a hundred on a page. They are great practice, but can be overwhelming! In My Math Assistant, I am able to choose how many problems to do and which kinds of facts practice, or even if I want to skip them for a while.
ACT/SAT Test Prep is something that I will be using with my daughter (the ninth grader). These are short videos that walk through typical problems and also give test-taking tips. You can add them to lessons or use them as a stand-along feature.
How it works
You start by setting up your account, and your child's account and choosing your child's book (if you are just starting with Saxon math, My Math Assistant also has placement tests to help you know where to start). Your account allows you to receive reports and to customize your child's lessons. Your child's account lets them see their assignments, to enter their answers, access videos (if you have that option) and to receive feedback.
  | One of my favorite aspects of My Math Assistant is that it is customizable. This is also huge. I can easily customize almost anything in advance:
And as an extra bonus, if I need to customize beyond what the system can do, I can include a button so my child can indicate that the lesson is complete even if all the questions in the system are not done! I love that the creators of My Math Assistant thought of this! |
Teacher feedback
| The feedback this system gives me is incredibly helpful!! Of course, it tells me how much of each assignment and test he has successfully completed, but it also tells me:
|  |
Feedback includes which concepts your child needs to work on
How much does it cost?
There are three subscription options. All include Facts Practice, Online and E-mail Reports, the ability to customize, and Customer Support. One includes Video Instruction (both the Saxon lessons and the ACT/SAT prep), one includes self-grading, and one gives you everything. There are also different monthly prices for a single student or a family of two to five students:
Video Lessons: $4.99 (single); $8.99 (family)
Self-grading: $4.99 (single); $8.99 (family)
Everything: $8.99 (single); $12.99 (family)
Annual pricing: Get twelve months for the price of ten.
If you use my discount code MMA26007 you can save $5 on your first purchase. :) Don't forget that this is not a stand-along program - you MUST have the Saxon curriculum to be able to use My Math Assistant.
You can also have a free seven-day trial period to see if this will work for you!
Video Lessons: $4.99 (single); $8.99 (family)
Self-grading: $4.99 (single); $8.99 (family)
Everything: $8.99 (single); $12.99 (family)
Annual pricing: Get twelve months for the price of ten.
If you use my discount code MMA26007 you can save $5 on your first purchase. :) Don't forget that this is not a stand-along program - you MUST have the Saxon curriculum to be able to use My Math Assistant.
You can also have a free seven-day trial period to see if this will work for you!
Why I love it
I love this for my fifth grader because he can work independently with the curriculum we already know and love. I love how easy it is to customize and to simply remove some options so it's not even a distraction (right now, I'm ONLY having him do the lesson practice for a few lessons). I love how it grades his answers immediately. The only thing it does not include that we need is an online workspace to work out problems, but we have a special app for that anyway (Mod Math Pro).
I love this for my ninth grader because she can receive immediate feedback on her work without waiting for me to grade it. I love that the videos are right there to teach her the lesson, since as she progresses in math (currently in Algebra 2), those lessons get more challenging. She found a bunch of YouTube videos for Algebra 1, but how much time we would have saved to have had this at our fingertips! I also love the SAT/ACT prep videos and how easy it is to incorporate those into her daily lessons.
For both my children, I love that I don't need to grade their work, but I am still in control of what they are doing and am here to help them when they need it. And I love how user-friendly it is for me to set up for them, and to see exactly where they are at in their learning.
If you are struggling to use Saxon math with your children, I strongly recommend My Math Assistant!!
I love this for my ninth grader because she can receive immediate feedback on her work without waiting for me to grade it. I love that the videos are right there to teach her the lesson, since as she progresses in math (currently in Algebra 2), those lessons get more challenging. She found a bunch of YouTube videos for Algebra 1, but how much time we would have saved to have had this at our fingertips! I also love the SAT/ACT prep videos and how easy it is to incorporate those into her daily lessons.
For both my children, I love that I don't need to grade their work, but I am still in control of what they are doing and am here to help them when they need it. And I love how user-friendly it is for me to set up for them, and to see exactly where they are at in their learning.
If you are struggling to use Saxon math with your children, I strongly recommend My Math Assistant!!
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