Dear Parent/Guardian:

This year our Math Department has introduced a new program named ALEKS. ALEKS   is a research-based online program that offers course products for   mathematics.

Students have been given a login name and password and are   required to log on to ALEKS.com for at   least 45 minutes per week. Teachers are able to monitor which topics students   have accessed, mastered and which topics they need to work on.

When a student first logs on to ALEKS, a brief tutorial shows him/her   how to use these answer input tools. The student then begins the ALEKS   Assessment. This assesses the student’s current course knowledge by asking   him/her a small number of questions. ALEKS chooses each question on the basis   of his/her answers to all the previous questions. By the time the student has   completed the assessment ALEKS has developed a precise picture of this   student’s knowledge of the course, knowing which topics have been mastered   and which areas need more support. The student’s knowledge is represented by   a multicolor pie chart.

The pie chart is also the student’s entry into the Learning Mode. In   the Learning Mode, the student is offered a choice of topics that he/she is   ready to learn. When a topic is chosen, ALEKS offers practice problems for   each of the topics. These problems have enough variability that a student can   only get them consistently correct after understanding the core principle   defining the topic. If a student does not understand a particular problem,   he/she can always access a complete explanation. Once the student can   consistently get the problems for a given topic correct, ALEKS considers that   the student has learned the topic and the student can now choose another   topic. As the student learns new topics, ALEKS updates its map of the   student’s knowledge.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Karen A. Tesik
Principal