CTCMath

CTCMath is an online math curriculum for children, sold to parents, homeschoolers and teachers. The homepage calls it "Your Child's Online Math Curriculum" for "children in grades K-12", and promises that it is "Great for catch up, for keeping up, and for moving ahead" and that "Your kids learn at their pace, not somebody else's." The teaching is done by short recorded video lessons, followed by practice the system marks itself and reports to parents.

The range is wide. Members get "unlimited access to all lessons, across all grade levels": Kindergarten, 1st through 8th Grade, then Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus (including trigonometry) and Calculus. A child who is working ahead or catching up can move across all of it rather than being held to one grade. The how-it-works page adds "24 x 7 unlimited access when you want it."

The lesson cycle

Every CTCMath lesson follows the same cycle: watch the tutorial, answer questions or complete a worksheet, check the worked solutions, and let the report record the result.

The video tutorial comes first. "Each of the 1,400+ CTCMath tutorials last around 4-9 minutes and presents the concepts of the math lesson step-by-step," the how-it-works page says, "Using synchronized audio and animation which harnesses both audio and visual learning styles simultaneously." The homepage lists what this means for the child: "Clear, spoken explanations", lessons that are "Short, engaging, to the point", and the ability to "Pause, rewind or repeat a lesson so they really get it." It also pitches the videos as a way to "Catch up on lessons missed or not fully understood." The company is frank about motivation: "Obviously no one can force a young person to study math, but what we have done here is to provide materials that are interesting and stimulating in themselves, and which will encourage the student, once started, to continue studying."

Practice follows. "Following each math tutorial there are interactive questions or an optional printable worksheet which tests the understanding of key concepts." The interactive questions come with "Engaging and immediate feedback", "Increased difficulty levels to match progress" and a "Huge variety of questions", which the homepage says are "great for quick revision too." The company describes this step as kinesthetic learning, actually doing the math rather than only watching it.

The worksheet route is for children who need to write their working down. The homepage says it "Encourages the traditional pen-and-paper" and "Improves ability to set work out in clear, logical steps", which it calls an "Essential skill to achieve top marks in written tests." Work can be saved and finished later.

After answers are submitted, "printable fully worked solutions become available showing every step which should be taken to reach the correct answer, just as it should be done in a math exam." Each tutorial also has a printable one-page summary that gives "concise and complete notes from the math tutorial", which the site recommends "as a reminder for homework, revision and review."

Marking and reports

Answers go into "CTCMath automated marking system which then stores the results in each individual student's ongoing progress report," so a parent never grades a worksheet. The reporting is detailed: "Every math lesson a student attempts is logged and the results stored along with statistical information detailing when they passed, what they scored and how much time and effort they put in to pass that lesson." The homepage says the reports help "identify weaker areas requiring further study", and the how-it-works page adds that "Parents can instantly see the areas where their children may need additional help."

There are separate logins for students, parents and teachers. The footer links to three practice extras, Speed Skills, Times Tables and Swap Pieces, alongside the lessons.

For homeschoolers

Homeschooling families get their own section, which lists "the TOP BENEFITS for Homeschooling parents" under the line "(Not what we say, what parents tell us)". They include "A dramatic lift in their child's confidence and attitude", "Lessons are short and to the point", being able to learn at their own speed, "Improved math results using multi-sensory methods which ensure retention", "Detailed progress reports", and "a whole lot less stress when it's math time for both parents AND kids." One more point stands out for a parent teaching several children at once: "Plus the teacher never gets annoyed or frustrated with them."

Two testimonials on that page fill in the picture. Mallory Rice, a 5th grade student from Hermitage, Tennessee, writes that with another curriculum "math normally ended in tears, or mom getting stressed out because I couldn't focus or I didn't understand anything," and that "Now mom doesn't have to worry about me because I can do math on my own and I end with a smile." She adds: "I especially love Pat's Australian accent (so does my older brother). The explanation videos are so enjoyably short, but they teach you so much."

Carole Zullo, a homeschooling mother of three from Richmond, Texas, describes sons "working well above their respective grade levels" and a string of programs that did not fit: "Many required too much from me as the teacher and with 3 to teach I was getting worn thin." Of CTCMath she writes: "All three boys proclaimed they loved it and that math was fun again."

Funding and joining

A banner across the site states that "CTCMath is an approved vendor for multiple state ESA/EFA programs and charter schools," with a link to the list of approved programs, so families can "use your education funds with CTCMath." For a homeschooling family receiving state education funds, that can decide the purchase.

The way in is a free trial. The trial form asks for a first name, an email address and whether the user is a student, parent, teacher or homeschooler, and the homepage promises: "you'll start seeing results as early as the very first lesson!" The how-it-works page invites visitors to "Join more than 217,000 students now confident in math because finally they can do it!" The site publishes no prices. Support runs through a Support / Contact Us link, an FAQ page and a phone number in the footer.

Who it suits

CTCMath suits homeschooling parents who want a complete math curriculum from kindergarten to calculus that teaches the lessons itself, marks the work, and reports back, so the parent supervises rather than lectures. It works well for families teaching several children at different levels, as one testimonial describes, for a child who needs to catch up on missed topics, and for an advanced child who wants to move ahead faster than a class allows. Families using state ESA or EFA funds should check the approved-program list first. Teachers have their own login and can sign up for the trial too.

The format is self-paced video with automatic marking, so a child who needs a live teacher to talk through a problem will still want a parent or tutor nearby, and the worksheets matter for children who will sit written exams.