ALEKS
by McGraw Hill
This app has not yet been evaluated against our instructional invariants. The analysis below is based on independent research.
The Bottom Line
Partially. While The Learning Standard has not yet evaluated ALEKS, its core mechanics rely heavily on knowledge space theory and adaptive mastery-based progression. It accurately maps a student's current math knowledge and delivers targeted practice. However, its sparse instruction relies primarily on text-based worked examples, which can overwhelm students lacking foundational reading comprehension skills.
Pros
- Uses continuous adaptive assessments to pinpoint specific gaps in mathematical knowledge.
- Employs mastery-based progression to ensure foundational concepts are secured before introducing advanced topics.
- Provides immediate, step-by-step worked examples to support independent problem-solving.
- Utilizes spaced retrieval practice by periodically re-testing previously mastered topics.
Cons
- Lacks robust multimedia instruction, relying heavily on text-heavy explanations that frustrate struggling readers.
- The strict mastery requirements can cause fatigue if students repeatedly fail to pass specific knowledge checks.
- Offers limited contextual or real-world application problems, focusing primarily on procedural fluency.
Does ALEKS Actually Teach?
ALEKS is a highly effective tool for mathematical skill-building and gap identification, provided your child learns well from independent, text-based instruction. The Learning Standard has not yet formally evaluated ALEKS, but the platform operates on proven learning science principles, specifically adaptive assessment and mastery-based progression. Instead of moving your child through a standard curriculum based on grade level, ALEKS constantly assesses exactly what mathematical concepts they have mastered and what they are ready to learn next. This prevents your child from wasting time on concepts they already know or struggling with material they are not prepared to tackle. However, parents must understand that ALEKS is an assessment and practice tool rather than a traditional teacher. When your child makes a mistake, the system provides a written worked example detailing the correct steps. If your child struggles with reading comprehension or needs visual and auditory instruction to grasp new concepts, they will likely experience frustration. It requires self-direction and persistence. Use this program as a powerful supplement to classroom instruction or active tutoring rather than a standalone curriculum for struggling learners.
How Does ALEKS Help Students Learn?
ALEKS uses a personalized, mastery-based progression model driven by continuous adaptive assessment. The system begins with an initial diagnostic test to construct a detailed map of your child's current mathematical knowledge space. Based on this map, the platform generates a visual pie chart showing mastered topics and unlocking only the specific concepts your child is mathematically ready to learn next. Students select a topic from their pie chart and work through a series of practice problems. If they answer incorrectly, the system provides a detailed, step-by-step written explanation. To achieve mastery of a topic, your child must answer multiple questions correctly in a row without assistance. Once a topic is mastered, it is added to their knowledge pie. ALEKS also employs spaced retrieval practice by triggering periodic comprehensive assessments. These forced knowledge checks ensure that your child retains previously learned information over time, and if they fail to demonstrate retention, those topics are moved back into the learning queue for review.
Where Does ALEKS Excel and Fall Short?
The biggest strength of ALEKS is its hyper-accurate diagnostic engine, while its biggest weakness is the lack of multimodal instruction for introducing new concepts. Adaptive knowledge mapping is where ALEKS excels, utilizing a sophisticated algorithm to ensure students only encounter material they possess the prerequisite skills to solve. This eliminates cognitive overload and builds confidence through sequential success. The platform also successfully implements spaced retrieval practice via routine knowledge checks, a learning science strategy proven to interrupt the forgetting curve and transfer mathematical procedures into long-term memory. However, the instructional delivery mechanism presents a significant barrier. When introducing new material or correcting a misconception, ALEKS relies almost exclusively on text-based worked examples. While worked examples are a validated instructional scaffolding technique, the lack of audio, video, or interactive manipulatives means that students with lower reading proficiency or those who need dynamic visual representations often struggle to decipher the explanations. Furthermore, the strict mastery-based progression can lead to behavioral frustration; if a student makes a careless error during a periodic assessment, they can lose credit for previously mastered topics, forcing them to repeat drills.
Is ALEKS Right for Your Child?
ALEKS is best for self-directed students in grades 3 through 12 who need targeted math practice to fill specific knowledge gaps or accelerate past grade-level standards. Because it relies heavily on reading text-based explanations, it serves independent learners who possess strong reading comprehension skills and the persistence to work through frustration. It is highly effective for high school students preparing for standardized tests or college-level math courses. However, it is not recommended as a primary instructional tool for students who require hands-on manipulatives, engaging multimedia, or significant emotional support to push through mathematical anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions About ALEKS
Is ALEKS free?
No, ALEKS is not free. It requires a paid subscription, which is typically purchased either by school districts for institutional use or by parents through individual consumer subscriptions. For families homeschooling or seeking supplemental tutoring, monthly or yearly access plans are available directly through the McGraw Hill website. Because it provides continuous adaptive assessment, many parents find the cost justified compared to traditional private tutoring, though it remains a significant investment compared to free alternatives.
Is ALEKS good for elementary students?
ALEKS is only appropriate for older elementary students in grades three and up who possess strong independent reading skills. Because the platform relies heavily on written explanations and text-based worked examples rather than video or audio instruction, younger learners often struggle to use the program independently. If your third or fourth grader is easily frustrated by dense text or requires dynamic visual models to understand abstract math concepts, they will likely find the platform overwhelming without active adult supervision.
What does ALEKS teach?
ALEKS teaches mathematics ranging from foundational third-grade arithmetic all the way through advanced high school courses like PreCalculus, Trigonometry, and Chemistry. The curriculum focuses heavily on computational fluency, procedural execution, and targeted algebraic operations. It excels at teaching specific, discrete mathematical rules and procedures through repeated practice. However, parents should note that it places far less emphasis on conceptual, open-ended problem solving or real-world application, making it better for skill drilling than deep conceptual exploration.
Is ALEKS safe for kids?
Yes, ALEKS is completely safe for children to use. It operates within a closed, secure educational platform with no social networking features, no direct messaging capabilities, and zero external advertising. The interface is strictly academic. All student data collected by the system is used exclusively to power the adaptive learning algorithm and to generate detailed progress reports for parents, teachers, and administrators, complying with standard educational data privacy regulations.
How does The Learning Standard rate ALEKS?
ALEKS is currently pending a full evaluation by The Learning Standard. Once formally reviewed, it will be assessed against our rigorous learning science methodology, which examines pedagogical effectiveness, cognitive engagement, and instructional scaffolding. Our experts will specifically look at how well its knowledge space theory translates to actual student retention. Parents and educators can check our methodology page to learn more about the specific criteria we use to determine if an app actually teaches.
ALEKS vs Khan Academy: Which is better?
Khan Academy provides better primary instruction through comprehensive video lessons, while ALEKS offers a far more precise adaptive diagnostic assessment. If your child needs mathematical concepts explained to them from scratch using visual aids, Khan Academy is the superior choice. Conversely, if your child needs a surgical assessment tool to identify specific missing math skills and enforce strict mastery through repeated drill practice, ALEKS is much more effective. Both are excellent tools, but they serve entirely different pedagogical purposes.
Data Transparency
15 of 35 checks passed
Evaluated April 2026
View privacy policy →View all 35 checks
Parent Access3/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“If you are under 18, we suggest that you review this information with your parents.”
Can parents view their child's data?
“The policy does not explicitly state that parents can view their child's data.”
Can parents modify their child's data?
“The policy does not explicitly state that parents can modify their child's data.”
Can parents delete their child's account?
“we ask that you or your parent make any request to delete your information directly to your school.”
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
“Privacy information for users of our digital learning systems, including those under the age of 13, can be found under the appropriate tabs (End User and Parents).”
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
“COPPA compliance is not explicitly referenced in the provided text.”
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
“FERPA is not explicitly referenced by name, though its definition of education records is used.”
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
“Your educational institution is responsible for obtaining your consent, where required.”
Data Portability2/5
Can users access their personal data?
“You have the rights to access, export, be informed about, rectify... and erase your PII.”
Can users download/export their data?
“You have the right to export your PII from our systems in a readily accessible file type.”
Is there a self-service data access tool?
“Users must fill in a Data Request Form or contact their educational institution representative.”
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
“States 'readily accessible file type' but does not name a specific format like CSV or JSON.”
Is there an API for data access?
“There is no mention of an API for user data access.”
Data Minimization2/6
Is data collection itemized?
“Name, initials or white page information... Payment card industry data... Contests and Promotions”
Can the app be used without a real name?
“The policy does not state the app can be used without providing a real name.”
Can the app be used without an email?
“The policy states 'We also collect your email address.' and doesn't offer an opt-out for this.”
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
“limiting the collection of personal information to only what is required to help individuals”
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
“Mentions collecting IP addresses but does not explicitly state they are anonymized or truncated.”
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
“Location tracking is not explicitly excluded; location data is listed as a potential identifier.”
Third-Party Protection5/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“We will not sell end user PII or use information from educational records for marketing purposes.”
Are third-party providers named?
“Third party cookies we use include: AddThis Adobe Test & Target Baidu DoubleClick Eloqua Google... AWS.”
Are providers contractually restricted?
“we will require that such third parties follow the same privacy and security practices as McGraw Hill.”
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
“Targeted advertising is used for customers (e.g., 'send you targeted advertising during your visits').”
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
“The policy is silent on data sharing for AI/ML training purposes.”
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“We will not sell PII to other organizations, nor will we market to students using the information”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
“If you wish to opt out of the use of data collected on our site to send you targeted advertising...”
Deletion & Retention1/5
Can users delete their account?
“if you request the deletion of your account within an ecommerce portal, you may be required to re-enter this information”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
“Deletion requires submitting a Data Request Form, contacting the Privacy Official, or the school.”
Specific data retention timeline?
“States it will retain data for the 'minimum amount of time necessary' without providing a specific timeline.”
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
“The policy does not mention auto-deletion of inactive accounts.”
Post-deletion handling described?
“Does not detail post-deletion handling such as backup retention periods.”
Advertising2/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
“opt out of the use of data collected on our site to send you targeted advertising during your visits”
Free from third-party advertisements?
“Third-party advertising and cookies like DoubleClick and AdWord Conversion are explicitly used.”
Children excluded from ad targeting?
“nor will we market to students using the information from their educational records”
Ad-free option available?
“An ad-free option is not mentioned.”
What This Means
This app does not provide adequate data transparency for parents. This may mean you cannot easily access your child's data, understand what information is collected, or request deletion of personal information. We recommend considering alternatives that provide better data transparency, or using our template letters to request your data rights be honored.
About this evaluation: Based on automated analysis of ALEKS's privacy policy using the Common Sense Privacy Program framework. Evaluation covers 35 binary checks across 6 dimensions. Privacy policies can change — this evaluation reflects the most recent version we analyzed.
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- Grade Levels
- 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
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