CTC Math has been a blessing to our family. We’ve been successfully using CTC Homeschool Math Curriculum in our homeschool for two years.
This came out of the need to simplify our homeschool after the birth of our 8th child. I mean, math was already stressful enough without a newborn.
I couldn’t imagine how I would homeschool five children with a newborn and have time to teach four different grades of math.
I also have an 8-year-old set of twins that were a little behind in math and knew I needed to catch them up.
Not only has using this homeschool math program given us the ability to make things simpler, but it also helped us completely catch my twins up to their actual grade level.
Disclosure — I am being compensated for this post as it is sponsored by CTC Math. However, I have used this program and wholeheartedly recommend it for homeschooling families. The opinions stated in this blog post are my and my children’s thoughts and feelings about this program.
What is CTC Math?
Founded by Patrick Murray who has over twenty years of teaching experience and ten children of his own, CTC Math offers a flexible, subscription-based, online curriculum that is accessible to all grade levels.
This homeschool math program is not common core aligned and is a full stand-alone homeschool math curriculum for Kindergarten through 12th Grade.
It runs on practically any device with a high-speed internet connection, such as a desktop, laptop, or iOS/Android mobile device. My kids usually do their math on their Amazon Fire Tablets with no problems.
Parents can track their child’s progress using the teacher portal. They may also opt-in to receive weekly emails about their child’s progress.
Students are awarded virtual medals and printable certificates upon completion of units to motivate them and build their confidence.
Does this curriculum use the spiral or mastery method?
The curriculum uses the mastery method approach to learning.
Now, in case you don’t know what that means I’ve got the explanations for you.
Spiral Method
The spiral method has topics repeated from level to level (in increasing amounts of depth), letting mastery develop incrementally and over time.
Mastery Method
The mastery approach to teaching math dives into the material in more depth, presenting one concept at a time until the student attains a certain level of understanding and skill.
The mastery approach is quite well regarded and has been repeatedly shown to have a significantly positive impact on student achievement.
This approach presumes you have mastered the skill and can therefore move forward.
How does the program work?
Parents give each student their own username and password and set a passing grade for that student when they complete the initial setup in the CTC Math Parent View Dashboard.
Lessons are taught in short videos with thorough explanations and examples. These lessons are fairly short and, depending on the complexity of the topic, don’t usually run over 10 minutes.
Once your student completes the video lesson, he or she will then answer questions to determine their mastery.
If your student is having trouble understanding a concept, there are worksheets they may complete for further practice in each lesson found in the Parent Section using the Question Bank Wizard. (I personally love this feature.)
The curriculum also offers diagnostic testing and games for speed and times tables.
Grades are calculated for you and based on your child’s performance, however, grade reporting to your umbrella school or school district is left up to you, the parent.
To see this curriculum in action, check out their YouTube Channel.
My favorite things about this homeschool math curriculum
The lessons are short and sweet.
I like that the lessons are short, teach a concept, and then provide practice questions. I appreciate that if my kids are having problems, I can watch the short lesson to jog my memory, and then I can help. It doesn’t take me an hour to figure out what’s going on, I can quickly pick up what he’s learning, help him, and then we move on with our day.
Children work independently.
Teaching my children to work and learn independently, or with little guidance, is something that’s very important in our family.
As a homeschooling mom of many, it’s difficult to be all things to all people all of the time. So, as my children get older, they start working on small lessons on their own, with accountability.
The curriculum provides me with the tools I need for them to have that accountability, without having to physically see or grade their work.
There are times when my children need my help with their math, but this doesn’t usually happen daily, and thankfully, all of them don’t need my help at the same time.
Math doesn’t have to be stressful.
Before we started using CTC Math, my kids and I would get so stressed when it came time to work on their math for the day. We would get frustrated, angry, and upset with each other. It became the time of day we all dreaded.
When we started using this program, there was an instant change in my kids’ demeanor. They were ready to do their math with no problems.
In full disclosure, when the newness wore off, they were a little reluctant, but still enjoy using this program more than a traditional textbook where I’m the sole teacher.
We still aren’t a math-loving family, but we’re able to get through our lessons on most days with no tears.
This is a full homeschool math curriculum that covers all grades.
CTC Math is not a supplement. This is a full comprehensive math curriculum covering grades Kindergarten through 12th Grade.
You will not need to look for other homeschool math resources to teach your children. It’s all included in the curriculum, all in one place.
It’s affordable and has an annual price that is by far the best deal.
It’s no secret that homeschool curriculum can get pricey and as a homeschooling family of 8, I need to watch my pocketbook.
So, I watch for their annual sale. It’s so much more affordable than purchasing a math curriculum for each individual child. With 5 kids homeschooling, this makes our math curriculum cost amount to about $30 per child per year. This makes it perfect for our large family.
CTC Math has a Parent Portal and Weekly Tracking Reports.
Having all my children’s math grades in one place, calculated for me, and not having to keep up with several different math curriculums is amazing.
I can quickly log in to the parent/teacher portal and see exactly what my child has been working on and what grade he or she made.
I can also determine if my little angel was goofing off while on the site based on how long it took to click on the next thing they needed to do. (Ha, busted!)
CTC Math provides parents with the tools they need to help their children succeed in mathematics.
Everything you need is right inside the portal.
Additional practice problems can be accessed through the Question Bank Wizard for each lesson.
Speed Drill and Times Tables games are available for even more practice and confidence-building fun.
What do my kids think?
It’s very hard to get all my kids to agree on one thing… ever. So, when they all tried CTC Math and actually liked it, I took that as a win.
My younger kids like that the lessons are short. They don’t have to sit still for long.
They also really like the Australian accent. Between watching Bluey and using this math curriculum, my 6-year-old has his Australian accent almost mastered. Ha, ha!
Is the program worth the money?
Absolutely, yes, CTC Math is worth the money! It frees up so much time for me to help each of my children with other subjects and makes our days run smoothly.
If you aren’t sure that it’s right for you and your family, you can sign up for their free trial. Plus, they offer a money-back guarantee.
Downsides of CTC Math
I, honestly, only have one complaint about CTC Math.
On occasion, there will be a problem pop up in the practice questions that doesn’t have an example for my child to work from. I know that’s probably meant to challenge the student, but often ends in frustration.
When this does happen, I encourage them to work the problem the best way they know how and then, when they get the answer, if it’s incorrect, try to figure out where they went wrong.
I use this as a living example that we all can learn from our mistakes.
Additional Comments
All in all, CTC Math really is a great Kindergarten through 12th-grade curriculum. It makes teaching homeschool math so much easier and helps my kids learn at their own pace.
We enjoy the flexibility of the lessons. The kids like seeing their grades as soon as they’ve finished their lessons and not having to wait on me to grade their papers. And I love that it’s affordable for our family.
If you haven’t tried CTC Math and are struggling with your current homeschool math curriculum, now might be the time. With a free trial and money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose.
Would you like to see other homeschool curricula we’ve used or are currently using? You can check those out here.
