ixl math user's guide - nancy smith...

Chapter 4:

Using IXL

I X L Ma th User ’ s G u id e

IXL-0102-15 © 2011 IXL Learning. All rights reserved. ii

Table of Contents Math Practice Concepts ..................................................................................................................................................... 58

Twenty questions ..................................................................................................................................................... 58 Grade levels, topics, and skills ................................................................................................................................. 58 Your answers ........................................................................................................................................................... 58 The timer ................................................................................................................................................................. 58 Scoring ..................................................................................................................................................................... 58 Awards .................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Standards ................................................................................................................................................................ 59

Practicing Math.................................................................................................................................................................. 60 If You Do Not Have an Account .......................................................................................................................................... 62 Skill Summary .................................................................................................................................................................... 63 Earning Awards .................................................................................................................................................................. 64

Viewing the game board ......................................................................................................................................... 64 Game board squares ............................................................................................................................................... 64 Challenge types ....................................................................................................................................................... 64 Cool feature! ............................................................................................................................................................ 65

Telling Your Friends About IXL ........................................................................................................................................... 66 Signing In ........................................................................................................................................................................... 67 Viewing Skills in Your Grade .............................................................................................................................................. 68 Viewing Skills by Topic ....................................................................................................................................................... 69 Score Ratings ..................................................................................................................................................................... 70


IXL-0102-15 © 2011 IXL Learning. All rights reserved. 58

Math Practice Concepts While the math problems in IXL can get tough, using the system is easy!

Twenty questions If you do not have an IXL account, you can complete up to 20 questions every day, measured in 24-hour periods. It's a great way to try out the system and find out what all the buzz is about. But without an account, IXL does not save your scores and you cannot use the game board or earn awards, so you're not experiencing the real power of the system. You'll need an account for that.

Math practice is designed for child accounts in family memberships and student accounts in educator subscriptions. Teachers and parents can complete math problems in IXL under their accounts, as a way to try out the system and see how it works, but IXL does not save these scores or awards.

Grade levels, topics, and skills Math problems in IXL are categorized by grade/level and skill or by topic and skill on the Practice tab, depending on the tab you select in the left menu. When viewing skills by grade level, each grade or level category includes numerous skills, appropriately aligned with that grade/level. For example, skills at the first-grade level include counting and comparisons, while skills at the third-grade level include multiplication and long division. When viewing skills by topic, each topic includes numerous skills, grouped by grade levels.

Your answers When you enter correct answers, IXL displays the next problem. When you enter wrong answers, IXL displays a window that shows you the correct answer and provides an optional explanation.

If you exit out of a skill without submitting an answer to the current problem, IXL will display the same problem the next time you return to that skill.

The timer IXL tracks the amount of time you spend on a skill during your current session and displays it in the timer on the screen. If you are idle for a period of time longer than the time allotted for the type of problem you're working on, the timer pauses, resuming when you become active again. The timer also tracks the total amount of time you spend on each skill, for all sessions, and the total time you spend signed in to IXL. The system displays this information in various reports.

Note: Your parent or teacher may choose to hide the timer. In this case, IXL will not display it on the practice screen, although the software will still track the amount of time you spend practicing.

Scoring IXL tracks your success and computes a score based on your results, which it displays on the screen. This is your SmartScore. SmartScore uses IXL's proprietary scoring algorithm to give you the best possible information on your performance, based on such factors as the number of problems completed, number of problems correct and incorrect, problem difficulty, and consistency.



When you begin working on a skill, your initial SmartScore for that skill is zero. When you answer a problem correctly, your score increases. When you enter a wrong answer, your score decreases. SmartScores cannot be lower than zero or higher than 100.

As you work through a skill and your score rises, the problems become more difficult and your score increases in smaller jumps. Likewise, your score may decrease only slightly if you enter a wrong answer when you begin working on a skill, but as you progress towards mastery, wrong answers cause your score to decrease in larger and larger dips.

If you leave an answer blank when you submit it, the system treats it like a wrong answer.

IXL also rates your score as Needs Improvement (<70), Satisfactory (70-79), Good (80-89), Excellent (90-99), Mastered (100), and Provisional. A Provisional rating indicates that IXL cannot accurately rate your score because you have answered fewer than 4 problems in that skill. If you have mastered a skill, your rating for that skill remains "Mastered" even if you continue to practice it later and score lower.

Awards IXL awards you medals when you master skills and prizes after you meet certain challenges. These awards are displayed on the Awards tab.

Standards IXL is designed to help students perform successfully on standards exams. Our skills are aligned with the appropriate standards for your location. You must first define your location in your profile to use this feature. You can view the standards on the State Standards tab.

Note: Standards alignment may not yet be available for your country.



Practicing Math If you are not yet familiar with the scoring, awards, and timers used in IXL Math, you should first read Math Practice Concepts on page 58.

To work on math problems, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.ixl.com. 2. If you have a child or student account with IXL and you are not already signed in, do so now.

For more information, see Signing In on page 67.

Note: If you have an account but you do not sign in, IXL will not save your score or your time, you cannot earn any awards, and IXL will limit you to just 20 problems.

3. Do one of the following: • If you have signed in and you want to begin with a challenge from your game board, go

to the Awards tab and hold your mouse over a challenge, then select the link from the pop-up to go to the appropriate section of the Practice tab.

• If you want to begin by selecting a specific grade and skill, go to the Practice tab and select a grade. You can also choose skills by topic on the Practice tab, by clicking the Topics tab at the top of the left menu and selecting a topic.

• If you want to begin by finding skills associated with a specific state standard, go to the State Standards tab. If necessary, select your state and grade. Drill down into the standard you want to practice. Go to step 5.

4. (Optional) On the Practice tab, click the reports icon for a skill to view a report of completed work in the skill. The reports icon resembles a small bar graph.

Note: To return to the list of skills after viewing the report, use your browser’s Back button.

5. Click the skill you want to work on. You can hold your mouse over the skill to see a sample problem. IXL labels skills with an identifying number scheme, such as J.4, which makes it easy for teachers and parents to identify and refer students to skills that need more attention.

IXL displays a problem. It also displays a timer and your current score. For more information on the timer and score, see Math Practice Concepts on page 58.

6. (Optional) If the problem is at the pre-K, Kindergarten, or first grade level, you can click the speaker icon to hear the text of the question and any text-based answers. You must turn up the volume on your computer to use this feature.

7. Enter your answer.

Note: If you win a prize during your practice session, IXL displays a notice at the top of the Practice tab. To view the prize, click Go to the game board.

To view your current score while you are practicing, see the scoring section on the right side of the screen. IXL uses the SmartScore technology, which is IXL's proprietary scoring algorithm. SmartScore gives you the best possible information on your performance, based on such factors as the number of problems completed, number of problems correct and incorrect, problem difficulty, and consistency.

http://www.ixl.com/



8. If you want to receive another problem, click Submit, then repeat steps 6 and 7. Otherwise click Submit & finish and see Skill Summary on page 63.

Note: If you sign out, close your browser window, or click to another screen without submitting an answer to the current problem, IXL will remember where you left off and you will receive the same problem the next time you work on this skill.

When your score reaches 100, IXL stops displaying new problems and displays the Skill Summary window. For more information, see Skill Summary on page 63.

Figure 1: Math Practice Example



If You Do Not Have an Account Without an account, you can complete up to 20 math problems in a 24-hour period. While this is a great way to see what IXL is all about, we encourage you sign up for a membership to enjoy all the benefits of the system, including detailed reporting and awards for achievement. For more information, see Family Memberships in Chapter 2.

To practice math without a membership, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.ixl.com and click the Practice tab. 2. Click the grade or level you want to practice. If you'd rather select skills by topic, click the

Topics tab at the top of the left menu and select a topic to see its associated skills.

The system presents problems that match your selection, so be sure to select the correct grade or level for you.

3. Click the skill you want to work on.

IXL displays a problem. It also displays a timer and your current score. For more information on the timer and score, see Math Practice Concepts on page 58.

4. Enter your answer. 5. If you want to receive another problem, click Submit, then repeat step 4. Otherwise click

Submit & finish and see Skill Summary on page 63.

Non-members and those not signed in can complete up to 20 questions in each 24-hour period.

http://www.ixl.com/



Skill Summary When you are finished practicing a skill - either because you chose to exit the skill or you mastered it - IXL displays a skill summary that provides details of your progress for that skill.

If you have mastered the skill and earned a medal, IXL displays the details here, along with information on any prizes you may have won.

On the Skill Summary screen, you can do the following:

• If you have won a prize, click View awards to view it. • If you want to practice the same skill some more, click the link for the skill mastered. • If you want to practice a new skill, click Practice another skill. • If you want to view a report of the specific problems you received, along with your

answers, click View. • If you are finished practicing, you can sign out by clicking Sign out at the top of the

window.

Figure 2: Skill Summary



Earning Awards One of the things that makes practicing math with IXL so much fun is the chance to win prizes and complete your game board.

With the game board, students can track their prizes and take on challenges in a fun way that makes practicing math as good as any game. Each grade or level has a different theme, and the game boards are individualized, meaning no two students will have the same game board!

Parents and teachers can view student awards and challenges. They cannot reveal new prizes.

IXL also displays a summary of student accomplishments alongside the game board.

Viewing the game board To view the game board, go to the Awards tab and select the appropriate grade or level. Parents with more than one child, and teachers, must also select a student.

Note: You can choose to view all grades or levels, which is useful if a student has completed work in more than one. In this case, IXL will display a summary of accomplishments, but no game board.

For a description of the game board square types and challenge types, see the sections below.

The game board displays all prizes that have already been earned and all squares won but not yet revealed. If you are a student, you can reveal these new prizes by clicking on the squares. You can also view all current challenges by holding your mouse over an unlocked square. IXL will display the challenge in a pop-up, along with a link to the related math practice, where appropriate.

Game board squares The game board displays the following kinds of squares:

• Blank - The square is locked. The student cannot see it or see the challenge associated with it yet. Locked squares transform into unlocked squares as students progress.

• Question mark - The square is unlocked and you can view the challenge by holding your mouse over it. IXL presents students with several different types of challenges, including those based on skills mastery and system usage. For more information, see the section below.

• Highlighted - The student has successfully completed the challenge associated with the square and can click on it to reveal the prize. Prizes are special icons that are part of the theme for the selected grade level.

• Bonus - Some squares are offered as bonus prizes. You can click on them to reveal the prize, as you would for a highlighted square. Bonus squares are displayed randomly when you complete another challenge on your game board.

• Prize icon - The student has successfully completed the challenge associated with the square and has already revealed the prize.

Challenge types As mentioned above, IXL designs challenges based on several factors, including the following:

• Mastery of a specific number of skills. • Time spent practicing math with IXL.



• Completion of certain quantities of problems. • Completion of rows and columns on the game board. • Mastery of multiple skills in a specific category. • Mastery of several specific skills.

IXL labels skills with an identifying number scheme, such as J.4, which makes it easy for you to locate the skills you need to master.

Cool feature! Students can choose to use one of their prize icons as their profile icon, which will appear beside their username at the top-right of the screen. And it's really easy to set up. Just go to the Awards tab and choose a prize icon, then click and drag it to the upper-right area of the screen where your username is displayed. When you release the mouse button, IXL sets the prize icon you selected as your new profile icon.

Notes: If your account is part of a family membership, you can also select a profile icon from the IXL gallery, or upload one, in the Profile and settings window. However, you cannot select a prize icon in that window. For more information, see Profiles and Settings in Chapter 2.

Figure 3: The Awards Tab



Telling Your Friends About IXL Do you want to see if you can earn more awards than your friends? Or maybe you know of someone struggling with math who could benefit from practicing with IXL. Tell your friends about it! If they sign up for a membership, you can compare your scores or help each other improve.

To tell your friends about IXL, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.ixl.com. 2. At the top of the window, click Tell a friend.

Note: Not all pages can be shared. If you do not see Tell a friend at the top of your page, that page cannot be shared.

3. (Optional) Enter or edit your e-mail address. 4. Enter the e-mail addresses of the friends you want to contact. 5. (Optional) If you want, you can change the subject line from the default text to something

more personal. 6. (Optional) If you want, you can change the message from the default text to something more

personal. Alternately, you can add your message to the system-generated one. 7. Click Send e-mail.

The system displays a confirmation message.

8. Click Continue to return to IXL.

http://www.ixl.com/



Signing In When a child or student signs in to their IXL account, the system saves their math practice work and allows them to update their profile and user settings.

When a parent signs in to their account, they can update membership settings and make changes to family information and to the parent and child profiles and user settings.

When a teacher signs in to their account, they can manage the student roster and make changes to the teacher profile and user settings.

All users can view reports after signing in. Students can view reports for themselves; parents can view reports for all children in their membership; and teachers can view reports for the class as a whole, as well as for each student on their roster.

To sign in to IXL, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.ixl.com.

Note: If your license has a custom IXL sign-in page, you can sign in directly from there. Otherwise, you can still sign in from the main IXL page but you will need to enter your complete username, including the @ symbol and the text that follows it.

2. At the top of the window, enter your username and password and click Sign in.

Note: Family membership users must enter the family username and password here.

3. (Family memberships only) Select the appropriate user. If necessary, enter the secret word and click Enter.

Note: If a child forgets his secret word, the parent can sign in to retrieve it from the Profiles and settings window. If a parent forgets the secret word, click the Forgot secret word link. IXL will reset it and send the parent an e-mail with the information necessary to proceed.

Tip: Select the Remember me check box and on your next visit to IXL, you will not need to re-enter your username.

If you cannot remember your username or password If you cannot remember your username or your password and you enter them incorrectly, IXL will prompt you to retrieve the information.

In the pop-up window, click either the Forgot username or Forgot password link. When you click Forgot username, IXL prompts you for your e-mail address. When you click Forgot password, IXL prompts you for your username and e-mail address. Be sure to enter the e-mail address you used for your IXL account. IXL sends you the information via e-mail.

If you need both your username and password, you must first obtain your username. When requesting your password, you will need to enter your username.

Figure 4: Signing In

http://www.ixl.com/



Viewing Skills in Your Grade When you select a grade or level from the Practice tab or from the menu in the left window pane, the system displays a complete list of the skills available for practice at that grade or level. IXL labels skills with an identifying number scheme, such as J.4, which makes it easy for teachers and parents to identify and refer students to skills that need more attention.

If you have a current score for a given skill, IXL displays it in parentheses.

To see a preview of the type of problem the system will generate for a skill, hold your mouse over the skill.

To select a skill, click that skill.

To view a report of completed work in a skill, click the reports icon for that skill. The reports icon resembles a small bar graph.

Figure 5: Viewing Skills in Your Grade



Viewing Skills by Topic When you select a topic from the Practice tab, the system displays a complete list of the skills available for practice in that topic, broken down by grade level. IXL labels skills with an identifying number scheme, such as J.4, which makes it easy for teachers and parents to identify and refer students to skills that need more attention.

If you have a current score for a given skill, IXL displays it in parentheses.

To see a preview of the type of problem the system will generate for a skill, hold your mouse over the skill.

To select a skill, click that skill.

To view a report of completed work in a skill, click the reports icon for that skill. The reports icon resembles a small bar graph.

If you'd rather view all skills for a grade, regardless of topic, click the Grades tab at the top of the left menu.

Figure 6: Viewing Skills by Topic



Score Ratings IXL rates your score as Needs Improvement (<70), Satisfactory (70-79), Good (80-89), Excellent (90-99), Mastered (100), and Provisional. A Provisional rating indicates that IXL cannot accurately rate your score because you have answered fewer than 4 problems in that skill.

If you have mastered a skill, your rating for that skill remains "Mastered" even if you continue to practice it later and score lower.

ixl math user's guide - nancy smith...

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