In 1990, Math Olympiad teammates Richard Rusczyk, Sandor Lehoczky, and Sam Vandervelde created their own math contest. It was not quite as successful as they had hoped for. After nearly two years of dismally low test scores, the friends decided that perhaps a textbook would be more beneficial than a contest. Two years later the finished work would be self-published in the form of two textbooks and two workbooks titled, The Art of Problem Solving. The books were a hit. The three realized that there was an opportunity to expand their love of mathematics by creating an advanced online mathematics education platform specifically designed for gifted students. Nine years later, in 2003, www.artofproblemsolving.com was launched, garnering over 3000 members in the first year. The platform is now 300,000 members strong and still growing.
About The Art of Problem Solving
The Art of Problem Solving evolved from a community of like-minded math aficionados and fellow Math Olympiad competitors to an online advanced study program designed to supplement students’ existing education and help hone their performance at the world’s top mathematics competitions.
The online programs are self-paced, live sessions where students are encouraged to spend as much time as they need solving increasingly complex mathematics, programming, and scientific problems. The online curriculum is carefully designed to teach students how to work through problems and arrive at a solution independently. The courses are designed to prepare students for advanced university classes and highly challenging careers.
Product Specs
The Art of Problem Solving offers supplemental education in advanced mathematics, computer programming, and computer science through after-school, weekend, and summer courses. The programs are geared towards middle through high school age students grades 6 – 12.
The Art of Problem Solving is Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) approved and most coursework is NCAA approved.
Pricing
Art of Problem Solving coursework is scheduled and sold as individual courses which range in price from approximately $400 – $700 per course.
How It Compares
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.
ALEKS Assessment And Learning Tool
Easy Peasy – All-in-One Homeschool
Sonlight Curriculum
The Art of Problem Solving
Price $$$
The Art Of Problem Solving is configured and sold as individual courses that students may enroll in on an as-needed basis. Courses range in price from $400 – 700 per course. Textbooks and materials are included in the course fee.
Content Medium (5-stars)
The Art of Problem Solving features individual courses designed to hone the students’ existing proficiency in advanced mathematics and computer science. The coursework is presented online only. Most if not all of the teaching faculty hold advanced mathematics or computer science degrees from prestigious universities like MIT, Berkely, and Columbia. The classes and competition preparatory sessions take place in a live virtual classroom. Classroom Online Moderators make sure everyone has their questions addressed, and no one gets lost in the shuffle. We ranked the academy 5 stars for their innovative approach to classroom delivery.
Grade Level (4 stars)
The Art of Problem Solving online academy is geared towards middle school and high school students in grades 6 – 12. There is no minimum age or grade level requirement. Assessments are provided in downloadable PDF format next to each course description. These assessments can be completed at any time. We were only able to give the academy 4 stars in this category because of the severely limited enrollment position.
Religious Perspective
The Art of Problem Solving does not have a religious perspective.
Educational Methods (5 stars)
Most students enroll in courses to prepare to compete in a variety of world-renowned mathematics competitions or to grant them an edge when applying to prestigious universities. The founders and faculty are very active members of the site’s online forums, and there is a definite vibe of empowerment and respect in the community dynamic that is much more akin to players and coaches rather than students and teachers. We ranked the Art of Problem solving 5 stars for its advanced curriculum.
Pros
- Highly educated faculty with a great deal of investment in the academy and students
- Live online classes are moderated to ensure students get needed attention
- Western Association of Schools & Colleges accredited
- NCAA approval on most coursework
Cons
- Limited to advanced mathematics and computer science
- After-school, summer, and weekend classes only
- Cost is significantly higher than competitors
https://artofproblemsolving.com/
ALEKS Assessment and Learning Tool
ALEKS Assessment and Learning Tool is a groundbreaking artificial intelligence engine which uses adaptive questioning to accurately assess a student’s knowledge state. It is able to provide a clear snapshot of which concepts the student understands well and which concepts are not as well understood. Perhaps even more important, the tool can also tell us when the student is ready to learn a certain new skill.
Price $
Pricing for ALEKS is subscription based. An individual monthly subscription is around $20/month per child. There is a slight discount offered for advanced payment and longer subscription terms. A 6-month subscription for 1 child will cost you about $100, and it is $180 for one full year of access for one child.
Content Medium (5 stars)
ALEKS is based on artificial intelligence developed by a team of cognitive scientists and software engineers at the University of California, Irvine. After the initial assessment is completed, users will have full access to the complete course catalog of advanced mathematics, business administration, and computer science. We ranked ALEKS 5 stars for their very solid artificial intelligence platform.
Grade Level (5 stars)
ALEKS assessment tool is capable of accurately determining a student’s knowledge state from as young as 3rd grade. The course catalog contains in-depth mathematics training for children in 3rd – 12th grade. We again ranked ALEKS all 5 stars for having something to learn for everyone.
Religious Perspective
ALEKS assessment and learning platform has no religious affiliation.
Educational Methods (5 stars)
ALEKS offers a core curriculum mathematics that is far more comprehensive than the average public school standard. The course catalog has the usual arithmatic, algebra, geometry, calculus, and trigonometry. They also have full liberal arts mathematics coursework. Liberal arts mathematics is known as consumer mathematics. It is the knowledge of mortgage finance math, revolving credit account math, corporate business math, sole propreitor business math, voting calculations, probability, and statistics. We gave ALEKS another full 5 star rating for this uniquely expansive course catalog.
Pros
- ACE approval of some courses means students can earn college credits for completion
- Innovative artificial intelligence platform knows when a student is ready to learn a new skill which eliminates frustration and burnout
- Mathematics course catalog is much more comprehensive than traditional school mathematics education
Cons
- Web based, artificial intelligence platform, no human interaction
- Curriculum focuses on mathematics, computer science, and business only
- Computer, internet access, and printer are required.
Easy Peasy – All-in-One Homeschool
Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool was initially set up by founder Lee Giles as a central hub for her six children to find the assignments and activities from their new homeschooling education. As she learned more about the homeschooling movement and met other homeschoolers, she began to see that there was a real need for an organized central hub and free curriculum so there would be no barriers to homeschooling. Now the Easy Peasy homeschooling platform has branched out into a second site that is identical to the first but features curriculum for high school.
Price $
Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool is an online curriculum organized and hosted at no charge.
Content Medium (5 stars)
Easy Peasy hosts everything needed for successful homeschooling instruction on their website, from reading material to worksheets and assessment tests. There is simply nothing lacking from the delivery or the substance of the Easy Peasy coursework; we awarded 5 stars.
Grade Level (5 stars)
The Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool website hosts full curriculum with at least 180 days of coursework per grade. Coursework is available for kindergarten through 8th grade on www.allinonehomeschool.com. Full high school curriculum is available on www.allinonehighschool.com. All grades were represented and full course work is available, so again Easy Peasy earns 5 stars.
Religious Perspective
Easy Peasy is a faith-based Christian program.
Educational Methods (5 stars)
English, mathematics, and computer courses are provided in an online, fully interactive environment. Additional elective courses in nearly any subject under the sun are available on the interactive site. Lesson plans are prepared for you. Students simply log in to the site, access the proper day’s lessons, and start learning. We had no trouble giving Easy Peasy 5 stars.
Pros
- Free full homeschooling curriculum
- Curriculums available for all grade levels
- No hidden costs or textbooks to purchase
Cons
- No instructors for one-on-one instruction
- No formal grading or scoring system
- No official transcripts or records
Sonlight
Sonlight began as a homeschooling supply company striving to gather and disseminate American Christian educational materials. Sonlight’s emphasis centers on the use of real books and real-life experiences as the building blocks of education. Students will read literature, period fiction, and modern topical fiction rather than textbooks.
Price($$$)
All-subject packages which include nearly every resource needed for one grade level range from around $750 to $900 and include the largest discount Sonlight offers.
In custom core packages, individual core modules run approximately $495 – $550 per module.
Content Medium (3 stars)
Sonlight’s curriculum focuses on the lessons contained within classic and modern fiction, news, and magazine articles. Textbooks are used only when needed. In these instances, Sonlight uses Apologia Science, Saxon Math, and Miquon Math texts. Each package contains a lot of books. Normally this would be a positive. However, considering the often nomadic lifestyles of homeschooling families, the books may overwhelm small living quarters. We were only able to offer 3 stars for content medium due to our concern that so many books may restrict a nomadic lifestyle.
Grade Level (5 stars)
Full Pre-kindergarten through high school curriculums are available. We were able to award the full five stars as Sonlight does provide a curriculum for every grade.
Religious Perspective
Sonlight promotes and distributes a faith-based Protestant Christian curriculum. Sonlight’s customizable core packages allow homeschool instructors to fine tune the curriculum’s tone or message by selecting from a variety of math, science, Bible study, and history cores to create a personalized curriculum package. The optional History of the Church module provides a non-biased and comprehensive discussion of church history from the often diverse perspectives of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox congregants.
Educational Methods (4 Stars)
Sonlight provides support, advice, and resources for homeschoolers. The company does not offer direct instruction or classes. Lessons are conveyed through interactive online activity, printed materials, and books. The Sonlight program relies more on actual books than online interactive education. We gave the Sonlight learning method 4 stars. It is a very nicely designed curriculum; however, interactive content is more portable.
Pros
- Sonlight staff will help customize curriculum at no added charge
- Customizable cores allow fine tuning of tone and message of curriculum
- Sonlight offers a one-year money back guarantee
Cons
- Significantly higher cost than other alternative schooling options
- Resource and curriculum sales only – no personal instruction
- Not as portable as other options, as there are many books needed each year
Conclusion
There was a great deal to consider and the final selection of “best” was by no means an easy determination. All the alternative education providers we reviewed greatly exceeded our expectations. Sonlight was a bit less portable, and considering the nomadic lifestyle of many homeschooling families, we were forced to deduct a few stars in the content delivery area for this reason.
Easy Peasy, ALEKS, and The Art of Problem Solving were all above and beyond the average public school education. All scored 5 stars for delivery and quality of content. Easy Peasy scored 5 stars in the remaining categories for having options for all grades and for being completely free of charge from start to finish.
ALEKS and The Art of Problem Solving scored 5 stars in the quality category and 4 stars in inclusiveness as their offerings are geared solely towards mathematics and computer science. Easy Peasy was the overall high scorer in every category, edging out the equally exceptional The Art of Problem Solving and ALEKS in only one category.