ALEKS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This article answers general technical questions about the ALEKS Program within Open Learning (my.mheducation.com) and the embedded ALEKS add-on within ConnectED. Learn more about add-on products on the What is the difference between Core Products and Add-On Products? article.

Q: Is there a way to change the class end date for an ALEKS class on Open Learning?

A: For manually created classes, end dates can be adjusted under the class settings found on the Roster page. For more information about changing the end date for an ALEKS class, refer to the Create and Edit an ALEKS Class article.

For district-created classes, there is currently no way for teachers to change the end date of their ALEKS classes on Open Learning. If you need to modify the end date for your class, contact your IT or Curriculum Administrator (or whoever manages the auto-rostering files for your school/district). This end date will first need to be updated on the roster file before the teacher will see this change reflected on Open Learning.

Q:  How would a student be moved to a new class in ALEKS on Open Learning?

A: If the teacher is moving the student between "sub-classes" (the classes created within the ALEKS Program), please see Move Students to a Sub-Class in Classic ALEKS View for instructions that walk through this process.

If the teacher needs to move a student between "primary" classes will want to follow the steps located in the Create and Edit an ALEKS Class article for manually created classes. If the class is created by the district, teachers should contact their IT or Curriculum Administrator (or whoever manages the auto-rostering files for your school/district). This individual will need to make adjustments to their roster file in order to place the student in a new primary class.

Q: How long does it take to complete an ALEKS course?

A: The amount of time to complete an ALEKS course varies widely depending on students’ initial knowledge of the course. If students are placed in a course they already have high mastery of, completion may require only a few hours. At the other extreme, it is not unusual for students to take 100 hours or more to complete a course; these are mostly cases where students were placed into a course that is too advanced. As a general rule, most students should plan to spend at least 40 hours in ALEKS to complete a course.

Q: What are the best practices for student pacing and progress?

A: Give your students these best practices and tips for completing their ALEKS assignments.

Q: Is ALEKS aligned with the Common Core?

A: ALEKS courses for grades 3-12 deliver standards-based content correlated to the Common Core State Standards and all 50 states’ standards. Course content is automatically aligned to the Common Core and each state’s standards, ensuring students are working on the exact skills they need to effectively prepare for standardized testing and become college and career ready.

For more information on how K-12 ALEKS content aligns with the Common Core, visit the K-12 Standards page.

Q: What happens to the ALEKS Pie if topics are removed from my course?

A: If topics are removed from the course, students will no longer see them.  This action should be completed cautiously because this may remove prerequisites that students need to be successful with the current included content.  Teachers should consider the ALEKS recommendations provided when editing the course.  If you are concerned about students spending time in lower-level topics, students would only see these topics if they did not assess out of them on the Initial Knowledge Check.  Completing these topics will ensure students are prepared for the grade-level content covered in the scope and sequence of the class.

Q: What is the ALEKS Pie?

A: The ALEKS Pie allows the student to see overall progress toward completion of the class. Slices represent topic categories. Mastered, learned, and remaining topics are shown in different colors within each slice. Each pie slice is color-coded to match the list next to the ALEKS Pie. The darker color in the slice represents topics mastered, the lighter color represents topics learned, and the outer space without color represents the topics remaining to be learned and mastered. Progress can be reviewed in real time by selecting a pie slice. The area to the right is a legend that displays the slice name and the number of topics mastered, learned, and remaining in each category for the slice selected.

Q: How are the default topics in a course decided?

A: ALEKS has a content team of subject experts dedicated to researching what topics are most commonly covered in most of the courses.  Continually gathering student data allows ALEKS to improve the algorithms and efficiency of the ALEKS platform.  You can see all updates to ALEKS in the announcements tile of the instructor account dashboard.

Q: What is the normal rate of progress for students in ALEKS?

A: Students vary widely in their rate of progress, and it is not possible to say what is normal since it is self-paced. Most students should be able to complete two topics in ALEKS in an hour, depending upon the difficulty of the topic. Some might be able to complete as many as ten if the material is familiar to them. Focusing students on ALEKS progress by rewarding them for topics mastered within a class period can have a very positive effect on the rate of mastery.

Q: Is there a way to include Topic Titles in the ALEKS worksheet answer keys?

A: There is not a way to do this.

Q: In courses for which a teacher uses objectives, if I schedule a Knowledge Check and select the option for "comprehensive," will the Knowledge Check cover only the content my students have included in the objectives to date? 

A: Comprehensive is for the entire course material, not just to date, so it would cover things the students have not yet learned.

Q: Is there a way for a teacher to combine questions from previous assessments to create a new final exam in ALEKS? 

A: Yes, when creating a new assignment, teachers have the option to choose topics/questions from previous assignments. For more information on creating assignments, take a look at the Manage New ALEKS Assignments article.

Q: Can a student request their own Knowledge Check? 

A: Students are unable to request a Knowledge Check, but can reach out to their teachers to schedule a new Progress Knowledge Check by following the steps in the Schedule a New ALEKS Knowledge Check article.

Q: What is a "Goal Completion" Knowledge Check?

A: A Goal Completion Knowledge Check is triggered automatically in ALEKS the first time a student fully completes the Pie. Often, the student will score less than 100% on the Goal Completion knowledge check. When this happens, the student can complete the Pie again and, in this way, gain additional reinforcement on the most advanced topics in the course. The second time the student fills in the pie chart, there will not be another Goal Completion Knowledge Check. The instructor can assign additional knowledge checks if desired.

Q: What should I do if a student encounters an error when closing their session by selecting “Check Answer?”

A: We recommend the school IT department check their firewall settings and check the status by removing security settings and adding settings back to see if the software works. 

Q: Can my students use the "Back" and "Forward" buttons on their browsers while in ALEKS?

A: ALEKS does not recognize browser navigation commands such as "Back" or "Forward." Using these buttons can disrupt the system and place the student's account into an unstable state, potentially causing functionality issues during their session. If a student attempts to use the "Back" button to revisit a question after viewing an explanation, ALEKS will redirect them to their home page. From the home page, the student must click "Continue My Path" to resume their work, but the original question will no longer be available. Instead, ALEKS will generate a new instance of the problem.

Q: How much does my student have to practice a topic in order to learn it?

A: As students practice topics in ALEKS, a point system determines when a topic is considered Learned. Each question within a topic is a chance for students to earn points for that topic.

The point system works as follows:

• One point is given for a correct answer

• Two points are given for two correct answers in a row without viewing an Explanation

• One point is subtracted for an incorrect answer

• No points are given or subtracted when students select Explanation

• The point total does not go below zero

The Progress Indicator in the top-right corner updates in real-time to show the point total. Once students earn five points in a topic, the Progress Indicator will be filled in, and a Celebration Page will display, indicating the topic has been Learned.

Q: Is RTI (Response to Intervention) content mixed in with generic embedded ALEKS, or would this need to be a separate subscription?  

A: RTI is available in the standalone version. Embedded ALEKS only gives students access to the ALEKS topics and content that matches Glencoe Math.

Q: I have a book with an ALEKS add-on that is not syncing up. If I remove the teacher content and then add it back in, will my student’s data in ALEKS still be there? 

A: Data in ALEKS stays with the student within ALEKS. So even if the content was removed, the data will still stay with the student.

Q: How would a teacher register a student in ALEKS standalone?  

A: For questions regarding ALEKS standalone, please contact the ALEKS support team.

Q: Where would a customer log in to access their free trial for ALEKS? 

A: Customers can register for a free trial on the ALEKS site.