IXL and Raz-Kids

2 programs I have really missed using this year are IXL and Raz-Kids.  These are paid programs that my current school/district does not subscribe to.  They are fairly expensive, so I understand the hesitation to purchase them for classrooms, but I feel the void of not using them this year.  I recently wrote a grant to get funding for Raz-Kids for next year's first graders- we'll see what happens with that.

Let's talk about IXL first.

IXL provides standards and skills-based practice for students in grades K-12.  I have used IXL with Kindergarten classes, as well as 3rd grade.  It's a great program because it has any skill you could want students to work on, and you can monitor their progress as they use the program.

This is JUST the first grade math page.  You can assign students a subject or skill to work on independently at the computer or on a tablet.  They can also access IXL at home.

Sample question from IXL first grade math.

My school purchased the math license for IXL, so we only used it for math practice.  We had other programs that centered on reading...one of the programs for the younger grades was Raz-Kids.  

Here is a student home page.  They have to read several books before they can build their Raz Rocket.  The Rocket is also an optional feature- teachers can elect to turn this off.  I think the Rocket is pretty fun, but I can see how it could be distracting for the younger students.

This is an example of what a student would see as part of his or her reading choices- all done according to their guided reading level.  Teachers can choose levels for students, or let Raz-Kids assign them a level to work through based on their tests.

Sample page from a story.  Raz-Kids will read to the students through a certain level (I believe it's H).  

Sample page from a quiz.  The program will read the questions to the students through level H.  Students can take the quiz as many times as needed in order to pass.

When so much emphasis is placed on phonics, Raz-Kids is a wonderful tool to reinforce comprehension.  Unfortunately it runs about $99.95 per classroom (with bulk rates offered), so it can be a little spendy for large schools and districts.