Preparing for Pre-Algebra: Middle School Math with Mr. D Math

^{Disclaimer: I received digital access to this product as well as reimbursement for the time spent writing this review in exchange for my honest thoughts. This post contains affiliated links.}

Hey there! If you are looking for a middle school math program that alleviate the pressures from you teaching the math, but understands the importance of laying a strong math foundation for your rising or current middle schooler, Mr. D Math may be the solution to your problem. See what I did there?

^{_{I received digital access to this product as well as reimbursement for the time spent writing this review in exchange for my honest thoughts. This post contains affiliate links}}

What is Mr. D Math Online Class?

Dennis DiNoia, the creator of Mr, D Math, holds an M.A. in Education from the University of South Florida and has been a Florida State Certified Secondary Mathematics Teacher since 1988. Mr. D Math courses are designed for middle school and high school students. His focus is from Pre-Algebra to Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry.

Quick Overview:

Mr. D Math has a variety of Live or Self-Paced (pre-recorded) Middle School/High School level Math courses and elective courses to choose from and uses HIS OWN curriculum. In addition to these self-paced courses, Mr. D Math also offers live online math classes, summer courses, and ACT and SAT prep classes. See the full catalog here.

Details

• Grade/Age: 6th Grade+
• Parent Involvement: Minimum parent oversight; Independent work
• Schedule: The pre-recorded/self-paced lessons are set up to be completed within 34 weeks, but have the flexibility to complete course within 18 months of purchase.
• Product Format: Online Courses

How We Use the Self-Paced Course

Prepping for Pre-Algebra: I’m 90% hands off. My child logs in, watches the video, and completes the work.

I set three expectations; one, let me know which lesson he as completed, so I can keep track; two, show all of his work, so he can get used to organizing his steps on paper and three, I ask him to verbally explain the lesson. If I feel that his explanation was a bit unsteady, or his penmanship is a bit wonky, I’ll then randomly pick two to three questions where he needs to explain his answer further, to me.

This my way of assessing his understanding. I want to see the way he problem solves. Also, the tests helps his math confidence. He loves those high grades!

How the Math Lessons are set up: There are 9 chapters, and each chapter has about 8 units. In every unit, there are about 15- 20 videos/class. All classes are set up the same, video instructions, course work, extra practice sheets, and solutions. At the end of each chapter, there is a spiral review (quiz ~ 5 questions) then an online test (~ 10 questions); all multiple choice.

Full Transparency: Last year (2022), we were given the opportunity to review both Mr. D. Math’s ASL and Pre-Algebra courses. We stopped using the Pre-Algebra not because of any insufficiencies with the program, but it actually highlighted some of my child’s math gaps and I didn’t feel comfortable pushing this level when he wasn’t ready. This time around, he is a lot more confident completing the work alone.

Costs

The pre-recorded lessons are at a one-time fee of $217, which includes live teacher support (3x a week) and daily email support. Additionally, if you want to bump that up to include weekly schedule live support it’s an additional $290 one-time payment OR $29 per month for 10 months. (Aug-May Classes). That’s a total of $507 for a 12-18 month course.

Nice Bonus

Mr. D Math really tries to create a sense of community/connection between the instructors and students with monthly contests (video submissions) and prizes, student appreciation posts and weekly announcements.

Overall Impressions

I truly appreciate that Mr. D created an “in between” course for middle schoolers that solidifies the traditional operations on numbers – addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of root before jumping into pre-algebra.

If you are not aware, there is a middle school math crisis that needs more attention.

As homeschoolers, we have the luxury and responsibility to slow down and work longer on a lesson, when needed, for a deeper understanding without worrying about “the bell”.

We are happy to recommend Mr. D Math’s course; homeschooled or not. The coursework isn’t overwhelming and very low pressure. The video lessons are short and sweet. The classwork takes about 15 minutes to complete. Mr. D Math encourages self-correction via classwork and/or quizzes. The child can retake the exams as many times as they want until they reach their goals. Practice makes perfect.

With Mr. D Math, my son can watch the video lesson, print out the worksheets (he can, but I print all the sheets and place in the binder for easier access), correct his work, and enter his daily grade – all without any help from me at all. He can work independently from start to finish. This is truly helpful to us because he has younger siblings that homeschools and he needs to learn how to handle school work more independently as we move up in grades.

Follow Mr. D Math

• Follow on Facebook
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Follow on Instagram

Pin it for Later