Mathway.com can be an excellent tool for helping students understand solutions to math problems, but parents and teachers will want to be sure that students are not using the site as a substitute for solving problems on their own. The site covers elementary school math through calculus. Students type in a problem of their own, or they can use the drop down menu to choose from the sample problems in each topic. Entering a math problem correctly requires a certain amount of knowledge, and students could grow frustrated quickly if they do not have a good basic grasp of the material. The free version allows a student to type in any problem, see the answer, and view a history of all the problems they have tried. It also give access to the glossary and customizable worksheets. The full version provides detailed, step-by-step solutions and removes the distracting ads. Some students do best by viewing lots of examples, and the site provides clear, easy-to-read, step by step solutions for any problem a child enters.

• Provides sufficient and varied types of practice problems to maximize understanding and generalization of the targeted skill/concept
• Manufacturer claims alignment with Common Core/Known Standards
• Presents educational concepts accurately
• Explains answers so students can learn from mistakes
• Better for teaching the skill to new or struggling learners
• Better for practicing or refreshing the skill
• Skills are practiced through authentic, meaningful problems (not just rote practice)

• Appropriate for a broad age range to use and enjoy
• Subject matter and problems are relevant, interesting and authentic to students
• Visually appealing to children in the target age range
• Provides virtual rewards or incentives after meeting specified goals or objectives
• Provides a "break activity" between academic problem sets
• Offers ongoing, progressive challenge
• Overall - Enjoyable. Given the option, students would choose this option

• Has a free or trial version
• Provides teaching guidance for adults to support the child and set appropriate goals
• Provides an age-appropriate tutorial/first time users can work independently
• Student should be able to use independently after first use
• Has a multi-player option to foster in-person collaboration or cooperation
• Multiple users can save a profile
• Student graduates to the next level or topic only after meeting a benchmark
• Can play without sound and not distract others
• Students can save work between sessions
• Can effectively understand and monitor student's progress (email report or in product)
• Requires registration before using the first time
• Provides options to play in languages other than English/Good for ELL
• Presents information in multiple formats (voice over, pictures and text, etc.)
• Overall - Easy to use

• Visual Discrimination
• Shows advertisements
• Promotes purchases or upgrades to students
• Students might need support with navigation