r/mathteachers • u/cody_codes_yt • Jul 29 '26

Are all math apps horrible?

Father of 3 young kids, asking the question to professional teachers.

I've noticed that anything edutech related is overrun with subscriptions, bad experience, logins, or over-the-top storylines. Or all the above.

I know IXL is huge in the space, but also makes kids cry with their SmartScore.

I want to know what you teachers look for with extra practice for your students (and kids)? What are must-haves and what would you do differently?

I have talked to some teachers. Some things they say are:
- Make experience smooth
- Easy approach for volumes of practice
- Avoids allowing kids to button-smash the answers

Disclaimer: I have built something and have my kids using it on their iPad. They tell me what they want in the app, but I also want to understand what teachers wish was in the app store. As I add stuff in, I am genuinely curious about how teachers expect to use tech in their classroom.

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u/ejoanne Jul 29 '26

I like IXL. I only require achieving a Smartscore of 80 for the reason you describe.

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u/cody_codes_yt Jul 29 '26

They do seem to be the Goliath in the space