We’re excited to announce the launch of our new math enrichment courses for 5th grade math (Math 5) and 8th grade math (Algebra I). These two new math courses mark the beginning of our expansion into enrichment and remediation of core academics; by the end of October we will also launch English Language Arts enrichment and remediation courses for 5th grade (ELA 5) and 8th grade (ELA 8).

Like all of Piqosity’s premium courses, there’s no cost and no credit card required to join at the free Community level, which includes access to a diagnostic test and limited practice material. Full course access starts at just $89, and tutors and teachers can save more than 50% when purchasing on behalf of their classes.

The new math courses are the culmination of nearly a year of effort from more than 20 different contributing educators. Andy Peters, M.A.Ed., leads Piqosity’s curriculum development:

My favorite thing about our math courses is how adaptable they are. You can brush up on a single topic, work through practice problems on a mix of concepts, test your skills with a diagnostic or unit test, or work through an entire course from start to finish.

No matter which approach you use, every problem comes with a step-by-step explanation and links to a detailed lesson. This is how the courses are able to meet students where they are, much like a teacher or private tutor would.

Math 5 Course for Enrichment, Remediation, and ISEE Test Prep

We designed the new Math 5 course to help 5th grade students with both enrichment and remediation. Aligned to both Common Core and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the course is divided into four primary units:

  1. Unit 1: Adding & Subtracting Decimals & Fractions
  2. Unit 2: Multiplying & Dividing Decimals & Fractions
  3. Unit 3: Interpreting & Graphing Equations
  4. Unit 4: Graphical Data Representations & 2D Shapes

At launch, there are currently 36 instructional lessons and nearly 1400 practice questions, which we think will take most 5th grade students about 40 hours to complete. Assuming that the average US school is in session for about 35 weeks, this means that enrichment students could spend a little over an hour a week with Piqosity’s new math course. Students using Piqosity to remediate or prepare for a standardized test such as the ISEE Lower Level, will likely have to compress this timeline.

Algebra I Course for 8th Graders

Our new Algebra I course is targeted primarily at 8th grade students for enrichment, remediation, and test prep. Aligned to both Common Core and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the course is divided into four primary units:

  1. Unit 1: Introductory Concepts & Linear Equations/Inequalities
  2. Unit 2: Functions Lines & Systems of Equations
  3. Unit 3: Exponents/Radicals Sequences & Polynomials
  4. Unit 4: Quadratics & Advanced Topics

At launch, there are currently 41 instructional lessons and nearly 1300 practice questions, which we think will take most 8th grade students about 40 hours to complete. Mohamed El Noamany leads content creation for the new Math 5 and Algebra I courses:

The material is visually appealing, and we are constantly updating our courses not only with new text-based lessons but also with video content to appeal to different learning styles. I am very excited for students to interact with and benefit from our Algebra 1 and 5th grade math courses.

Innovative Platform Features

These new Math 5 and Algebra I courses are built on top of the same innovative and flexible platform as our ISEE, ACT, and SAT test prep courses; in fact, they pair especially well with the ISEE Lower Level and ISEE Upper Level test prep courses.

Piqosity’s key platform features include:

  • Instructional lessons with multiple variations including videos
  • Adaptive practice including the option for gamification
  • Student analytics and strengths and weakness diagnostics
  • Answer explanations from both the original author and third-party educators
  • Printable PDF practice tests and question sets
  • Timers with settings for time and a half and double time
  • Online test taking tools like whiteboard, question scratch throughs, and flagging

Our team of engineers is continuously improving and expanding the Piqosity e-learning application. Still to come this fall for students is the Piqosity Virtual Tutor (PVT). PVT will bring “next” level user friendliness to Piqosity. This new feature will allow students to simply click on “next” and have Piqosity’s AI automatically determine what they should be doing based off their goals, current abilities, and timeline. Improved calculations for question difficulty will enable Piqosity to adapt its delivery in real time and in comparison to other students.

Built for Tutors and Teachers

We built Piqosity not only to be user friendly for parents and students at home but also for the advanced needs of tutors and teachers. Key features for educators include:

  • Student management including the ability to see everything the student sees
  • Automatic scoring and analysis of all student work
  • Assignments with due dates
  • Custom Branding (tutoring companies and schools)

The biggest features for educators are still yet to come. Beginning this fall we will open up our platform to enable any qualified educator to upload their own instructional content to Piqosity. This means that educators will be able to create their own lessons and questions. They will be able to share this content with all users or just with their own students.

A Mission to Rethink Education

Piqosity (pique + curiosity) is a Houston-based education technology startup on a mission to rethink education. One product launch at a time, we are on a journey to democratize education publishing and personalize student learning.