Skillstutor: Subscription Based Instructional Tool

Rob Case, MEDT 6467 Fall 2009

A Brief Overview

A recent software innovation that I have been utilizing over the past year is SkillsTutor. SkillsTutor is used to improve academic achievement and refresh core academic skills for students in grades K through Adult. SkillsTutor utilizes quizzes and tests to efficiently identify skill deficiencies and prescribe appropriate lessons.SkillsTutor is delivered online and can be used as a teacher-aided instructional tool or as a one-on-one tutoring resource with minimal guidance. Students feel comfortable practicing skills in an engaging environment similar to standardized tests. The easy-to-use management systemmonitors progress and generates accountability reports.

How to Access and Use this Tool

  1. Visit the website at the following URL address:

  1. Teachers can login to SkillsTutor and create assignments that accompany specific classes or for individual students that require remediation. Once a student logs in they will be taken to their assignment page:

  1. If the student chooses the Beginning Math assignment, they are presented with a series of instructional activities that are to be completed in order, as illustrated by this screen shot:

  1. Here is a screen shot of the first problem from the Patterns and Number Pretest instructional activity. The students interact by clicking on their answer.

  1. Once the student completes the activity, the results are displayed. Here is a screen shot of the results of the Patterns and Number Pretest instructional activity:

  1. Once the student completes the activity, the results are displayed. Here is a screen shot of the results of the Patterns and Number Pretest instructional activity:

For Use in the Classroom or MediaCenter

All classroom teachers at the middle high school level can use these instructional activities as interactive complements to lessons they may be focused on. Additionally, SkillsTutor provides for excellent individual remediation on many topics of study. The only major con of SkillsTutor is that it is a subscription based instructional resource. However, the benefit this resource has provided to the students at my school, as well as the impact on AYP, has been well worth the investment. Media specialists can simply provide access to the website in the media center itself and lend technical support for students creating their user names for the first time or experiencing technical difficulties.

If you would like to try free sample lessons, click this link and register: