IXL Learning Reviews 459

IXL IS TRASH
teachers need to stop assigning this. I used to be interested in learning now i just try to tune out as much of it as possible

I have disliked IXL since I was little i am a 6th grader who is forced to do advanced math on IXL, and it is torture REMOVE THE SMARTSCORE!!! I wish they just made it fun...

IXL is easily the most frustrating and punitive tool I have ever been forced to use. It is a 'drill and kill' system that replaces actual teaching with endless, repetitive questions.

The 'SmartScore' is designed to punish students for being human. If you get a question right, you might go up 2 or 3 points. But if you make one mistake-or even just a typo-it can drop you 10 to 12 points instantly. This 'one step forward, four steps back' algorithm turns what should be a 20-minute lesson into a two-hour hostage situation. It doesn’t reward mastery; it demands impossible perfection.

When you finally do get something wrong, the 'explanation' is almost always useless. It’s robotic, hard to follow, and doesn't actually teach the concept. It just tells you that you’re incorrect and leaves you to figure out why, which is impossible if you didn't understand the lesson in the first place.

This system is actively making me and my classmates hate math. It causes massive anxiety and crushes your self-esteem. There is nothing more discouraging than working for an hour, only to be further from your goal than when you started because of one mistake.

I’m tired of hearing that teachers 'love' this program. The only reason they love it is because it makes their jobs easier. It gives them easy data and does the grading for them so they don't have to actually teach the material themselves. IXL makes 'fake promises' about helping kids learn, but in reality, it’s just a soul-sucking stress machine

I hate the smart score where it launches you from a 98 to a 62

IXL and are marketed as "personalized learning," but in reality, they operate on a high-stress "Smart Score" system that penalizes students for learning. In IXL, if a student gets 20 questions right and one wrong, they can lose 10+ points. This "resetting" of progress doesn't teach the material—it teaches students to be afraid of making mistakes. Why is it bad for a student? Reaching a 90 or 100 feels impossible. Instead of feeling proud of what we've learned, we feel "dumb" the moment the score drops. It causes genuine tears, anger, and burnout.
These programs prioritize a number over actual understanding. Students end up guessing or getting stressed rather than actually thinking through the problems. It's more teacher convenience over student needs. It feels like these tools are used just so teachers can have an automated grade. While it makes the district’s data look clean, it ignores the mental health of the students sitting behind the screens. A learning tool should make you feel capable, not defeated. School Districts should stop funding platforms that cause this much emotional distress. We are more than a "Smart Score." Even this is more fun than I-Ready

Horrid. Absolutely horrid. I am in 8th grade .I struggle with depression, ADHD and anxiety (no it's not me exaggerating, this is all diagnosed and I take medication.) , and I'm sure this app doesn't help. This stupid platform has made me have MULTIPLE ANXIETY ATTACKS. IXL has added onto my mental struggles, and there has been many times where this app has made me feel stupid and useless enough that I have engaged in sh. I usually get Bs in math, but because of my struggle with IXL, I am sitting at a 48%. I am not the only student struggling with this app. This is worse than torture and if I have to do ONE MORE IXL, I will end up having another anxiety attack. Please, parents, teachers, stop torturing kids, stop ruining their interest in math, stop causing more harm. STOP USING IXL.

Awful take forever and makes it so borrung

I hate ixl my dad is spending money on it to quote on quote ‘make my learning more fun’ NO the app is so expensive the score system is rigged and the video explanation does nothing to help in the ads it make IXL is so bad kahn acamdmey is WAY BETTER

I hate IXL so much. The smart score system is horrible and punished you by 8-20 points every time you get it wrong. I have almost broke my Chromebook many times due to this website. It is mentally exhausting for anyone but especially those with ADHD or Autism. Some people have literally had panic attacks from this site. Why does my school waste money on it? Why do most other districts still use it? Why does my teacher keep making us do this for a grade?

So I’m a 5th grader(almost 6th) in PA that uses IXL in school(don’t ask why I’m here I saw a video and whatnot) and I REALLY hate it. Whenever I get a question wrong when my smartscore is 99.. it brings it alllll the way down to 84 like wtf. Its really annoying because some questions on the vocabulary.com thing in the learning tab are so hard and does not suit my age at all. Also it’s just really annoying to use. Again. Bring back FIM PLEASE! #antiIXL

The science ones are worse than the smartscore questions, I wish I could cry on command so it felt like I had an expression to show when I get 5/6 correct and the last question wrong with 4 more stages to do. The teachers can't control this, the system does.
The system.
Are you, are you kidding me right now?

IXL is probably the most repetitive and boring educational site i have ever used. I have 50 hours on it and it has been nothing but constant pain. Its repetitive nature makes me demotivated about even opening the site and starting to learn. Khan Academy is so much better AND free. USE KHAN ACADEMY INSTEAD. There is no reason for you to get ixl.

Mark the correct answer wrong, and I have some reasons supporting it
IXL can feel stressful for students because the scoring system drops quickly with each mistake, making it seem like their effort isn’t paying off.
The constant pressure to reach a very high “smart score” can turn learning into a frustrating grind instead of something enjoyable.
Some students feel that IXL focuses more on endless practice questions than on clearly explaining concepts when they’re confused.
The timer and score changes can make students rush through problems, which may hurt real understanding and accuracy.
Repeatedly answering similar questions can become boring and discouraging, especially for students who already understand the skill.
When students get a question wrong near the end of a skill, losing a lot of points at once can feel unfair and discouraging.
IXL can create anxiety for students who struggle with a subject because every mistake is immediately highlighted and penalized.
The system doesn’t always adapt well to different learning styles, so some students don’t get the kind of support they personally need.
Because teachers sometimes assign IXL for grades or homework, students may focus on finishing it instead of actually learning the material.
Some students feel that IXL makes them think of schoolwork as a chore, which can reduce their overall motivation to learn.

IXL is equivalent to student torture, and it should 100% be banned. IXL is a website where students have to answer questions to increase their smartscore, which is a score that shows how much you have mastered the skill. The teachers, treat it as a percentage. Plus, the biggest gripe I have with this godforsaken excuse of edtech is that everytime you get a question wrong, it drops your smartscore. At first you gain ten points per question and only lose one if you get it wrong, BUT later you get marked down by up to TEN POINTS and you only gain TWO. Everytime I go onto this website, I don't want to learn something new, I just want to get it over with. Plus, it is heartbreaking to almost be at the goal, get a question wrong, and lose all of my progress. As a middle schooler, this system is punishing students for their mistakes, and it actively punishes learning. Plus, their examples don't even help students learn, so they are stuck doing the same questions over and over again and wasting their time. IXL also actively lies to you by only showing positive reviews on their website. Teachers love it for the data, but students suffer in the proccess. If this sounds bad enough, teachers sometimes assgin multiple IXLs in a single day (my math teacher once assigned 5 of these!) If I could say more, I would, but this review is really long. I hope that our voices are heard so we can end this torture. I believe it should be banned, and I also hope that everyone who made this website goes bankrupt. Thank you, have a good day.

This site gives my entire class anxiety and depression, We barely learn anything from this site at all. Teachers only use it because they don't have to grade anything. And the SmartScore is ridiculous because you can be at 74 and get to 76 with one right answer and then drop to 65 because of one wrong one. This site sucks don't use it unless it's a torture device. In conclusion this site lies to us and watch this vid for porf watch a YouTube vid called IXL are lying to students.

何!?!? これ くそ です... I LITERALLY SCREAMED AND DIED CAUSE OF THIS I HATE IT...

only thing to learn from IXL is that people just hate kids and students destroy their spirit just for some bucks, their should be no one that feels like a human being with a heart and countenance that would recommend.

Okay so IXL is a learning app that's an entire lie. It treats getting a question wrong as failure and not a step in the process.