Editorial: Is IXL Causing More Harm than Good?
Commonly used app is stressing kids out
IXL: Teachers love it, and students do not. More and more teachers are making the switch to giving IXL assignments each night over physical homework. IXL is an app accessible from students’ iPads and can be use for homework assignments, whether it be English or Algebra 1. The nice thing is that students who get their homework from IXL no longer have to take their books home, but is it worth the unnecessary stress that IXL adds on top of an already demanding school day?
IXL uses a “SmartScore” system which raises and lowers as you get questions right (or wrong). The catch is that each question students answer correctly raises the score by 2-3 points while each question that is answered incorrectly lowers the score by about six points. What kind of message is this sending to the app users? Not to mention that it takes a lot of time and hard work to rebound after missing one question.
With traditional, out of the book homework, students answer their twenty or so questions and turn it in the next day. Sure, a student might miss one or two questions, but they will have their homework corrected and know what to do next time. With IXL, it is possible to never be done with homework. If a student is required to get to a SmartScore of 85 and are struggling with a concept, it would take them far longer to complete than the 20 questions of book work.
Some students of BAMS agree that IXL is causing them too much stress. “Homework is taking way longer than it should”, says one middle school student. In a world where school is already stressful enough for the modern student, should kids really be receiving homework that could take hours to complete?
Be sure to vote in the IXL poll: http://pollmaker.vote/p/C5GH67XQ
Student • Sep 18, 2024 at 4:31 pm
WHY CAN’T I JUST KEEP A STREAK FOR 2 SECONDS
MalteseFalcon • Apr 14, 2024 at 11:35 am
also the feedback site is made just like the whole program: you want to quit it. The feedback site has like 30 questions that are basically the same, so that only very patient people can submit bad reveiws, and they won’t because they can tolerate “smart score” at that point. Evil program made by the devil.
JT • Jan 28, 2024 at 7:29 pm
I agree on the fact that IXL gets your points high but when you get to the 909 on smartscore it takes like 10 point away for 1 question wrong, which makes me just sit there for the next hour trying to memorize the answers to the same old questions.
Carson • Jan 5, 2024 at 9:14 am
There are questions where you have to type your answer. In most cases, whether or not you have to put spaces is inconsistent. One question I will get the math correct but it says I need spaces. Next question, I will put spaces and get it wrong because it says “No spaces.” WTF
Omar Hasan • Nov 20, 2023 at 8:36 am
I ixl is so stressful
Omar Hasan • Nov 20, 2023 at 8:36 am
Every time I do ixl I feel like I’m getting dumber
Christian Durr • Oct 23, 2023 at 6:26 pm
IXL is bad. I’m in a different school, but they still give us IXL for english. The very ******* least the people at IXL can do is to lower how much points you lose and increase the points you gain when you get one right. if not, then IXL must be sued by the government by harming many students health. I hear one kid had no sleep since 2020 because of this..
The only way I am getting these done is with teacher help at school, nobody can do this alone!
Christian Durr • Oct 24, 2023 at 10:34 am
also if you are wondering, I’m from Illinois, near the Chicago are, not telling exactly my school name
IXL IS HELL END IT NOW • Oct 18, 2023 at 1:37 pm
I want to beat the ****** out of the nimrod who made IXL
IXL IS STILL HELL • Oct 19, 2023 at 3:17 pm
i put the asterisk there on purpose
Anonymous Bagel • Oct 3, 2023 at 1:02 pm
As an eighth grader, IXL is quite stressful overall. It makes students feel like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain, but instead of a boulder, it’s the SmartScore and it rolls down more and more each time. Okay, that was a bad representation but the point is that IXL gives less points than it takes away. The issue with this is that students who are genuinely struggling with the topic will suffer, and the ones who aren’t struggling will just find it boring. If it weren’t so punishing, then I would like it a bit more. Another thing I dislike is that, well, it punishes you the same for a small mistake like forgetting a negative sign than it does with a normal mistake. If the answer was -5, and I answered with 5, it would punish me the same as if I had answered 81.
Sorry for ruining the comments number.
Blohb • May 5, 2023 at 10:40 am
IXL IS LITERAL TORTURE
Bob • May 5, 2023 at 10:36 am
Yes ixl is the worst I want to quit doing it but I have to or I have like an 80 D:
Amani • Apr 17, 2023 at 1:03 pm
You know that one futuristic meme where “Society if”?
That’s what the world would be like without IXL
Angie • Apr 14, 2023 at 7:51 am
IXL is the worst! The smart score just makes you feel stupid! You lose more points than you can gain and if your just one thing off it marks you wrong it’s so freaking annoying I complained to a teacher and they just said that it helps.
What a lie that was! I rather do Kahn academy at least I get multiple tries! I remember it took me a week to finish IXL after being assigned 7 IXL’s!!
Thanks • Mar 20, 2023 at 2:53 pm
IXL helped me so much that when I was disabled (from walking) it helped me get up to help me move with my legs by making me want to throw my computer out the window because of IXL.
Arushi • Mar 21, 2023 at 6:52 pm
Really? Do NOT do that. If you WANT TO BECAUSE IXL IS THAT BAD, do it.
Cicely (My nickname is Celery Stick) • Mar 8, 2023 at 2:05 pm
it took me SEVEN HOURS to finish two ixls once. i hate ixl!!!
Anonymous Dog • Oct 23, 2023 at 6:23 pm
How did it take you 7 hours? was your min required score at an 100?
Brandon • Feb 8, 2023 at 2:53 pm
I like IXL overall, but most of the questions are a ball of stress.
Amylia • Feb 4, 2023 at 6:03 pm
IXL makes it super hard to finish my homework in time! If I don’t turn it in I will get kicked! IXL should get banned from ALL schools!
gabe • Feb 4, 2023 at 11:20 am
so true though…
cedric • Jan 11, 2023 at 5:52 pm
IXL sucks and it is the worst
CJ • Nov 10, 2022 at 1:36 pm
IXL sucks and the SmartScore sucks. Overall IXL just makes kids rage and they make kids feel stressed. All of the people at my school agree with me and they all hate IXL. The only thing that is entertaining and educational on IXL are the games. The only reason why teachers provide kids with IXL is to put more pressure on kids and make them feel dumb and stuff.
Angelina Guerra • Apr 14, 2023 at 7:42 am
Fr it’s feel like every you get a question wrong it’s like you just got stupider.
Andrea • May 24, 2022 at 6:35 am
I definitely feel that IXL has its pros and cons but we are definitely seeing more cons at the moment. The kids haven’t really enjoyed it and we’ve tried multiple websites to find something they might enjoy. Beestar has done a great job so far so we’ve been really grateful that the kids like it.
iliase • Apr 11, 2022 at 9:40 pm
ixl is so rigged google try it yourself my guy…
iliase • Apr 11, 2022 at 9:39 pm
and i rate it 0.00000.1 out of five stars…
iliase • Apr 11, 2022 at 9:34 pm
im so happy that google agrees ixl is so rigged and they’re right about the smartscore!!??
Jese • Mar 21, 2022 at 10:48 am
Im glad im not the only one not likeing ixl its stressing me out and have confusing questions.
jared • Feb 10, 2022 at 2:16 pm
IXL is a waist of my time, and I learn nothing from it.
jared • Feb 10, 2022 at 1:49 pm
Like some of them I just get stuck on, and fail.
iliase • Apr 11, 2022 at 9:41 pm
so true broo.
Ananshi • Jun 19, 2024 at 9:59 pm
ixl is cinda good
jared • Feb 10, 2022 at 1:47 pm
Well IXL is the worst thing ever like can’t we do text books.
U • Jan 29, 2022 at 10:52 am
dude this sucks i mean i spent like 1 hr doing one question and there is like 300 millon questions per subject LIKE I WOULD DO ANYTING OTHER THAN IXL
balls • Aug 17, 2021 at 8:13 am
bro IXL is dog sh#t it does not help at all. The only thing it does. Makes kids think they are dumb and they should give up witch is NOT the case never give up but IXL should be gone. Also i would pour LIME JUICE AND HOT SAUCE on my eyes and lenience the cardy b then do IXL
Karthigeyan S/O Pathman • Jul 16, 2021 at 10:28 pm
This is horrible!
caroline • Apr 30, 2021 at 11:17 am
I hate IXL, and I literally started raging and punched my Chromebook and broke the screen, and NOW I fricken just broke the space bar. I HATE YOU IXL!
Chris • Apr 15, 2021 at 4:34 pm
This is digital hell. I hav spent 2 hrs and 30 minutes for a smart score of 50. Teachers everywhere stop using this now.
Opinion guy • Mar 22, 2022 at 1:55 am
I agree
Ben Dover • Apr 8, 2021 at 9:46 pm
IXL is such a janky system, it treats silly mistakes like forgetting a decimal the same as being structurally flawed in your math. Not only that, but it takes a MINIMUM of 20 QUESTIONS JUST TO FINISH IT. IN MOST CASES, it’s going to take WAY longer than that, because it sets you back a dozen questions for you to do. The way that it was designed makes it so torturous, I wouldn’t recommend this program to anybody, or else your students will hate you.
Amelia • Apr 9, 2022 at 7:43 pm
Don’t like when I get it wrong because I didn’t put a zero in the hundredths place of a decimal. One time, I literally put $9.9 for the answer and it said it was wrong because it’s $9.90. IT’S THE SAME THING! I had like a 99 smart score and it brought me down to 85. Plus, I’d already done 35 QUESTIONS already. This has happened to me many times! The LEAST IXL can do is change the algorithm so that it accepts both answers!
grr • Apr 7, 2021 at 1:32 am
IXL IS SO POOPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY LIFE HAS BEEN RUINED BECAUSE OF IT I WANTED TO SLEEP BUT IT’S 1 AM AND IM STILL AWAKE DOING IXL THIS IS NOT FAIR THIS IS NOT FAIR I WANT TO GO TO BED
Peter • Dec 13, 2022 at 11:24 am
Same I can’t sleep because of it ban ixl
fu rong • Mar 8, 2021 at 4:21 pm
IXL is fine in theory. I understand why some teachers use it as a utensil for practice and understanding some concepts, BUT, It’s literal child cruelty. Hours of my childhood have been wasted on trying to complete all of my algebra IXLS. The tears and pain it has put me through will alway haunt me. How is one supposed to mentally recover from something this traumatic? Why does it have to bump me down so many points? What do you want from me? My time? My tears? My soul? My sanity? PLeAsE I beg, I plead, for this to stop plaguing our school systems.
S I M P • Feb 25, 2021 at 7:17 pm
Sometimes ill go down a question and when i get it right it only sends me up 1 point 1 POINT! TnT
Matteo Fors • Jan 25, 2021 at 2:12 pm
I hate IXL! Since the 3rd quarter, Miss mosher is giving me IXLs that I hate, like text boxes, and so, I demand that I wanna put a pencil to the IXL servers!
hmmm • Jan 20, 2021 at 10:35 am
IXL’s system of “Points: is designed and thought out very poorly. First of all the “Smart Score” is a horrendous abomination of a way to grade students’ learning, it drops the students’ score MUCH more then the score that the students gain, and don’t even get me started on the “Challenge Zone-The questions above 90 points in the “SmartScore”” The “Challenge Zone” is absolutely outrageous and frustrating! Student’s should have the option whether to do the challenge zone or not. If the “Challenge Zone were to be completed by the student, they would receive extra credit. The fact that the “Challenge Zone” has to be completed in order to get the full 100 points is just, to put it boldly, stupid. The literal definition of the word challenge is, “a call to take part in a contest or competition, especially a duel.” An example of a sentence for this is “he accepted the challenge”. A challenge is something you ACCEPT, not something your being FORCED to do, the name, “Challenge zone” is extremely inaccurate. On the home page IXL boasts about it’s “Great Parent Reviews” but in reality those reviews are only about 10% of all the ratings (The rest of the 90% are negative). IXL is simply a scam, a way to make money with a half heartedly way of teaching. IXL is terrible, Do. Not. Waste. Your. Money. And. Time
Anonymous • Jan 16, 2021 at 2:53 pm
Me and my brother both hate this app because when we almost get to 100 we get the answer wrong it takes us back to 90 and i feel like once it gets into the higher numbers the percentage of it getting raised is low. It is very frustrating and me and my brother start getting headaches and start getting angry
Amy-Ellen Sasha Michala Vani Cindy Marcyia Crawford ( my first name is Amy-Ellen Sasha, Crawford's my last name, the rest are middle names) • Jan 14, 2021 at 12:08 pm
It is hard to do IXL and it is very stressful.
Maryellen • Jan 14, 2021 at 10:05 am
I have to do IXL every day, and it is so hard and stressful! If a teacher is reading this, please stop assigning your students IXL!
Josh • Jan 14, 2021 at 10:03 am
I agree, I would be first in line to sign it
Hellen • Jan 14, 2021 at 10:02 am
Please, let’s sign a petition to end IXL!!!!
Maryellen • Jan 14, 2021 at 9:50 am
I have to use IXL for virtual learning every day, and it is a nightmare. I am in fourth grade, and my teacher makes me get the smartscore to 100. I have Attention Deficit Disorder and am not great at math, so it is hard to finish each lesson. If a teacher is reading this, please stop assigning your students IXL!
Sarah • Dec 9, 2020 at 1:57 pm
I am BEYOND sorry! This isn’t a school in my state and that this is a school’s website, and I am interfering with it without staff permission. I am truly sorry, and I hope everyone in the district and school has a safe and happy life!
Sarah • Dec 9, 2020 at 1:54 pm
I am so sick and tired of my sister and I use this. The teachers need to learn that this is the worst platform for a child to learn on. It lowers their self-esteem and in some cases lowers their grade. One of my peers uses this and has been trying to make a point towards my teacher. I would like the point system to be gone or I will find a way to get my whole district to stop using this platform all together.
bruh • Dec 6, 2020 at 11:00 pm
ixl is trah i want to raqequit
IXK SUUUUUCKS SO BAD • Dec 4, 2020 at 5:27 pm
I HATE IXL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
IXL IS TRASH • Nov 9, 2020 at 12:54 am
IXL IS A TRASH AND IT WASTES TIME AND MONEY,WE MUST BANN IXL!!!!!!!
IXL IS TRASH • Nov 8, 2020 at 5:51 am
Ixl is a trash,wastes time and is useless!!
TRASH • Nov 5, 2020 at 2:31 pm
Ixl is the dumbest thing ever. We do it in math and its just stupid. I especially hate the point system. I feel bad for the people in Preschool who have to do this trash. The prizes are terrible as well, like what’s the point, why would a kid want “The Cambrian Period”. That’s all I have to say, I want to start a petition to ban this dumb website.
Sincerely, TRASH
I HATE IT • Oct 30, 2020 at 10:44 am
So basically I’m when ever my teacher tells us to got on the hell app it is always crashed and when it is not crashed which is rare it doesn’t even let me click on any resources and then the timer is all wrong and they made me assume genders teaching me nothing at all it actually made me dumber and don’t get me started on how I have to get 2 points for a right answer but lose 10 to 11 for a wrong please ban ixl now it is always a waste of my time and I can’t even finish my homework as in it takes all night then when I go to school and my teacher looks who did their homework nobody did it because it was just to frustrating to handle and to even complete and all I ask is for teachers to stop assigning ixl work.
ArizonaGreenTea • Oct 14, 2020 at 5:48 pm
Literally the worst thing ever for math.
please • Oct 13, 2020 at 9:11 pm
ixl makes me wanna die and the funnest part is that you can get 1 point too and lose 7 or 10 or 5 and if you win you get 1 2 3 4 point
whatisixl • Oct 13, 2020 at 8:38 pm
The problem about IXL is it’s rigged. The point system is glitched and it doesn’t help kids. I looked at recent reviews and it actually makes students less engaged in the lesson IXL has to offer. Also, I found that some of the lessons make you assume genders. This makes students very stressed when they are in the “Challenge Zone” and they get a question wrong and are back down to like 80-78.
This can be resolved by just getting rid of IXL from public education in all the states of the U.S. and maybe other countries. We must get rid of this IXL website for the good of us students.
I am am 6th grader that currently is assigned to IXL for math and its terrible. It stress’s me so much and makes me angry. This is the worst website ever.
no on3 • Oct 8, 2020 at 1:07 pm
Ah so 2 hours is worth digital icons? Heck no. BAN THE WEBSITE NO MORE IXL
Lina Fielders • Oct 4, 2020 at 3:41 pm
TAKE THIS POLL AND I WILL TELL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS!!!!!!
https://linkto.run/p/AW1HUL5F
Carson • Sep 18, 2020 at 1:57 pm
-9-18-2020. This app is horrible, it causes more stress than good. We get around 50 questions a lesson and about 2-4 lessons a day. Well if you miss a day they’re going to screw you, bad. I get that we need an education, but I’d rather do an M-Step or NWEA every week than this app that was born in the depths of hell.
Please teachers if your reading this, make your students do something else. I really dislike it, I’m in 7th grade.
I Will Not Share Name But Im Not A Bot • Sep 16, 2020 at 2:22 pm
IXL is The Worst! I Litteraly Get One Question Right , And It Says ” Your Overall Level Is Narrowing Down “!!!!!!!! Like What! I Just Want To Stab A Pencil In My Chromebook When I Am Doing IXL We Need To Start A Protest. JOIN ME!
me • Sep 16, 2020 at 10:20 am
I HATE IXL IT MAKES ME STRESS AND IT GAVE ME A PANIC ATTACK ONCE! IT MAKES ME WANNA COMMIT SU1C1D3 I JUST WANT ICED COFFEE RN LETS PROTEST
Gracie • Sep 15, 2020 at 1:32 pm
This app sucks. Iḿ in 5th grade, and since virtual has forced teachers to use it, the amount of stress building in my mind is as high as the stars after the sun retires. I was crying and had to call my mom for support, it physically made my body hurt, and itś just wrong. ¨Smart Score¨ is it telling us how stupid we are? Point is, it is VERY stressful. The app causes kids to stress, and spark autistic….out bursts (Yes I have seen it, no it is not fun).
Caroline • Sep 14, 2020 at 11:39 pm
It is incredibly detrimental to my children’s self esteem. The are both a mess when she get one wrong. It take forever to get through it and there are always, always tears. Her teacher way over assigns it. Kids have enough anxiety and stress right now. It’s just mean.
yepitsucks • Sep 11, 2020 at 3:33 pm
Dude may I say, I’m not a bot like most of these are AiGhT ok ok so basically IXL suCks we all need to protest! today we must rise on the weird strange streets and protest for our brains! and for our tears on the ground y e s.
Anonomystery • Sep 9, 2020 at 11:14 am
THIS IS PURE EVIL. IT CAME FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL ITSELF
mason • Sep 8, 2020 at 10:36 pm
the app is very bad it will give you 2 points for answering a question right and take 10 away is you get one wrong they are assuming genders they also explain little to no information on every question this app should be banned it is SUPER stressful and since online school has taken teachers are making us students do this horrible app on top of essays math science and every time you refresh the page because there site always crashes you lose all of your progress it causes so much stress he timer on it dosen’t work and it has so many subjects in the wrong grade level they put super long division mixed with advanced algebra in THE 3RD GRADE!!!.
Nonye • Sep 3, 2020 at 5:31 pm
I HATE IT! I LITERALLY CRIED AND SCREAMED
Fatima Khan • Aug 24, 2020 at 8:09 pm
IXL is digital hell. Learning tool? More like a toture and sucuide tool. I’m going in sixth grade and im crying right niw because of IXL
Jalen Winfield • Aug 24, 2020 at 10:41 am
It’s way to stressful it makes homework way to long and takes away to many points
The Boi • Aug 13, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Ixl makes me want to commit death
Someone • Jul 3, 2020 at 3:45 am
TOTALLY WE MUST BAN IXL FROM ALL OUR LIVES FOREVER FOR OUR GOOD!
callum lawless • Jun 2, 2020 at 7:04 pm
ixl sucks and practically ruined my life.