Top Rated Istation Alternatives
I like that it is very simple to follow and that kids can easily navigate the system. Most of the games were engaging for middle school and under. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Because the material was not frequently updated, students repeated many lessons. Teachers used this tool to kill time versus remediation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
17 out of 18 Total Reviews for Istation
Overall Review Sentiment for Istation
Log in to view review sentiment.
It's pretty simple and easy to use. I like it because compared to other "serious" tests, the ISIP only takes around 20-30 minutes to do.
The nostalgia and art style is a plus, too. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Gosh, when you're older, it just gets plain obnoxious. The childish, kid-friendly tones are extremely overbearing when used at any higher grade above elementary school.
I remember that we constantly broke the school-supplied headphones and had to sit in the hall to do it. Very, very sore bottoms after that. The tests themselves are also... rather repetitive. I don't remember exactly what the questions were, but I always knew that they were basically the same. It got to the point where I didn't even need to know the context behind the question, and I just answered it because it became a habit. I would've also appreciated a timer, and page counter for the comprehension test, because I had to manually time myself from 30 seconds into a minute. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I love how iStation really assesses students in a variety of areas. For reading, students get an overall score, as well as a score in four areas: comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and spelling. This break down really helps to see which area(s) need improvement and if one area is tanking their overall scores. It is great to show parents but also great to use to help see how best to help students in the classroom environment. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I HATE the childish set up of the program. It is great for elementary students to make it feel more game-like than test-like and help them to relax. However, for middle school students, the game aspect is childish, repetitive, and annoying. I think it takes away from their focus, as it can be distracting as they try to click through the NPC droning on about things that have little to do with the actual assessment. This year, they have worked on this issue by allowing students to choose from three available themes for taking their assessment. It is still an area that needs some work, though.
I also dislike how if a student does poorly on one ISIP assessment, the grade level questions go down and it is very hard to rise back up to where students truly would score. For example, if a student at a 6th grade level does poorly on an assessment because they are tired and hormonal and not in the mood to test, tanking as they click through answered, they might be sent back to first grade level assessments, and be labeled as 1st grade level for months to come as they try to work their way back up. The program needs a way to see when one set of data is an obvious abnormality. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
iStation offers short assignments that a teacher can give for the student to work on a specific skill. It also allows teachers to get a general idea of where students are at. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Students can’t click back on reading passages. iStation typically works better if students spend time outside of school. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I like that I am able to see my students improve in their skill ability with the use of the program. The program is helpful in identifying where students are based on mastery as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The interface is dated and it has daily glitches that make it hard to implement with ease. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I like that istation gives you many ways to look at data and use it for instruction. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I dislike how little teachers can do to monitor student performance. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I love that IStation prompts the scholar at login to take a reading assessment that's used to base passages and activities given on their differentiated reading level. This program also reads aloud passages, which is a tremendous help to those in need of phonics instruction. It also gives teachers immediate feedback on progress, and provides differentiated printable text. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
In order to use this program effectively, each student must have their own pair of headphones. This can sometimes be a burden when everyone does not have a pair and/or have broken headphones. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I serve as the main technical administrator for this program and overall, the configuration works well. Both eh Chrome and iPad apps are designed for ease of use and straightforward administration. Also helpful to be able to define allowable public IP range to prevent unauthorized testing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Roster creation could be easier. Many similar systems have a direct sync system with a SIS but this one has to be done manually via upload. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I like the assessment components that provide a variety of data points on student reading instruction needs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I dislike the lack of rigor that is provided in the instruction for grades 3-5. It is a better tool for basic reading difficulties but not for STAAR (state assessment) related instruction or practice in my opinion. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
