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Do the class.
AoPS works like that: you are asked to read the chapters ahead of time in preparation for the classroom time. Then you log on the computer for 1.5 hours each week to participate in the course. The key word here is PARTICIPATE. In order to do this your son will not only have to come up with the best approach to solving a particular problem, but also type it in really fast so his answer is the one that appears on the screen (the instructor chooses the answers he/she posts for all to see). This part is really tough, and I imagine the younger you are the tougher it would be.
After each class there are about 10 problems posted online for the registered students to work on. You should do this if you want to progress and become really good. After lesson number 2 the challenge test number one is released, that your child has about 4-6 weeks to work on his own (at home,not online), you submit it and the instructor writes back with detailed performance evaluation. Those test are very hard, trust me :-)

DS is currently taking Intro to Number Theory. He has taken previously Intro to Counting and Probablity, AMC 10 prep (very, very tough) and something else - forgot at this time. I am seriously considering for him to take Algebra 1 this summer, but our other plans might interfere:-) DS is currently in Algebra 2 and just turned 13. There is no way this class would be too easy for him, even though you might want to argue that he already knows the material. You need to have a look at AoPS books to really understand what their teaching method is all about.

Also, there is never really too much Algebra if you know what I mean:-)
Since you are not registered for the course, there is no way you can access the problems that the class is working on. Maybe CYM could cut and paste some of the examples? I don't now if this is legal though?

They do explain, but not in the way we are used to in our regular textbooks. AoPS teaches mostly through problem solving. They want YOU to figure out the way to arrive at the answer. If you do this, it is yours - you automatically understand why!

What if you don't see it though? I love problem solving as a teaching method, but I also think sometimes--especially for non-mathy kids--explanation helps.

For future reference (since we're not to AoPS level yet), do they explain concepts at all? And what do they do if someone isn't getting it? Is it going to be too hard for non-mathy kids?

I personally think that AoPS is not good for "non-mathy" kids.

Grom their website
I actually think that "strong" is an understatement here.
And it says it is "challenging" for "strong".

Good to know. Thanks.

Check this out:

http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Books/Excerpts.pdf

Well, College Algebra will be different, since it should really contain Trig as well as Pre-calc.
If I am correct, DS did not touch at all on Logs or Binomials while going through Algebra 1 at school. And I am sure Rusczyk has you working on them in this book.

AoPS books are just different. You really should get your hands on one before investing the money - too bad we are not closer in distance, I have like 4 or 5 of them at home already :-)

My suggestion Dottie would be to forgo the Algebra text completely and look instead into the Art of Problem Solving - volume 1 - the Basics.
I am sure that I have already pointed out the Calculus Trap article :-) I again stress that point of view. This is coming from a mother whose child took Algebra as a 10 year old fifth grader.

Ania, thank you so much for your feedback on AOPS. It helped me to understand that I wasn't missing something in the exerpts; I just wasn't understanding the AOPS approach. Also, your input on just doing the text versus doing the class and the text was very helpful.

I'm still mulling over a few things, but the more I think about it, the more I think that our son would really benefit from this approach to math.

I'm going to give him the Intro to Algebra pre-test in the next week or so. I checked out the post-test, and I know he can't answer all of those questions. He can, however, answer all of the questions on the pre-test; at least, I know he has mastered those concepts and should be able to get correct answers!

Looking at the class outline, a lot of the topics are very familiar to him, but I think he needs more in depth exposure to them.

Dottie, my initial reaction to the price was that it is pretty steep, but in the grand scheme of things, it's probably completely reasonable. I'm just not used to spending hundreds of dollars on one course.

Tara

Remember that by paying for the course you get access to the class forum where the problems are posted and kids interact with each other. This is a very important aspect of the whole idea, especially for teenagers.
I am not saying it is cheap :-)

Going back to the original question: Aleks for Algebra.

I personally like Aleks because it is very structured - you know what is expected, you know what the consequences of wrong answers are, etc.

My 5th grade DD is doing Aleks for pre-algebra (not doing it very religiously though :-) and while she hates the fact that Aleks assessment takes her back a few points each time, she knows that she really has to understand the subject/problem matter. I will make sure she sticks with it for occasional after schooling. It is good for her.

My DS was jealous of his little sister taking an online class and he requested I sign him up last summer. I did. He had just completed Geometry at school that year and he wanted to sign up for Algebra 2. I said no, take the Geometry test first.
He did and he scored at about 55% of the Geometry pie. So he started doing the problems. And it was not easy! At school he did not cover all of the material that was covered by Alex. And he eventually gave up Aleks, choosing an AoPS class instead. I did not insist.

I think a person that will succeed with Aleks has to be very organized and very motivated. Mathy kids tend not to be like that :-)
My daughter does get bored with repetiveness (sp!) of Aleks, but AoPS is way above her at this point. Aleks is good. Aleks is for your "normal" smart child :-)

Also, I have to point out that I had absolutely no problems cancelling my DS's Aleks account. They did it within a few minutes. And like someone else said before, you can't beat the price ! So try it out for a month - and cancel if you do not like it. One word of wisdom - kids tend to LOVE it at first, but the affection goes away after a while.