MobyMax is the main science and language program for grades 3–6 (and Grade 8 Language), and it also supports reading. Built on national (NGSS and CCSS) standards, every skill includes its own instruction, interactive practice, and a graded quiz. Your child works a personalized skill plan one skill at a time, top to bottom, mastering each by scoring 80% or better on its quiz.
How to log in
Apps in TimeBack log in automatically as standard. If the automatic login doesn't work, follow the steps below.
You can sign in with a username and password rather than single sign-on. TimeBack shows the credentials right before the app opens. Science and Language are separate courses, so open the one for that day's subject.
Open TimeBack: Sign in to TimeBack with your child's student email and find the “MobyMax” course on your “Home.” Science (G3–5) and Language (G3 – 6, G8) are listed separately.
Click Jump In: Open the "MobyMax" course and click Jump In. Your child's username and password appear just before the app launches; copy them.
Sign in to MobyMax: Copy the credentials and paste them into the MobyMax login page.
Getting Started
Open the skill plan: On the Assignments page, identify the subject (language, science, or reading), and click the skill plan to open it.
Start working from the topmost uncompleted skill in the skill plan. You can only work on one skill at a time, starting from the topmost uncompleted skill in the sequence.
Read the lesson carefully and answer the questions that follow. After you click on a skill, you will see lesson material. Ensure you read it carefully before moving on.
You will also see guided practice questions like this in Science.
After you submit an answer - whether correct or incorrect - an explanation section automatically appears at the top of the screen. Make sure to read it before moving on. It shows the correct answer, reminds you what the topic in the question was about, and gives tips to help you get similar questions right next time.
How lessons work
Open the skill plan on the Assignments page and start the topmost unfinished skill - skills are done one at a time, in order.
Work through the lesson: the objectives, a link to what your child already knows, then the new instruction.
Answer the guided practice questions - multiple choice, matching, drag-and-drop, and type-in - with checkpoints that refresh earlier facts and rules.
After each answer, read the explanation that appears at the top: it shows the correct answer and how to handle similar questions next time.
Finish with the graded quiz - the stars at the bottom show how many questions it has. Score 80% or higher to master the skill and earn XP.
Remediation Skills
If your child does not achieve at least 80% accuracy on a lesson quiz, the skill is considered unmastered. They will receive another chance to master the skill in 1-3 days. The skill will be assigned as part of a separate assignment titled “Remediation Skills.” Students are expected to complete this reassigned lesson (or lessons) before continuing with your regular skill plan.
Note: Completing a remediation skill with 80% accuracy will mark it as mastered, but it will not update the original accuracy score displayed on the main skill plan page.
Reviewing lesson content after you've completed or skipped it
In MobyMax, there's no "back" button once you move from a passage to the questions, and reopening the lesson drops you right back at your current question, so it can feel like you can't return to the reading. You can, without restarting.
To go back, look for the Table of Contents and Paired Reading Stories icons near the top of the lesson, then select the section you want to review.
How XP works
To earn XP in TimeBack, a student must achieve an accuracy of 80% on the quiz.
A score of 80% or more means that the student has demonstrated mastery of the concept.
Scoring below 80% will not receive XP credit for the lesson for that attempt.
This screen will appear at the end of the student’s quiz and show them their accuracy
What to aim for
Mastery is the goal: a skill counts only when your child scores 80% or higher on its quiz - that's when time, accuracy, mastered lessons, and XP are recorded in TimeBack, appearing within about five minutes as progress rings. A grade is complete once every skill in the plan is mastered at 80%+, and your child scores 90% or higher on the grade-level Mastery Track test.
Habits that lead to success
Read the lesson material carefully before answering; that's where the learning is.
Always read the explanation after each answer; it shows how to get similar questions right next time.
Take your time and answer every question thoughtfully; patience pays off.
If a “Remediation Skills” assignment appears, finish it before returning to the regular plan.
Note that not all remediation appears immediately; Language practice lessons repeat inline, while short tests and Science quiz failures may be queued for later.
Aim for 80%+ on every quiz; below that, the skill isn't mastered, and nothing is recorded.
How to tell it's working
Steady XP earned during focused minutes is the sign it's working. If your child is logging a lot of time but earning little XP, they may be distracted or skipping the explanation pages; a reminder to slow down and read them helps. If both time and XP are low, they're probably rushing; that's a good moment to talk about reading carefully and working thoughtfully.
Common Issues
Where do I find the MobyMax username and password?
TimeBack auto-logs you into the app. However, if that does not work, you will see your credentials on the screen right before the app launches. Open the MobyMax course for that subject, click Start Activity, and copy the credentials into the MobyMax login page. Science and Language are separate courses.
My child finished a skill but earned no XP or progress
MobyMax records time, accuracy, mastered units, and XP only when the quiz is passed at 80% or higher. Below 80%, the skill isn't mastered, and nothing is saved for that attempt; re-reading the lesson and the explanations, then re-taking the quiz, is the fix. For Language lessons, short "Lesson Tests" may record a low score without earning XP or immediate repetition, as these are queued for later remediation. This distinction helps explain why a skill might appear "finished" without progress being recorded.
What is a “Remediation Skills” assignment?
When a skill is scored below 80%, MobyMax reassigns it under “Remediation Skills” (usually within 1–3 days), pinned to the top of the Assignments page. Your child should finish remediation before continuing the regular plan, and before an end-of-grade test. Passing it at 80% marks the skill mastered, though it won't change the original score shown on the base skill plan.
In Language, practice lessons below 80% repeat immediately until mastery is achieved, allowing students to progress without delay. However, short "Lesson Tests" may record a low score without immediate repetition and are queued for later remediation. In Science, a failed quiz flags the skill for remediation, but the student may continue through the current skill plan before the flagged skill is revisited as part of a separate remediation plan.
Why don't my child's metrics update right away?
Learning metrics in TimeBack usually refresh within about five minutes of finishing a quiz, shown as progress rings under “Learning Metrics.” Give it a few minutes before checking.
Which MobyMax should my child use - Science or Language?
Open the course shown in that day's schedule. Science (G3–5) and Language (G3–6, G8) are separate MobyMax courses, each with its own skill plan.
Why does MobyMax show lots of separate assignments instead of one skill plan?
Science and Language each appear as a single skill plan, but Reading shows as a list of separate assignments. Have your child open the topmost one and work straight down - every finished assignment earns credit. There's no special order beyond top to bottom.
My TimeBack dashboard says lessons are left, but MobyMax shows none.
Sometimes the next lessons haven't finished syncing into MobyMax yet - give it a few minutes and refresh. If they still don't appear, reach out to us, and we'll have them pushed to your account.
My child scored low on a lesson, but it wasn't repeated; is it being skipped?
No. A skill below the mastery threshold isn't dropped - for Science and Language, it's added back at the end of the current assignment, and for Reading, it comes back within a few minutes. So a low-scoring skill will return; it just may not be the very next thing.