Thought Cycle, Inc.

There is concern about the low mathematics achievement scores among U.S. students, particularly those with or at risk for disabilities. Nearly half of all 4th graders identified with a disability performed at the Below Basic level on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Mounting evidence shows that students who perform poorly in early grades are likely to continue to struggle through elementary school. Thus, early interventions designed to support and adapt to the needs of a...

This project team is developing a prototype of Numbershire II, a web-based suite of mini math games for second graders with or at-risk for disabilities. The games will be set in the context of a fantasy-themed village and will adapt the level of difficulty based on individual student needs. Additionally, the project will support students in learning numbers and operations in base 10, operations, and algebraic thinking.

Prior research points to several features of technology-based math games that may be important for supporting the learning needs of students with or at-risk for disabilities. These include games that engage students in highly motivating narratives, provide focused foundational knowledge and scaffolding of learning whole numbers concepts, and provide performance monitoring capabilities. This project will develop an integrated learning and assessment gaming system to assess and teach whole num...