S3: A Game Based 3rd Grade Math Curriculum

Purpose: Children who do not learn foundational mathematical concepts during elementary school generally get further behind in math as their math deficiencies compound over time. Through a prior IES SBIR Fast-Track award, the project team developed a series of supplemental math games designed to provide elementary students with engaging, adaptive, and personalized or team-based learning opportunities. The current project will develop a digital dashboard to strengthen teacher’s ability to integrate these games within their instructional practice, and a full 3rd grade mathematics curriculum. Project Activities: To begin the project, researchers will create wireframes of a digital dashboard to support teachers in integrating math games within instructional practice. In addition, the researchers will script instructional content, interactive exercises, graphics and video elements, and scoring algorithms for measuring progress. These components will then be integrated within the overall system. The project includes 42 weeks of iterative testing with two teachers where feedback will drive refinements of prototypes. Once development is complete, the researchers will assess the usability and feasibility, fidelity of implementation, and the promise of the product to improve student outcomes. To do so, the team will conduct a three-month long pilot study including 20 grade 3 teachers. Students will complete a pre- and post-test on measures assessing knowledge and understanding math outcomes aligned to common core math standards. Qualitative data will also be collected from teachers via questionnaires.