The Quarter Mile Math Product Details

The Quarter Mile programs are extremely effective because they motivate students to do an incredible amount of math practice in a short period of time with very focused topics.

Topics: Grades K-9 (Ages 5 to 15)

Users: Pre-K to Adult

The award winning format is...

• self-competitive
• able to detect the smallest improvements and give positive reinforcement
• non-intimidating and non-age-specific
• appropriate for both genders
• as effective for students with special needs as it is for accelerated students
• perfect for kindergartners and adults

Self-competitive, non-intimidating format is an award-winner.

• It combines the fun of a race with the most challenging yet non-intimidating format possible-racing against your own previous best five races. This challenge motivates students to keep racing. They solve an amazing amount of math problems given the time spent on the computer.
• "Student Scores" review screen speeds tracking. Easily review (and print) scores from all topics at one screen.
• Design integrates all major learning modalities-visual, auditory, and tactile-simultaneously in a meaningful, educational way.
• While all software programs use audio and visual stimuli, in the Quarter Mile format, every sound effect, every graphic feature, every answer entered, and every score given addresses these learning modalities effectively. Nothing is extraneous.
• Both teachers and students can see measurable, quantifiable improvement race after race.
• Because players are doing so many math problems in such a short period of time, they become conscious of their improvement. (A format that requires students to wait between problems makes this far less apparent.) Students naturally begin to set their own goals and then work to achieve them. They begin to expect constant improvement. This expectation is a big motivator.
• Topics meet students' individual needs.
• The programs contain very specific topics tailored to meet each student's individual needs. Topics that contain multiple levels of difficulty adjust automatically as the student's response indicates he or she is ready to advance.
• The program detects even the smallest improvements-improvements that wouldn't be detectable in any other software format. Student improvement is rewarded with a better score. This gives the student tangible proof of progress. Results are displayed in a way that even the youngest players can understand and appreciate.
• Appeals equally well to older and younger students. High-schoolers and adults can do very low level topics in a motivating format free of embarrassing, childish features. Youngest students love it because they think of it as a "big-kid" format. They can easily understand the incredibly simple format.
• Both girls and boys, teens and adults LOVE the format. With both riderless horses and dragsters, the programs appeal to all students.

Pace set by the player.

As the player types in the correct answer to the first problem, his car or horse takes off and the next problem appears. Then the game proceeds only as fast as the player is able to provide the answers-the program waits for the player.

Early rewards.

Because the initial competitors are designed to be very slow, the student usually wins his first races. These rewards motivate the student to continue.

Achievable progress.

One by one the slow opponents are replaced by the player's own previous best races. After five races, the player is racing only against himself-replays of his previous best five races. The competition increases but is never greater than the player's own best performances. Self-competition creates a comfort level that encourages the student to keep playing and improving his performance.

Focused practice and monitored progress.

The teacher can have a student work on a specific skill level by choosing a very focused, skill-specific topic. Then the teacher can track the student's progress day by day.

Constant positive reinforcement.

The Quarter Mile is filled with rewards-no penalties or other discouraging features. The cars or horses never slow down because of a wrong answer. The player is never told he "lost" a race. He can only win, come in second, third, etc., and he is praised or encouraged for his efforts.

Confidence and self-esteem built through achievement.

As mentioned above, the program registers even the smallest improvement which would be imperceptible if the student was using any other media. The player will come in first if he can beat his previous fastest race, even by the smallest time increment. These successes continue to build the confidence and self-esteem that is so important to his progress and healthy development.

Active learning.

As the player works to win his next race and improve his scores, he is learning his math facts through concentrated drill, and he is enjoying the process.

Shared activity-individual pace and progress.

Inasmuch as each student plays independently, players of all skill levels can enjoy the Quarter Mile side by side without feeling intimidated or influenced by each other.

Attention span and endurance.

Students can use it as long as they want. However, most races are short, usually less than one minute. So, the student can stop at any time and resume his work in a topic later, picking up right where he left off.

Stimulation control.

Sound effects which enhance the activity for some can be too stimulating for others. These can be reduced or turned off.

Long term gains

The continuous drill provided by the Quarter Mile necessarily improves the player's retention of math facts. Thus, he is able to apply these improved skills and realize his maximum potential.

Other Features of the Product Line

• Topics meet students' individual needs. The programs contain very specific topics tailored to meet each student's individual needs. Those topics containing multiple levels of difficulty adjust automatically as the student's response indicates he or she is ready to advance.
• Quick and easy to use. Within seconds students can begin working on a topic. Kindergartners can easily understand the incredibly simple format.
• Perfect for tournaments (especially the network version). If students want to conduct a tournament (using the Quarter Mile Math Tournament Handbook), they can save their race files in a single directory, which enables them to easily see their ranking during the competition. This really pumps up the excitement! Plus, they can print out a single ranking.
• Record keeping, printing.
• Random problem selection
• Instant replay options.
• Adjustable sound level.

System Requirements:

• Windows: Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, ME XP
• Macintosh: PowerMacs, iMacs, iBooks, G3s, G4s, eMacs, etc.
• 7.1 through OS X (OS X running Classic)