Running head: EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 1

Determining the Effectiveness of MobyMax on Elementary Students

with Special Needs in the Area of Reading

Katie Gilreath

Bowling Green State University

Author Note

Katie Gilreath is a Masters student in the Classroom Technology program at Bowling

Green State University. She is completing this paper as part of her Masters-Level Research

course.

Correspondence concerning this proposal should be addressed to Katie Gilreath, 11850

Lancaster Street, Millersport, Ohio, 43046.

EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 2

Contact: katiem@bgsu.edu

Determining the Effectiveness of MobyMax on Elementary Students

with Special Needs in the Area of Reading

Introduction to the Problem

Rationale

In the 2015 - 2016 school year, 15% of students in Ohio were identified as students with

disabilities according to the ED Data Express website (n.d.). These students face extra

challenges in school as they work to bring themselves closer to grade level work in various areas

of academics. Through third grade, students are learning to read. After that, children are

learning through reading (Third Grade Reading Success Matters, n.d.). For those students who

have not learned to read proficiently yet, the frustration with academics only gets worse. In

order for teachers to assist those students in making academic growth, many tools are utilized in

the classroom. Those may include teaching in small groups, allowing extra time to complete

work, frequent repetition and review of academic concepts, material being read aloud to a

student, and more. One tool that is gaining in popularity is the use of technology to assist

students.

While technology used to be rare in the classroom, many schools are now operating with

a one-to-one ratio of tablets, Chromebooks, or similar machinery. Schools are brainstorming

ways to find the funds necessary to implement more technology as the benefits are becoming

more widely known. To many students, this added technology seemed like a reward as they may

typically associate technology with playing games, social media, and other engaging applications
EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 3

when using technology. With technology being utilized in the classroom, students are now

learning that the fun can be extended to academic tools such as Google Classroom, Quizlet,

Kahoot, Edcite, Readworks, Quizizz and more. Students are often more easily engaged in tasks

that use technology as a tool. With this engagement comes an opportunity for students to make

academic growth, even if they may have previously been difficult to reach academically.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to determine if MobyMax helps improve the STAR Reading

scores of students with special needs in the area of reading at Millersport Elementary School.

Use of a tool such as MobyMax could be a useful tool in helping students achieve academic

growth while also being motivated with a fun technological tool. According to MobyMax’s

website, “For the last six years, students have gained more than one full grade level with just 40

hours of work” (Learn Twice As Fast). This type of accelerated learning could be a key

component of helping students with special needs close the gap toward grade level achievement.

The results of this study will help stakeholders determine if MobyMax might be helpful

on a larger scale. MobyMax might be considered as an aide for all students with special needs.

Stakeholders may also determine that MobyMax could be considered for all students, whether or

not they have a disability, based on the results of this study.

Research Question and Alternative Hypothesis

The research question addressed in this study is: Will students with special needs in the

area of reading who use MobyMax have a greater increase in STAR Reading scores compared to

students without special needs who do not use MobyMax in Spring 2017 at Millersport

Elementary? The independent variable in this study is whether or not students are using
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MobyMax. This variable is categorical. The dependent variable is STAR Reading scores, which

are quantitative. My hypothesis is students with special needs in the area of reading who use

MobyMax will have a greater increase in STAR Reading scores compared to students without

special needs who do not use MobyMax in Spring 2017 at Millersport Elementary.

The constitutive definition of special education according to the Merriam-Webster

dictionary is, “classes or instruction designed for students with special educational needs”

(Special Education). The operational definition of special education is students who have an

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which qualifies them for specially designed instruction from

an Intervention Specialist. In this study, students must qualify in the area of reading, which

means that they receive at least some of that specially designed instruction in the area of reading.

The constitutive definition of STAR Reading according to Meador is, “Star Reading is an online

assessment program developed by Renaissance Learning for students typically in grades K-12.

The program uses a combination of the cloze method and traditional reading comprehension

passages to assess forty-six reading skills across eleven domains. The program is used to

determine a student’s overall reading level as well as identify a student's individual strengths and

weaknesses.” The operational definition of STAR Reading is a 34 question assessment based on

reading skills that students complete in order to determine their current level of reading mastery.

Literature Review

Introduction

Technology has become a major component of our lives as a whole. This does not

exclude technology in education. Students with special needs are especially able to benefit from

technology in education through assistive technology, accommodations via technology, and other
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ways that technology allows all students to access academic content. Many students with special

needs are performing multiple grades below grade level. One academic area, reading, is of

special importance as reading is incorporated in all academic areas. The use of technology can

also have drawbacks for students with special needs. A common drawback is frustration due to

not being able to work the technology or not comprehending the information presented. Through

this review of literature, three areas will be examined: reading issues for students with special

needs, students with special needs and the use of technology, and challenges and barriers of

technology for students with special needs.

Reading Issues for Students with Special Needs

Basic reading skills are a necessity to successfully navigate through life. However, 67%

of 4th graders with disabilities and 63% of 8th graders with disabilities do not have these basic

skills (Lemons, Otaiba, Conway, & Mellado De La Cruz, 2016). Additionally, Morin (n.d.)

shares, “Only 12 to 26 percent of high school students with LD got average or above-average

scores on math and reading assessments. Among students without LD, the rate is 50 percent.”

While many students with special needs are able to receive specially designed instruction, this

does not guarantee a student will be reading and comprehending at grade level. In fact, 74% of

children who struggle with reading in 3rd grade will continue struggling through 9th grade

(Foorman, Fletcher & Francis (n.d.).

Reading is a fundamental skill that is incorporated into all academic areas. Around 90%

of students with learning disabilities primarily struggle in the area of reading (Kavale & Forness,

2000). While a student may excel in math, if the basic reading skills are still absent, the
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presentation of mathematical word problems can be crushing. Science or Social Studies may be

of particular interest, but reading a textbook can become an obstacle.

Students with Special Needs and the Use of Technology

In some cases, the use of technology is a strength for students with special needs. In a

typical school day, much academic content can be overwhelming for all students, but especially

those with special needs. When technology is used in the classroom, students with special needs

may have the opportunity to help troubleshoot problems and assist peers. This allows them to

take on a role that they are not typically afforded during school in which they assist their peers

(Pandya,|

and Ávila, 2017). While a student may not have grade level reading comprehension or mastered

his multiplication facts, that same student may be capable of troubleshooting a plethora of

technological obstacles. This use of technology can help students with learning disabilities feel

included with their peers who are also using technology. It can also motivate students to

complete work (Quenneville, 2001).

With the overwhelmingness of academics in general, students with special needs may

often tend to be off task or completely lost in the lesson. Engagement in the learning process can

often result in higher levels of student achievement (Seonjin, Brownell, Bishop, & Dingle, 2008).

Technology is able to offer approaches that cannot always be utilized in a typical academic

setting. With features such as educational games, character creation, and an individualized

lesson for each student, the incorporation of technology into the learning process has the

potential to be extremely beneficial.

Challenges and Barriers of Technology for Students with Special Needs

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Technology does not come without its challenges. Students with special needs can find

technology to be frustrating for various reasons. When searching for answers online, students

with special needs often take much longer to find information and may not even come up with a

correct answer, or any answer at all (Chen, 2010). Students may also have problems

remembering passwords, especially with login information for numerous websites and programs.

It is also sometimes complicated just learning how to use a specific program (Brown, 2005).

While many students are now able to use a speech to text option for online typing, not

everyone is aware of how to use this strategy. Students who struggle with spelling, especially,

can become frustrated when searching for answers online, typing a paper, or playing games

online that require typing (Chen, 2010).

Another struggle for students with special needs is the reading level used within

technology. Articles, gaming instructions, search results, and more are often presented at a

reading level well above students’ capabilities (Ciampa, 2017).

Summary

In summary, there are many obstacles facing students with special needs in the area of

reading. Students are already performing below grade level, which is problematic for daily

lessons and assignments. This can also be embarrassing and frustrating. Another area of

frustration can come from the use of technology. While there are negatives to using technology

in the classroom, there are also many positives. Students are able to use features such as

speech-to-text to assist in the learning process. Additionally, technology may be an area in

which a student excels, giving that student an opportunity to help others when they may be

experiencing problems. With the setbacks that students with special needs already face, the
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numerous uses of technology can offer many solutions to help them get further ahead and closer

to grade level achievement.

Project Details

Website

In order to assist teachers in starting their students and classes on the use of MobyMax, a

website was made with valuable informational materials that teachers can access at their

convenience. That website can be found at ​www.millersportmobymax.weebly.com​. The

website contains three parts: PDF guide, videos, and contact. The largest portion of the material

created was the PDF guide that is specific to the teachers and students at Millersport Elementary

School.

The first part of the PDF guide is a basic explanation of what MobyMax is. There are

endless details as to what students and teachers can do with MobyMax, but I wanted to make

sure that this explanation was concise so that teachers did not get overwhelmed. Next, I

documented the steps involved in creating your own MobyMax account. While some teachers

are very knowledgeable about technology, others may not have all of those skills. Therefore, I

was sure to include screenshots in this section, as well as numerous others, to help confirm that

teachers are following the correct process. While there is information on how to create your own

account, I did not require teachers to go through this process. When teachers start the free

account, it starts their initial two week full access trial. I want teachers to be able to use this trial

at an ideal time, which may not be at the very end of the school year. On this part of the guide, I

also included information about pricing. Though my hope is that the school will purchase a
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license, that is definitely not guaranteed. Therefore, the pricing information is easy to find in

case teachers decide to use their own funds.

The next part of the PDF guide walks teachers through how to add students to their

classes. Since there are multiple ways to add students, I went over each of those. Students can

be added individually, as a group, or imported from a spreadsheet. Once again, screenshots were

included in this process to assist teachers. There are a few more details on the roster page that

teachers may find interesting, so I highlighted them here. One of those features is young student

sign in, where students can sign in with two pictures instead of a username and password.

Another feature is parent letters. Parent letters can be very easily printed to be sent home with

students. They include information about MobyMax along with individual information on how

their child(ren) can sign into MobyMax at home. The last feature highlighted in this area is login

cards. Teachers are able to print login cards for students that have the website, school code, and

individual login information.

Next, the PDF Guide simply lists all the subjects available in MobyMax. Since

MobyMax covers a multitude of subjects, having them listed in one place seemed to be a good

way to visualize all of these areas. On the MobyMax website, different subjects are grouped by

color. I used those same colors on the PDF guide as a visual reminder to teachers throughout the

process. The subjects included on MobyMax are mathematics, fact fluency, numbers, reading

level assessment, reading stories, reading skills informational, reading skills literature, language,

vocabulary, spelling list, writing workshop, writing assignments, science, social studies, test prep

(language, math, reading skills informational, reading skills literature), phonics and spelling
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rules, alphabet, phonics sounds, phonics blending, phonics spelling, foundational reading, early

reading trio, and sight words (Dolch and Fry).

The next step in the PDF guide is an overview of my recommendations for getting

started. For math, reading, and writing, placement tests are included, which can automatically

assign lessons based on gaps in learning after the students complete the test. Those were the

recommended starting areas for those topics. Science, social studies, and test prep do not have a

placement test. These are based on grade level standards, and I simply recommend logging in

and clicking those buttons to get started as the MobyMax program will start them at a natural

spot. Phonics and spelling do not have a placement test nor are they based on grade level

standards. However, I also recommend simply clicking and starting in these areas. While there

are multiple ways to get students started on various subjects, these were the recommendations I

provided based on what I know about our teachers and students. One of the other options is to

manually assign lessons. This can be done at any time. Teachers can also add, delete, and

change the order of assigned lessons. I highlighted this information and the steps to complete

that next.

Next, I went over all of the features under the teacher administration umbrella. Those

include roster, curriculum settings (classroom and student settings), and licenses. Since the

roster information was covered in more detail earlier in the PDF when going over adding

students, it is just briefly covered in this section. In curriculum settings, I highlight settings

available in these areas such as passing scores, notifications and what is visible to students. The

license area is concise as it simply lists what your current license is, when it expires, and how to

upgrade, if applicable.
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The next topic to cover was classroom tools. This covered what is called real time, where

teachers can watch the screen and content that students are currently viewing. Failed lessons are

also in this area so teachers can view which lessons students haven’t passed. This is also the

section where teachers can create announcements, tasks, events, and polls. Notifications can be

customized under the classroom tools. Lastly, teachers can search for lessons, sort by topics,

grade level, or subject, and assign based on grade level standards.

Student motivation is the next topic, and it is probably my favorite aspect of MobyMax.

One feature of student motivation is badges. Students earn badges based on time spent on

MobyMax and topics passed. The badges have interesting facts and a picture. Students can

view their badges and also have them printed. They can be printed on one page or the size of a

trading card. The biggest motivator for my students was the game feature on MobyMax.

Students can earn game time for time spent on MobyMax and problems completed. They can

also unlock new games. As a teacher, this is an award I often assign to students, because I know

they love their game time. Contests are also a great motivator. Contest details are created on the

teacher end and can be seen by students. Students can even view the contest leaderboard.

Certificates are automatically created for students upon completion of certain lessons. I print

these in color for my students and make a big fuss over how proud I am of their hard work.

Vibes are another feature in this area of the PDF. Teachers are able to send good and bad vibes

to students based on their effort. There is also a messenger feature for conversations between

teachers and students. Sweepstakes are also covered in this area, which are tickets that students

earn to win game based prizes such as game time, or material prizes such as tablets. The last

feature in this section is teacher rewards, where teachers can use the points they earn to assign
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awards such as new games, game time, sweepstakes tickets, and more, to students. Student

motivation was an important factor to cover in this guide since it has made such a difference in

the growth and motivation of my students.

Data and reporting was the next component covered. The time summary section allows

teachers to view time spent on MobyMax at home versus school as well as in individual subjects.

The classroom dashboard allows teachers to view the learning velocity, or projected growth, of

students in various subjects. It also shows a breakdown of time spent, lessons completed, and

more. This section is complete with graphs and charts, which were included in the PDF guide.

The student dashboard is similar to the classroom dashboard, but it breaks down reports for

individuals. Reports are the last section under this umbrella and can be run by student, by group,

by class, and by specific date range or topic.

The very last section of the PDF guide I created was teacher extras. This included the

daily tablet giveaway information, which shows how to get entry tickets to win a tablet. It also

has a section on the Moby tablet, which is specific to MobyMax. Videos on various subjects and

topics in MobyMax are also available under the teacher extras. Webinars are held for free twice

weekly and can be found in this section. Lastly, there is an ambassador tab where ambassadors

can be contacted for those schools who have purchased that package.

The videos featured on the website are videos that I thought would pertain most to my

audience. Therefore, I have videos featuring reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.

Additionally, I have two videos pertaining to special education and gifted students.

When first approaching MobyMax, it can seem very overwhelming. I’m satisfied with

the guide I created to walk my fellow teachers through the process. All of the content on the
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website I created will be helpful for teachers to incorporate MobyMax into their lessons.

Knowing the other district requirements, what motivates our students, and the teaching styles of

my fellow teachers allowed me to create this resource specifically for them. I have confidence

that it will make the process of starting and implementing MobyMax easier for them.

Training

After the website for teachers was created, I scheduled a time to meet with the teachers

either individually or in pairs. I wanted to ensure that I had time to meet their specific needs and

tailor the information to their grade level(s) and content area(s). While walking teachers through

creating their own MobyMax account could be an obvious place to start with these trainings, I

did not want to trigger their free trial if that teacher was not ready to use it. By avoiding that

step, I was able to save that trial for them for a time they can most conveniently use it.

Through these trainings, I provided information about the alphabet lessons, number

lessons, and young student sign in specifically to teachers working with Kindergarteners through

2nd grade. I was able to highlight IEP goal tracking strategies for other Intervention Specialists.

For science and social studies teachers, I was sure to highlight these modules so those teachers

knew MobyMax was not specifically for reading and/or math. I also noted that the science and

social studies lessons are based on grade level standards. As for reading teachers, I covered

numerous areas within MobyMax as students in the targeted grade levels need resources varying

from phonics and spelling to advanced writing assignments. The math placement test was

recommended as the best starting point for math teachers, while I also made sure to review the

ease of using the fact fluency portion.

EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 14

During each training, I ensured teachers had access to the full MobyMax support site that

I created which also houses the MobyMax PDF guide. Teachers are able to reference the

website and PDF guide for their questions. Of course, teachers are also able to contact me at

anytime for support.

Methodology

Design

The design for this study is a practical action research design to discover if students make

more growth in STAR Reading scores with the use of MobyMax. Results will not be

generalized to a larger population. Instead, results will be used to determine if MobyMax is a

tool that will be utilized further with students with special needs at Millersport Elementary

School. The intervention will be implemented, data will be collected, data will be analyzed, and

a plan will be developed for future possible use of MobyMax. Results of this research will be

used to help determine if Millersport Elementary School will use MobyMax further within the

school, whether that is for all students, certain grade levels, or certain groups of students, such as

those with special needs.

Participants

Walnut Township Local School District is located in a rural area outside of Columbus,

Ohio. The school is separated into two buildings: Millersport Elementary School and Millersport

Junior/Senior High School. This study will take place at Millersport Elementary School.

According to the 2016 - 2017 state report card, the majority of students are white (95.6%) with

an overall attendance rate of 94.5%. Students with disabilities showed a 93.4% attendance rate.

The chronic absenteeism rate for Millersport Elementary was 12.9%.

EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 15

There are 35 students with special needs in the area of reading at Millersport Elementary

School. They are broken down by grade level as follows:

Kindergarten - 3 students

1st Grade - 5 students

2nd Grade - 6 students

3rd Grade - 7 students

4th Grade - 6 students

5th Grade - 6 students

6th Grade - 4 students

Convenience sampling is used in this study. Since I only have control over the content

that my students work on during their lessons, I was only able to complete this study with the ten

students I work with who have IEPs in the area of reading. Therefore, the experimental group

consisted of the following:

5th grade: 1 girl, 5 boys

6th grade: 1 girl, 3 boys

The control group in this experiment was comprised of ten 5th and 6th grade students of

the same gender as the experimental group. Teachers already have student names written on

popsicle sticks that can be pulled at random for various purposes in the classroom. I was able to

use these sticks to draw at random until I received a group of 5th graders (1 girl, 5 boys) and 6th

graders (1 girl, 3 boys).

Instrumentation
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The dependent variable is the STAR Reading test. The test will be taken at the beginning

and the end of this study by students in the control group and the experimental group. Students

are familiar with the use of Chromebooks as the school has a ratio of one Chromebook for every

student. Students have all previously taken a STAR test and are familiar with the format. The

STAR test consists of 34 questions. Examples of STAR test questions include: Which word is a

synonym for revolting? Which lines rhyme with each other?

In order to track the independent variable, students in the experimental group will be set

up with an account on the MobyMax website which monitors the time students spend on the site.

All students in the sample will spend at least 100 minutes on MobyMax with activities related to

reading during the study. Lessons and categories will be assigned to students based on their age,

grade level, current level of performance, and IEP goals. Categories for selection during this

study include the following: Phonics and Spelling Rules, Alphabet, Phonics Sounds, Phonics

Blending, Phonics Spelling, Foundational Reading, Early Reading Trio, Sight Words, Reading

Level Assessment, Reading Stories, Reading Skills Literature, and Reading Skills Informational.

Examples of questions in MobyMax include: What is the purpose of a thesis statement? Which

letter is lowercase? Progress will be monitored weekly to adjust assignments as necessary.

Procedures

All students will begin by taking the STAR test. After all students have taken the

assessment, students in the experimental group will begin the use of MobyMax. Students will be

assigned to spend at least 100 minutes on MobyMax each week. The specific content assigned

to each student will be dependent on age, grade, current academic level, and IEP goals.

Categories for selection during this study include the following: Phonics and Spelling Rules,
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Alphabet, Phonics Sounds, Phonics Blending, Phonics Spelling, Foundational Reading, Early

Reading Trio, Sight Words, Reading Level Assessment, Reading Stories, Reading Skills

Literature, and Reading Skills Informational. After two weeks of MobyMax intervention for the

sample students, all students will once again take their STAR test in order to measure growth.

STAR test scores prior and post to the implementation of MobyMax will be compared and

analyzed for growth, patterns, and other areas of interest both within the experimental group and

between the experimental and control groups in order to compare growth in two forms. One

determination of growth will compare pretest and posttest data from the sample group. Another

analysis will occur by comparing pretest and posttest data between the sample, who used

MobyMax, and the rest of the population, who did not. The school district in which I teach has

been discussing implementing school-wide use of MobyMax. Results of this study will be

shared with teachers in order to gain feedback as well as with district decision makers to assist in

the decision to purchase or not purchase a school license for MobyMax.

The other portion of this project involves exploring the world of MobyMax with teachers

at my school using the resources I created. Namely, these resources are the website and PDF

guide created specifically for Millersport Elementary teachers. This information was discussed

with individual or small group meetings with teachers that were personalized for those

individuals. Each meeting was followed up with a teacher survey to collect thoughts on

MobyMax.

Discussion of Results

The research question addressed in this study was: Will students with special needs in the

area of reading who use MobyMax have a greater increase in STAR Reading scores compared to
EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 18

students without special needs who do not use MobyMax in Spring 2017 at Millersport

Elementary? Analysis of results shows that there was no significant increase in scores on

multiple levels. A paired t-hypothesis test was performed comparing pre-test and post-test scores

for all students with IEPs in the are of reading. The p-value of 0.1164 is greater than the alpha of

0.05. Therefore, I fail to reject the null, and there is no significance. A two summary

t-hypothesis test was also performed. This compared differences between pretest and posttest

scores between the two groups of students: those with an IEP and those without an IEP. The

p-value of 0.2046 is greater than the alpha of 0.05. Therefore, I fail to reject the null, and there is

no significance. Pretest and posttest scores and charts portraying the differences in each are

shown below.

Pretest and Posttest Scores for Students with IEPs

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Pretest and Posttest Scores for Students without IEPs

EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 20

Teacher Training Results

After training sessions with the teachers, electronic surveys were distributed. Those

surveys showed that 80% of teachers were “very likely” to use MobyMax in their classroom,

while the other 20% were “somewhat likely” to use MobyMax. Teachers were asked to list

features of MobyMax that were most appealing to them. Those features included differentiation,

skill options, meeting individual needs, more than math, different grade levels, incentive for

working time, paperless instruction, and math facts that test by ability. Teachers were also asked

what they found least appealing about MobyMax. Most teachers answered that they did not find

anything least appealing. One teacher noted she didn’t know enough about the program yet to

find anything least appealing. Another teacher noted that the cost was least appealing.

Other verbal feedback from the teachers showed that each one would use MobyMax in

their classroom at least partially. Many teachers asked for next steps, how to purchase the

program, if our school was going to purchase the program, how much it cost, and other details

about next steps. Though one teacher said she was going to use her full access trial this school

year, most planned on waiting to use it next school year in case we are not able to get money in

the budget for its use prior to the beginning of next school year.

Findings

Based on this research, the main findings are that there is no significant difference on

STAR scores for students who use MobyMax compared to students who do not use MobyMax.

However, I would make changes if doing a similar study again. Allowing more time for the use
EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 21

of MobyMax would allow the results to be more dependable. This would be the most definite

change I would make in the research. If possible, I would also use a much larger sample size to

conduct the study. As not much research has been done with MobyMax, this will allow others to

delve into the world of MobyMax and explore the personalized learning that is available for

students.

Limitations

One limitation of the study is data collector bias. Since I, the data collector, am a

stakeholder in this study, there is potential for bias when collecting and analyzing the results

throughout the study. This will be limited because data will be factual and not easily

manipulated. Another possible limitation of this study is attitude of the subjects. Some students

may not be interested in using MobyMax and may struggle to remain focused. One way to

address this is the game time that can be earned by students within MobyMax. Regression is

also a potential limitation in this study since the population is focused on students with special

needs. In order to combat this limitation, scores are compared within the sample and also

between the sample and the population. Implementation could be a limitation depending on the

attitudes of all students toward the MobyMax program. If the members of the comparison group

become aware of the comparison, they may feel upset that they were not selected for the sample.

A way to combat this is with use of another motivation tool to students who were not selected as

part of the sample. Additionally, a reward can be given for all of those students who take the

pretest and posttest, regardless of use of MobyMax. Time constraints are a limitation for this

study. Due to BGSU time limitations, IRBNet deadlines and limitations, and requirements and

deadlines within the school district, less time was spent on this study than would have been ideal.
EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 22

Lastly, loss of subjects is a potential limitation due to possible school absences, students moving,

state testing, or other scheduling conflicts resulting in lost MobyMax time. A way of fighting

this limitation is by having students complete their MobyMax time on another day or time, even

if it is not their scheduled time to complete MobyMax.

Conclusions

Positive feedback was received regarding MobyMax from both students and teachers.

Though there was not data to support a significant increase in STAR scores for these students, I

will still continue using the program. Students were able to give me solid examples of academic

skills they had gained while using the program. Since they were able to provide these examples

for me, and they enjoyed the program, I will be utilizing MobyMax in the future. Additionally, I

believe other teachers at Millersport will begin using MobyMax. It is my hope that the

DonorsChoose project will be fully funded or our school will find fundy to make implementation

of the program possible starting with the 2018 - 2019 school year.

Future research could examine growth in a study that is over a longer period of time.

Continuing the use of MobyMax into the next school year will give me the opportunity to collect

data for a much longer period of time which will address one of the limitations of my current

project. Additionally, studies done with varying age levels would be beneficial. While I’m

aware that the gaming incentive and subject matter has worked well with my 5th and 6th grade, it

could end up being too complicated for Kindergarteners or too boring for seniors. It would also

be advantageous to complete a study revolving around MobyMax and elementary students in

general. While I wanted to focus my study on students with special needs, MobyMax is a

program that works with all types of learners.

EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 23
EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 24

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EFFECTIVENESS OF MOBYMAX 25

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