BPA is conducting an independent evaluation of JUMP into reading for meaning (JUMP), a Nintendo DS-based game developed by Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), based in Honolulu, HI.

Features of JUMP

* A research-based, game-based educational curriculum
* Rich vocabulary instruction in an interactive multi-media environment
* Targets struggling readers
* Addresses the fourth-grade slump in reading scores
* Focuses on increasing word-knowledge and word-learning strategy knowledge
* For use in out-of-school settings, like after-school programs

The Evaluation of JUMP is designed to test the effectiveness of the JUMP game for improving word-knowledge (and, additionally, word-learning strategies) of struggling readers in the fourth grade in the contexts of after-school programs and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) programs. The evaluation will test the effectiveness of research-based vocabulary instruction methodologies on a gaming platform, and the successes and challenges of implementing an intervention that uses such methodologies in after-school programs and SES
programs.

The findings from this study will offer educational practitioners with valuable information on the overall feasibility of digital games as a medium for school-based learning.