ABCmouse

Draft

Introduction

ABCmouse is a so-called integrated learning environment for small children.

According to Wikipedia, “[..]In 2005, Dohring founded Age of Learning, Inc., and launched ABCMouse.com Early Learning Academy, “designed to teach basic reading, math, science and other subjects to children between the ages of two and six,” according to The Wall Street Journal. In January 2017, Age of Learning expanded the ABCmouse curriculum through 2nd grade. ABCmouse.com charges a monthly fee of $7.95 per month or $79.95 per year, and is free to individual teachers, libraries, Head Start programs, and other community organizations.”. Also according to Wikipedia, “Age of Learning launched ABCmouse.com in 2010 after three years of development, guided by a team of educators, and following testing by 10,000 families.[26] The original patent for a vertically integrated educational system was authored by Doug Dohring, David Hendry, and Mike Bundlie.”.

• See also: Adventure Academy, a environment for older children developed by the same company.

Research

According to a study by Thai and Ponciano (2016) <ref> Thai, K.P. Ph.D. and Ponciano, Leslie Ph.D. (2016) "Improving Outcomes for At-Risk Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Students with a Digital Learning Resource," Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 7 : Iss. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol7/iss2/8/ref> that doing ABCmouse activities significantly increased kindergarten readiness score at the end of prekindergarten and improved literacy and math skills.

We conducted two related studies to examine the impact of a supplemental online curriculum, ABCmouse, on early literacy and mathematics skills, with a particular focus on students identified as at risk for school failure. In the first study, ABCmouse was authentically integrated into classroom instruction in a district prekindergarten program designed to remediate the risk of school failure. We examined the relationship between ABCmouse usage and students’ academic gains over that prekindergarten year. The second study followed those students’ progress, as well as the progress of their peers, during kindergarten and compared the impact of varied levels of ABCmouse access and usage on early literacy and math gains. The results in both studies show that ABCmouse helps accelerate the acquisition of key literacy and math skills, with particularly strong effects for

students whose initial assessment scores were below their peers.

Thai and Ponciano (2016:22).