Welcome to NumberShire!

Home of the next generation of early math learning.

If you have any questions, contact us at ns1its@uoregon.edu.

NumberShire™ is an internet-based, educational game with an intensive focus on critical whole number concepts and skills for students in kindergarten through second grade. NumberShire is intended for all students, especially those at risk for mathematics difficulties.

How NumberShire Can Help Your Students

  • Approximately 12 hours of game play per grade level.

  • 15-minute sessions, designed to be delivered four days per week for 12 weeks

  • Aligned with the Common Core for Mathematics (2010).

  • Based on the growing knowledge base of effective mathematics instruction for struggling learners

  • Provides students with timely and engaging feedback about their game performance

  • Adjusts gameplay based on student performance

  • Runs on all popular web-browsers on PC or Mac platforms.

  • Uses an explicit instructional approach to introduce, demonstrate, and review whole number concepts

  • Provides guided and independent practice opportunities for students to build a robust conceptual foundation of critical mathematics

NumberShire emphasizes:

Research

NumberShire was developed by a team of researchers, educators, and engineers at the Center on Teaching and Learning and Thought Cycle LLC, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. In several randomized controlled trials, NumberShire students made significant gains in whole number concepts and skills addressed in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, compared to students receiving typical math instruction and intervention support.

Data and Accountability

NumberShire provides educators with individual student and aggregate group mastery reports that depict student math learning and progress in NumberShire activities. These mastery reports are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (K-2) to support instructional decision making.

Personalization

NumberShire adjusts the level of scaffolding during game play and provides additional practice opportunities based on students' educational needs.

Blended Learning

NumberShire complements and supports existing core mathematics curricula and can be used as a targeted intervention or whole-class instructional supplement.

Flexible Pacing

The flexible pacing feature allows students to skip or repeat activities while playing NumberShire. Students are also able to follow the recommended sequence for the game or play a level of their choosing.

Star Power!

A progress bar is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen and appears when students answer math problems. After five correct responses, students progress to a new level of Star Power. Levels include Silver, Gold, and Rainbow. When students reach a level of Star Power, their character glows with corresponding Star Power during game play.

For Schools and Classrooms:

Class licenses are available for purchase. Submit the Class Licenses Form below to request a NumberShire account. Pricing and terms will be provided at time of account creation.


iPad Home Version:

"NumberShire 1: Home" is available on the Apple App Store.

Demonstrated Results

  • A randomized controlled trial conducted in 26 first grade classrooms found that students in the NumberShire group (n = 125) performed better than control students (n = 125) on a math assessment designed to measure learning in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Results of the 8-week pilot study demonstrate that NumberShire can significantly improve mathematics learning in the domains of Counting and Cardinality, Number and Operations in Base Ten, and Operations and Algebraic Thinking.

  • These pilot study findings have been replicated in a large-scale randomized controlled trial conducted with 1,708 students in 153 classrooms in a large, urban school district. Students who played NumberShire showed improvements in basic number skills and computation compared to a control group that received business-as-usual math instruction and intervention.

In the News

"The kids rave about the web-based game, which teaches math through an engaging story and colorful characters set in the fairy tale village of NumberShire."

Register Guard Making Math Fun June 1st, 2014


Testimonials

"My students are very excited to continue on with NumberShire. Out of all the blended learning programs that we currently use, NumberShire was the only one that students have requested the log in information for."

Teacher from Las Vegas


"The reason I have decided to become involved in NumberShire is I really feel like this is the future, this is where we're going to make a lot of progress working with students."

Tim McAndrew Math Coordinator Prospect Hill Academy, Somerville, MA



"If the students select an incorrect answer, the game re-teaches the skill and gives the student the language on what the math concept is, what they need to do and why, so the student can practice and master that skill. "

Antje Snawder Kindergarten Teacher Chavez Elementary, Eugene OR



"I give NumberShire praises! The kids really respond well to it. They are engaged, learning, and excited! I plan to use NumberShire next year!"

Christie Hoogendoorn 1st Grade Teacher Camas Ridge Community School, Eugene OR

Funding Sources

  • IES SBIR Fast-Track (NS1 Development)

  • Project NumberShire: A game-based integrated learning and assessment system to target whole number concepts. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Small Business Innovation Research in Special Education, ED-IES-11-R-0014, 2011-2014, $1,049,954.

  • IES Goal 2 (NSK Development)

  • NumberShire K: Development of a game-based integrated learning and assessment system to target whole number concepts for kindergarten students (R324A120071). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Goal 2 Development and Innovation, CFDA 84.324A, 2012-2015, $1,500,000.

  • IES SBIR Phase I (NS2 Development)

  • NumberShire I: Development of a second grade game-based integrated learning system to target whole number concepts. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Small Business Innovation Research in Special Education Phase I, ED-IES-13-R-0005, 2012, $150,000.

  • IES SBIR Phase II (NS2 Development)

  • NumberShire II: Development of a second grade game-based integrated learning system to target whole number concepts. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Small Business Innovation Research in Special Education Phase II, ED-IES-13-R-0005, 2013-2015, $900,000.

  • IES Goal 3 (NS1 Efficacy Trial)

  • A multi-site randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of the NumberShire Level 1 gaming intervention for improving math outcomes for students with or at risk for math learning disabilities (R324A160125). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Goal 3 Efficacy and Replication, CFDA 84.324A, 2016-2020, $3,499,929.

  • OSEP Stepping Up Technology (NS1-ITS)

  • The NumberShire Integrated Tutor System: Supporting schools to scale up evidence-based education technology to improve math outcomes for students with disabilities (H327S160019). U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program/Stepping-up Technology Implementation, CFDA 84.327S, 2016-2021, $2,488,179.

Presentations

  • Choo, S., Shanley, L., Cohen, J., & Nelson, N. (2022, January). NumberShire: Education technology and math game to support distance learning. Technology Playground at the Annual Conference of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Orlando, FL.

  • Choo, S., Shanley, L., Cohen, J., & Nelson, N. (2022, January). Using education technology and math game to support access to remote learning. Proposal accepted for the 2022 Annual Conference of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Orlando, FL.

  • Choo, S., Shanley, L., Cohen, J., & Nelson, N. (2021, October). Examining technology delivered math program use in distance learning environments. Paper presented at the International Conference on Learning Disabilities (CLD), Las Vegas, NV.

  • Hinkle, H., Choo, S., Shanley, L., Nelson, N. & Fien, H. (2021, April). Improving teacher use of data-based decision-making and differentiated instruction through evidence-based educational technology. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Virtual.

  • Choo, S., Shanley, L., Hinkle, H. & Nelson, N. (2020, October). Data-based decision making in an evidence-based math game intervention. Paper presented at the Virtual International Conference on Learning Disabilities (CLD), Virtual.

  • Shanley, L. (2020, May). Using the NumberShire Integrated Tutor System to provide distance math intervention. Panel presentation at Supporting Students with Additional Needs in Remote Learning Environments Virtual Conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnDQ6muK9gg

  • Shanley, L. (2020, May). NumberShire Integrated Tutor System: Virtual tools for distance teaching. Presentation at Young Child Virtual Mini Conference: COVID-19 Response.

  • Choo, S., Shanley, L., & Nelson, N. (2021, March). NumberShire: An Educational Math Video Game. Intervention demonstration at the Technology Playground of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Virtual.

  • Choo, S., Shanley, L., & Nelson, N. (2020, February). Developing NumberShire Integrated Tutor System: Improving math outcomes for students with disabilities. Technology Playground at the Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention, Portland, OR.

  • Sutherland, M., Moore, M., Heller, N., Shanley, L., & Nelson, N. (2020, February). Educator Experience: NumberShire - Evidence-based Educational Game. Technology Playground at the Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention, Portland, OR.

  • Nelson, N. J. (2020, January). Going From Development to Efficacy and Beyond: NumberShire. Invited Panel Presentation at the Ed Games Expo, Washington, DC.

  • Choo, S. & Nelson, N. (2020, January). NumberShire Level 1. Demonstration at the U.S. Department of Education’s ED Games Expo at The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC.

  • Choo, S., Turtura, J., Strand Cary, M., Shanley, L., & Nelson, N. (2019, October). Real apps, real learning: iPad-based math interventions for students with mathematics difficulties. Poster presented at the International Conference on Learning Disabilities (CLD), San Antonio, TX.

  • Fien, H. (2019, January) Scaling education technology in the market. Invited Panel Presentation at the Ed Games Expo, Washington, DC.

  • Choo, S., Nelson, N. J. & Fien, H. (2019, January). NumberShire. Ed Games Expo, Washington, DC.

Greetings from the NumberShire Team!

We're a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed team of well-traveled, veteran game developers and instructional design experts who want to change the world through high-quality, engaging and amusing games for next generation learning.

NumberShire is the result of a partnership between Thought Cycle LLC, and the University of Oregon's Center on Teaching and Learning to improve the quality of early math education through carefully crafted curricula and thorough research.

Contact

The University of Oregon provides support for NumberShire.

Contact us at ns1its@uoregon.edu