I first encountered The Quarter Mile math practice software a number of years ago at a math conference. My sister (also a math teacher) and I sat down at computers in the Barnum Software vendor booth and tried to win a free copy of the software by being the fastest to solve the math problems. We must have played for the better part of an hour. It was addicting and fun! Both of us returned to our classrooms and incorporated The Quarter Mile into our math programs.
What is The Quarter Mile?
The Quarter Mile is a math practice software program that makes kids want to practice foundational math skills. In individual game sessions lasting from 45 seconds to 2 1/2 minutes, students select a topic, choose a car or horse, and race against their own previous best scores. The faster they enter correct answers, the faster they finish the race. The Quarter Mile is like flashcards on steroids, with sound effects (which can be turned down or off) and visuals.
Level 3, which is designed for grades 6 through 9, includes 29,000 unique problems covering topics involving decimals, percents, fractions, estimation, integers, and equations.
Features of The Quarter Mile
- self-competitive, non-intimidating format
- teachers and students can see measurable, quantifiable improvement race after race
- ability to detect even the smallest improvement, which gives students positive reinforcement
- girls and boys, teens and adults LOVE the format (see testimonials below)
- award-winning design integrates all major learning modalities simultaneously – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile – in a meaningful, educational way
- appeals equally well to older and younger students
Benefits of The Quarter Mile
- students’ computer time is highly productive with this program; they will do a lot of math!
- students learn at their maximum rate with this highly motivating format
- uniquely effective for a wide variety of students: Title 1, gifted, special ed, on grade level, etc.
- builds confidence quickly, which is so important in doing math!
Says Who?
In addition to my own (extremely positive) personal experience with The Quarter Mile, I found it very impressive that The Quarter Mile has been chosen by Sylvan Learning Centers to be used in all of their 1,100+ U.S. and Canadian locations. It also received the “All Star Award” from Children’s Software Review and was called “Cream of the Crop” by Instructor Magazine.
Here’s what some of our colleagues in the teaching profession have said about The Quarter Mile:
“It’s the best software we have….The kids like that better than anything….We’re using it in every grade level.” – Geraldine Yates, Teacher, Concord, NC
“The kids beg me, they bribe me to be able to [use it]….Of all the programs, that’s the one they love the best.” – LaVenia Rilington, Math Chair, Pooler, GA
“You get four or five times more drill per unit of time using this program versus others.” - Peter Kaplan, Teacher, Sarasota, FL
“The kids who hate math love this…” - Vic Hugo, H.B.U.S.D., CA
“I’ve used this from third grade on up to…a continuation high school….No matter what kids we put on this program, they get hooked…” – Doug Lane, District Technology Coordinator, Bear Valley, CA
“Absolutely the best piece of math software that we have….Even our most unmotivated students (including [Title 1], At Risk, etc.) want to give up their lunch time [to use it].” – Mary White, Teacher, Redondo Beach, CA
“The kids use this like crazy….We can see a big difference in their grades….It’s amazing how fast they’ll learn…. You can really see the enthusiasm…. We’re thrilled.” -Mrs. Lesterance, Instructional Aid, Pennsville, NJ
“The teachers fight over it.” – Jane Nelson, San Francisco, CA
You can view hundreds of additional teacher and parent testimonials praising The Quarter Mile on their website.
The Quarter Mile in the Middle School Math Classroom or Lab
The Quarter Mile is an individualized program that can easily be set up on one or two computers in a classroom or set up for an entire computer lab. It is perfect for reinforcing the core math skills that form the foundation for our middle school math program. Wouldn’t it be awesome if our students were fluent with fractions, decimals, percents, integers, and equations? In particular I would love to see my students become stronger in working with integers. I know that The Quarter Mile can help tremendously.
Of course, The Quarter Mile can also be used at home. I recently purchased a copy of this powerful software for my daughter to use at home. She has repeatedly come up and asked me if she could play The Quarter Mile. (It makes a math-teacher dad happy!)
Good News for You!
If you are at all interested in using The Quarter Mile with your students I encourage you to click on one of The Quarter Mile image links in this post for more information. I have arranged for readers of this blog to receive $5 off the retail price of this software when you click on our affiliate image link (of the horse and car) in this post or in the sidebar. Just make sure you see the code 7L3K8 in the referral code box on any orders you make.
Note: I wish I had had a referral code when I ordered my copy for my daughter a few weeks ago and paid full price!
Demo Version and Risk-Free Purchase
The Quarter Mile offers a Demo Version that can be downloaded to your computer for free if you would like to experience the software prior to purchase. I downloaded this for my daughter to try before we purchased the software for her. She loved it so we got it.
In addition, Barnum Software offers an unconditional, 30-day, money-back guarantee on its Quarter Mile software. This effectively removes all risk from your purchase.
What Could Be Better?
What could be better than our math students asking us if they can practice their basic skills in fractions, decimals, percents, estimation, integers, and equations? The Quarter Mile is a core curriculum tool has helped over 1,000,000 students to strengthen their math skills while enjoying the process. I highly recommend it. Click on the image below to check it out for yourself.
Hey Mark, this sounds really interesting. This is really what education is all about! Getting students genuinely interested and curious about what they are learning. I’d really like to see your program.
Joseph, you can download a free trial version of The Quarter Mile by following the link on this post.