STEM

Arcademics Cup Pits Students Against Clock in Online Math Challenge

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 11/28/17

How good are your students at solving multiplication problems? You can find out by entering them in the upcoming Arcademics Cup. That takes place online at the beginning of February, is free to enter and includes prizes like trophies, pizza parties, tablets and subscriptions to the company's education games.

Arcademics produces games for grades 1-6 in math, algebra, language arts, spelling, geography, typing, shapes, money and related concepts.

In the contest, students race against their classmates and friends to win prizes while honing their math skills by playing the free multiplayer game Grand Prix Multiplication. The game's multiplayer function lets players race in groups of four as they answer basic problems for numbers one through 12. According to the company, in 2017, 10,000 students played 325,000 games during the competition, solving 10 million multiplication problems.

As the kids progress through the contest, they are rewarded with "power-ups" and enhancements for their racecars, along with the chance to win the pizza, software subscriptions and iPads for their classes or schools. Students typically solve 30 multiplication equations per race and have unlimited access during the two-day competition.

Teachers may register their classrooms and enroll their students for the event until Jan. 31. Prior to the contest, teachers can also sign up for a free trial of Arcademics Plus. No payment method is required; after the trial 30 days is over, the program will end automatically if no other action is taken. After the trial period, the software access is $5 per student per year with discounts for 50 or more students.

"Incorporating Arcademics into my daily lesson plans has given my students a way to work with each other and practice vital skills simultaneously," said David Woodward, math intervention specialist with Boulder Valley Schools in Colorado, in a press release. "The excitement garnered during the Arcademics Cup motivated my students to play more at school and at home while increasing their multiplication skills. As a result, there was a noticeable improvement in my students' skills by the end of the competition."