Cedar Rapids Boys and Girls Club participants using MobyMax

A new program at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids aims to help students improve their skills in certain subjects.

A $5,000 grant gave the organization the opportunity to implement the online curriculum, called MobyMax.

'Reading and math proficiencies, they're a major concern in the educational area,” said Sarah Hoeger, director of marketing and communications at the Boys and Girls Clubs. 'Those will be the main focuses for MobyMax, and it runs right along with their daily school activities. What they're learning at school, after school through MobyMax they'll be working on the same things.”

Students initially take a test to determine their strengths and weaknesses. MobyMax then selects questions designed to improve deficiencies. At the end of the school year, students take a similar test to gauge improvement.

Nationwide, those who used the program for 40 hours averaged a full grade level improvement in reading and math, Hoeger said.

The program tracks and stores individual users and their progress. While students use MobyMax, instructors circulate around the room to see if anyone needs help, said Colin Eakins, program specialist at the Boys and Girls Clubs.

For students, the program provides an interactive way to learn, Hoeger said.

Ten-year-old Makiyla Smith recently used the program to work on nouns and plurals. The exercise presented a noun and three choices. Smith had to choose the correct plural version.

Answering a question correctly means a student earns one-second of game time. Makiyla, who is a fifth grader at Johnson Elementary School, already had saved up 25 minutes of game time.

'Even though it's learning, I kind of enjoy it,” she said.