Video: Bellevue company teaching kids math with video game

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BELLEVUE, Wash. - A new local company has a dream to boost math skills for every student by trying to disguise it as child's play. 

The colorful, online world neatly disguised as a video game is the first educational game being developed by Bellevue start-up DreamBox Learning. 

What young students may not realize is all this play is really work designed to teach kindergarten through second graders the fundamentals of math.  DreamBox is using teachers to develop the program, which adapts to a child's individual needs. 

"Teachers have seen lots of variations of kids, so they're able to tell you what works with some kids and not with others," said Lou Gray, DreamBox Learning.  "So when a child needs a hint or a child needs a different lesson, we're able to serve that up real time." 

Hundreds of kids beta testers for the video game, playing and helping to streamline the system before its official launch in the fall.  But does it work?  Parent Connie Kinsley thinks so.  Her seven-year-old daughter Emily was struggling with math prior to becoming part of the testing group three months ago. 

"Her report card that just came out last month was much improved so we're very happy," said Kinsley.   

According to DreamBox, the University of Washington plans on using the program model to see how kids improve over time.  The online product is still in its testing phase. 

Parents who are interested in having their kids become potential testers can go to the DreamBox Learning Web site and fill out a form.