January 30, 2004

By Blanca Gonzalez
San Diego Union-Tribune

SAN DIEGO - While Elisabeth Rebboah scored points in basketball, Brad Callahan gained yardage in football and Matthew Togni got hits in baseball yesterday morning.

The Los Peñasquitos Elementary School fifth-graders weren't playing in a gym or on an outdoor field. They were in class tackling math equations and language problems on laptop computers as part of an Internet-based education program that uses sports games.

The use of virtual sports games and graphics appeals to students, who must answer questions correctly to be able to throw touchdown passes or hit home runs, said principal Damen Lopez.

The program, Kid's College, was launched this fall by the Mountain West Conference and uses conference sports teams, including San Diego State University, in the interactive games. The aim is to reinforce skills taught in the classroom using college athletics. The program is available to every elementary school in the six-state Mountain West region.

During a program demonstration yesterday morning, SDSU staff and student athletes were happy to see that most Los Peñasquitos students chose the Aztecs as their team as they faced Colorado State, Utah or Wyoming in the virtual games.

"This is awesome. I wish they had something like this when I was a kid," said SDSU football player Shawn Dickie.

"It's a lot of fun," said Matthew, who has been using the program since October. "It has different levels and it gets harder with each level."

Students said they like earning virtual medals and trophies when they successfully complete levels leading up to national championships. The students may choose boys or girls soccer, boys or girls basketball, football, baseball, softball or cheerleading.

While it might sound like all fun and games, the students are working hard as they eagerly figure out math equations on paper before clicking on an answer that they hope will lead to a home run or soccer goal.

Anguished "aahs" were heard from a couple of students who got incorrect answers because a decimal point was in the wrong place or a word problem was read incorrectly.

The questions cover vocabulary and language skills as well as basic math, fractions, algebra and geometry for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Kid's College questions conform to each state's academic standards.

The Mountain West Conference promotes the program as a way to motivate students and inspire interest in higher education. Conference officials say it is important for students to realize that athletic success can best be achieved when preceded by academic success.

John Collins, assistant superintendent for Poway Unified, said the program addresses district goals of increased literacy and college readiness for all. "Having student athletes involved means these (younger) kids feel connected with older kids in college," Collins said. "This keeps college in the forefront and that's great. Some of these (elementary) kids already know where they want to go to college."

Teacher Christopher DeCremer said the program has been a big hit in his class. "The kids are motivated and they want to do well," DeCremer said. "I've also seen improvement in their computer skills, and that's an added benefit."

The basic program is free. Poway Unified is the first district in the Mountain West Conference to purchase an extended version of the program that allows teachers to track students' progress and modify the program for individuals.

DeCremer can call up individual progress reports on his computer and determine how his students are doing in various areas. He can then choose to reteach fractions or punctuation to a small group if necessary. Also, if a student consistently gets all capitalization questions correct, DeCremer can delete those questions from future games for that student.

Although the program is only being used in fourth and fifth grade at Los Peñasquitos this year, the district plans to implement Kid's College at a few other elementary schools by next year, including Valley and Garden Road in Poway.

Yesterday's event participants included Aztecs baseball coach Tony Gwynn, who chatted with a few students before the demonstration. He talked about SDSU and the Padres, grimacing when one boy said the San Francisco Giants were his favorite team. "The Padres are going to be good this year, just wait," Gwynn said.

Looking around at the future college students, Gwynn added, "I know they were in last place last year but . . . you keep working hard, you stay focused and good things will happen."