www.missionswithmonty.com/">Missions with Monty," an international science literacy project developed by a faculty member in the Penn State College of Education and colleagues at North Carolina State University, received a $600,000 grant from the William T. Grant Foundation to increase science literacy and reading comprehension among multilingual fifth-grade students in the United States and Europe.
Originally launched with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2018, "Missions with Monty" integrates science curriculum into an immersive game-based learning environment. The interactive platform engages students in a quest-style game where students can monitor their comprehension skills as they navigate 30 science passages aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a set of K-12 science education standards developed by a coalition of state education agencies, educators and science organizations and state reading benchmarks. The program aims to help students develop skills to assess and regulate their own understanding of scientific material.
With the new $600,000 grant, the program will expand to reach more students, with a particular emphasis on multilingual learners in North Carolina. Additionally, in collaboration with the Czech government, the team is working to translate the game into Czech, broadening its accessibility and impact in European classrooms.
"We're seeing real gains in students' ability to monitor their own learning and improve their reading comprehension on standardized tests," said collaborator Rayne Sperling, associate dean of undergraduate and graduate studies and professor in the College of Education at Penn State. "It's exciting to see how game-based learning can make such a meaningful impact."
A notable development in the project, Sperling added, is its multilingual capability. The game currently allows students to toggle between Spanish and English, and soon Czech thanks to support from the government of the Czechia, also known as the Czech Republic, providing English language learners with an opportunity to build literacy skills in multiple languages. Rather than seeing a student's native language as a barrier, Sperling said, "Missions with Monty" leverages bilingualism as an asset, creating a more inclusive and effective learning experience.
"When you think about multilingual learners, you want to recognize their native language as a strength," Sperling explained. "By allowing students to navigate the game in either language - or both languages - we can help them learn science in productive ways."
Beyond its immediate impact on students, Sperling said, "Missions with Monty" has also contributed to academic research and professional development. The project has provided funding opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have been involved in programming, research and educational outreach. Presentations at conferences like the Penn State College of Education's Discovery Summit showcased the program's potential as an evidence-based learning tool, attracting interest from educators and policymakers both in the U.S. and abroad, Sperling said.
Looking ahead, Sperling and her team are updating the game in a new programming language, making it more adaptable for broader implementation across different regions and languages. This scalability opens the door for further international expansion, Sperling said, as other European countries have expressed interest in adopting the tool in their own educational systems.
"It's amazing to see the direction we're taking," Sperling said. "This is more than just a game - it's a tool that teaches science, enhances literacy and helps students become better learners."
The "Missions with Monty" project has also received support from Charles University and the Czech Science Foundation.
