February 6, 2020 | Washington, D.C. – The newest digital curriculum platform from Achieve3000, Actively Learn™ has earned the Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise. The new product certification is intended to serve as a rigorous, reliable signal for consumers, including school administrators, educators, and families, looking for evidence of research-based educational technology (ed-tech) products.
Actively Learn submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming a link between research on how students learn and our product’s design and is among the first of 13 companies to receive the Research-Based Design product certification.
“The features and instruction of Actively Learn have always been driven by the best pedagogical practices,” said Jay Goyal, President of Actively Learn. “The National Science Foundation has supported our research to effectively differentiate scaffolds for struggling readers. We’ve also produced a suite of micro-credentials, certified by Digital Promise, to support the twelve instructional practices for deeper learning that are foundational to our curriculum platform (the Activate, Support, and Reveal® thinking framework). We’ve invested heavily in understanding how students learn and ensuring that Actively Learn supports the practices that matter most. We’re honored to be one of the first products certified by Digital Promise for their research-based design.”
“Schools and families want to know which ed-tech products can actually help students learn,” said Karen Cator, president and CEO of Digital Promise. “Digital Promise’s Product Certifications are designed to help strengthen consumers’ confidence in choosing research-based products while recognizing product developers doing the important work of incorporating valid research into their designs.”
After nearly a decade of ed-tech marketplace research, Digital Promise recognized that while consumers want to know whether a product will improve learning, there is a strong distrust of product-authored studies. Additionally, ed tech efficacy or pilot studies conducted once products were already chosen were found to be largely impacted by contextual factors like educator buy-in or a school’s technology infrastructure. Through Product Certifications, consumers can narrow their options as they select products by identifying ed tech that is truly based on research about learning before trying it out in their classrooms.
The Research-Based Design product certification uses a competency-based learning framework, developed in consultation with Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project advisory board, expert researchers in the Learning Sciences field, and dozens of educators across the United States. Further detail about its development can be found in Digital Promise’s new report, “Designing Ed-tech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications.” All developers, educators, ed-tech investors, and families are also encouraged to sign the Research-Based Product Promise and demand high-quality, research-driven products that support each unique learner. More information on Digital Promise’s product certifications can be found at productcertifications.digitalpromise.org.
Press Contact:
Rebecca Salem
Achieve3000
Erica Lawton Weinschenk
Digital Promise
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About Achieve3000 Achieve3000 partners with educators to deliver a comprehensive suite of digital solutions that significantly accelerate literacy and deepen learning across the content areas. Our personalized and differentiated solutions provide equity in the classroom, enabling teachers to help all students achieve up to 3X expected growth. For more than four million students in grades PreK-12, Achieve3000 improves high-stakes test performance and drives college and career readiness.
About Digital Promise Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates.