LEARNPLATFORM

FOR EXAMINING WHETHER EDTECH PRODUCTS ACTUALLY WORK

AS THE PANDEMIC UNFOLDED, EDUcators grew more and more reliant on a vast array of digital tools. The average school district currently uses more than 1,400 edtech products each month, nearly three times the number they used just five years ago. Between this influx of new technology and funding requirements that mandate federal dollars go toward “evidence-based services,” schools are eager to prove that these digital solutions actually work. Learnplatform helps educators analyze the efficacy of their edtech portfolio via its algorithms and automated data analysis that’s fine-tuned by both data scientists and former educators. As of 2022, Learnplatform has run more than 1,200 evaluations for districts that serve nearly 10 million students and teachers, and in 2021 its school customers ran more than 400 evaluations, saving an estimated $40 million when compared against traditional methods.

In February 2022, Learnplatform launched a new service to help edtech companies competing for school contracts. This “evidenceas-a-service” subscription program enables edtech companies to prove their mettle and more readily comply with the efficacy requirements outlined by the Every Student Succeeds Act (the Obama-era education reform law). Learnplatform also recently introduced a new certification for companies that meet those requirements, in turn empowering schools and districts to make quick, informed decisions about edtech tools. “Many providers do invest in research,” says Learnplatform cofounder Karl Rectanus. “But they need a third party to validate and have that trust.” More than 60 companies now use Learnplatform’s subscription service, including such popular edtech providers as Age of Learning and Varsity Tutors. These efforts attracted the attention of Instructure, the $4 billion market-cap maker of digital learning and assessment systems, which acquired Learnplatform in December 2022 for an undisclosed sum.