22 EdTech Products Awarded Research-Based Design Product Certification

Twenty-two products have earned the Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise, joining 13 others that were certified earlier this year. The certification is intended to serve as a reliable signal for consumers, including school administrators, educators, and families, looking for evidence of educational technology (edtech) products that are based in research about learning.

The following 22 product teams, each of which submitted evidence confirming a link between research on how students learn and their product’s design, have recently received the Research-Based Design product certification:

● BrainPOP

● Edgenuity Courseware

● Edgenuity MyPath

● Ellevation Education’s Ellevation Math

● Ellevation Education’s Ellevation Strategies

● iDoRecall

● Imagine Learning’s Imagine Math

● Imagine Learning’s Imagine Reading

● Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready Personalized Instruction

● Levered Learning

● MacMillan Learning

● My Math Academy

● Nearpod

● Pear Deck

● Prodigy

● Quizlet

● RoundEd Learning

● Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

● Scholastic W.O.R.D.

● STORYWORLD

● Tailor-ED

● Voxy

“Educators and families want to know which edtech products are based in research on learning,” said Karen Cator, president and CEO of Digital Promise. “Digital Promise’s Product Certifications provide that assurance when selecting edtech products. Kudos to these product developers for incorporating valid research into their designs!”

Through Product Certifications, consumers can narrow their options as they select products based in research about learning before trying it out in their classrooms. Digital Promise launched the Research-Based Design certification in February 2020 and has certified 35 products to date. “In a time when many companies are creating products to solve a number of issues in schools, we know that not all products are made the same,” said Andrew Smith, assistant superintendent of transformation for Rowan-Salisbury Schools in North Carolina. “Typically, school leaders are charged with trying to understand the qualities of products, which takes substantial time and energy. In a time of COVID-19 planning, time is not on our side. By obtaining a Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise, companies can provide evidence to school leaders of their product’s merit.”

The Research-Based Design 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 the report, “Designing Edtech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications.” Applications remain open on the Digital Promise website for product developers interested in earning the Research-Based Design certification. A second certification focused on learner variability will launch this fall.

All developers, educators, edtech investors, and families are encouraged to sign the Research-Based Product Promise and demand high-quality, research-driven products that support each unique learner. For more information on Product Certifications, please visit productcertifications.digitalpromise.org.