ExploreLearning Reflex was recently awarded a Learner Variability Product Certification from Digital Promise.
Digital Promise is a global nonprofit working to expand opportunity for each learner. Working with educators, researchers, technology leaders, and communities they design, investigate, and scale up innovations that empower learners, especially those who’ve been historically and systematically excluded. Their mission is to shape the future of learning and advance equitable education systems by bringing together solutions across research, practice, and technology.
In February 2020, Digital Promise released the first of its edtech product certifications. According to their site, “The Learner Variability Product Certification uses a competency-based learning framework, developed in consultation with Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project advisory board, expert researchers, and nearly 50 educators across the United States. The product certification serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school leaders, educators, and families looking for evidence of educational technology (edtech) products supporting learner variability.”
To be eligible for a certificate:
- The product offers at least six distinct features, tools, and/or learning experiences that support learners’ social and emotional needs, cognitive abilities, and personal backgrounds and explains in detail how different learners are expected to benefit from each feature/tool/learning experience.
- The product identifies, and explains the use of, at least two features that can be adjusted by the users themselves to meet learners’ varying needs.
- There is clear, easily accessible, publicly facing information on how the product has been designed to support variation among learners. It also clearly identifies which aspects of learner variability are supported by using the product.
- The product developers incorporated input from educators and diverse learners to inform the design features.
“Educators and families want to know that edtech products support a broad range of learners,” said Vic Vuchic, chief strategy officer at Digital Promise. “The Learner Variability Product Certification celebrates those products that intentionally design for the whole child and allow learners to make adjustments based on their needs. Congratulations to ExploreLearning!”
