Product Certification Provides Transparency to Edtech Marketplace

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Mosaic™ by ACT® Adaptive Academic Learning has earned the Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise. The product certification serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school administrators, educators and families looking for evidence of research-based educational technology (edtech) products that are based in research about learning.

ACT submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming a link between research on how students learn and the product’s design.

“ACT has built its reputation as an authority in research-backed products and services intended to address the evolving educational marketplace,” said Interim Chief Product Officer Julie Murphy. “This certification for Mosaic by ACT Adaptive Academic Learning—from such a respected organization—is an endorsement of our mission to deliver solutions that are comprehensive, efficacious and support each learner on their personalized learning path. It’s now more important than ever to address learning losses resulting from COVID-19 instructional disruption."

“Educators and researchers continue to uncover important insights about how people learn,” said Christina Luke Luna, senior director of lifelong learning pathways at Digital Promise. “Digital Promise’s Research-Based Design product certification recognizes the edtech products that incorporate research about learning into their design and development. Congratulations to ACT for demonstrating that research informs product design!”

Through Product Certifications, consumers can narrow their options as they select products based on research about learning before trying it out in their classrooms. Digital Promise launched the Research-Based Design product certification in February 2020 and has certified 43 products to date.

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 nearly 50 educators across the United States. Further detail about its development can be found in Digital Promise’s report, “Designing Edtech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications.”

All developers, educators, edtech 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.

About ACT

ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Grounded in more than 60 years of research, ACT is a trusted leader in college and career readiness solutions. Each year, ACT serves millions of students, job seekers, schools, government agencies and employers in the US and around the world with learning resources, assessments, research and credentials designed to help them succeed from elementary school through career. To learn more, visit www.act.org.

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.