Product Certifications Provide Transparency to Educators when Selecting Edtech Tools
JANUARY 13, 2022 | Brooklyn, NY - InnovateEDU’s Project Unicorn announces nine education technology product vendors who have completed their Interoperability Certification, which is being offered in partnership with Digital Promise. The Project Unicorn Interoperability Certification signals that an Ed Tech product prioritizes data interoperability: the seamless, secure, and controlled exchange of usable data between applications. It also signals to school districts and educators each vendors’ focus on better informing instruction and driving student-centered learning experiences.
The following nine vendors have completed the Project Unicorn Interoperability Certification:
DataHub, created by Cedar Labs
Frost Align, created by LearningMate
i-Ready, created by Curriculum Associates
Imagine Edgenuity (formerly Edgenuity Courseware)
Newsela Essentials, ELA, Social Studies, Science, and SEL
ST Math, created by MIND Research Institute
“At Project Unicorn we have heard from our over 600 pledged school districts that clear market signals matter. This certification is intended to give both the supply side - vendors - and the demand side - districts and purchasers of edtech a clear understanding of where a product is in their interoperability journey,” said Erin Mote, Executive Director of InnovateEDU.
The Unicorn product certifications are awarded to products as competency-based digital badges through the Digital Promise Product Certifications platform and will be featured for buyers in a number of indexes where buyers go to find information about products including Learn Platform and the Edsurge Product Index.
"Educators are extremely frustrated by how hard it is to get reliable, independent information when buying ed tech products for the classroom. Research shows they tend to ask their peers for suggestions or simply search the web. We can do so much better than that!" said Mindy Frisbee, ISTE’s Senior Director of Learning Partnerships. "In the new Edsurge Product Index we bring together trusted, independent validations of product quality, such as Project Unicorn’s Interoperability Certification, into one place. Our ultimate goal is better outcomes for students from more informed Ed Tech purchasing decisions. Through partnerships with organizations like Project Unicorn we hope to make it easier for educators to choose the right tools that align best to their needs."
To learn more and sign the Project Unicorn pledge, visit the website here. To get your product in the Edsurge Index, visit the website here.
Press Contact:
Gabrielle Lue
InnovateEDU
gabrielle@innovateedunyc.org
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About InnovateEDU
InnovateEDU is a non-profit whose mission is to eliminate the opportunity gap by accelerating innovation in standards aligned, next generation learning models and tools that serve, inform, and enhance teaching and learning.