South Carolina Department of Education selects LearnPlatform by Instructure to provide local districts with actionable data on digital tools

LearnPlatform will measure the impact of educational technology in students’ hands and provide administrators with insight on how to prioritize future investments in edtech

SALT LAKE CITY — March 11, 2025 —  Instructure, the maker of Canvas, announced that the South Carolina Department of Education has selected LearnPlatform by Instructure as a 2024 South Carolina Innovation Grant recipient to assess how digital tools improve key student outcomes. All 85 K-12 South Carolina school districts can now evaluate, track, and maximize educational technology investments by providing insights into use and impact at no additional cost. Districts may choose to implement LearnPlatform by June 30.

In the 2023-24 school year, school districts accessed an average of 2,739 distinct edtech tools nationally. Digital tools include supplemental platforms, courseware platforms, study tools, classroom response and assessment tools, and other resources. With educators and students using thousands of tools in and out of the classroom, administrators are overwhelmed with evaluating what tools have demonstrated an impact on student success and whether they comply with privacy and accessibility policies. Providing actionable insights removes the burden on administrators to define a tool’s impact and alignment with applicable policies so teachers can focus on instruction.

"Understanding how tools are helping students in South Carolina is invaluable for administrators," said Melissa Loble, chief academic officer at Instructure. "This data provides curriculum and instruction, technology, finance, and other education leaders with the evidence they need to make instructional, financial, and operational decisions. Evaluating the effectiveness of solutions for students, particularly those in underserved populations, has the potential to level the playing field statewide and position every student for success. We’re excited to serve as a resource for every school district in South Carolina."

Adopting the Instructure Learning Ecosystem allows South Carolina school districts to review and compile evidence of student performance at the local level. Additionally, the state department of education will gain visibility into the most popular tools across the state to help inform future statewide edtech investments. No student’s personally identifiable information is captured in the dashboard or shared with the state agency.

“We are thrilled to empower school districts across South Carolina to make informed decisions about which products are well-utilized, effective, and secure for students," said Chris Downs, senior director of government affairs at Instructure. “This represents a massive step in the right direction to give district administrators the tools they need to steward student data and leverage funding in the most impactful way possible."

LearnPlatform’s insights into the edtech tools used by students and educators enable administrators to know where to best allocate resources to support learning. These insights can help local districts prioritize investments in tools that have demonstrated effectiveness and determine what tools aren’t providing a return on investment. This empowers districts to stretch funds further and prioritize tools that have demonstrated impacts on key outcomes, like literacy and math achievement. With access to LearnPlatform by Instructure, every district will be supported by a full-time consultant to assist with implementation. 

With LearnPlatform, local districts can objectively assess which tools are worth investing in and which are not. Removing subjectivity allows administrators to make evidence-based edtech decisions, optimizing spending and ensuring compliance without adding administrative burdens on instructors.