Building Data-Driven Edtech Evaluations

Sumter School District prides itself on being data- driven. After collecting so many edtech tools in recent years, it needed to enhance how it evaluated them. The district implemented LearnPlatform to gain a more comprehensive understanding of edtech usage and cost- effectiveness.

“Our use of digital tools has exploded in recent years. We quickly realized we needed a better, more efficient way to manage and evaluate all these new tools, ” explained Christine Carnes, Elementary ELA Social Studies Coordinator.

As their edtech ecosystem grew, several challenges appeared:

• Difficulty in measuring fidelity: It was challenging to determine which tools were being used consistently and effectively across the district.
• Resource allocation: After losing ESSER funding post-COVID, the district needed a way to make informed decisions about edtech purchases were showing a positive ROI.
• Siloed communication: Due to busy schedules, communication between teachers requesting tools, curriculum, technology, and administration departments was sometimes fragmented, hindering informed decision-making.

Together, they set out to bring more data and efficiency to their edtech evaluation process.

"Before LearnPlatform, we relied on manual methods to evaluate our edtech. At one point, we used a spreadsheet to track all our tools. From this perspective, it was challenging to understand every tool’s impact on student achievement, and that's ultimately what we want to know about everything we put in our classrooms. How are they positively impacting student achievement?” Carnes said.

After hearing about LearnPlatform, they saw it as an opportunity to build on and transform the way they worked.

For years, they relied on Mastery Connect and Predictive Assessments to bring actionable assessment data to their teams; LearnPlatform’s ability to give them insight into how many tools they were using, how much they were spending, and the impact on student outcomes; was an obvious way to build on their data efforts.

“‘We didn't know LearnPlatform was what we were looking for, but wow, it is exactly what we are looking for, ” Carnes said.

Data from LearnPlatform has served as a guiding light for their edtech investments. Now, they’ve been able to move beyond gut feelings and have confidence that the edtech decisions they make are driven by accurate data.

They’ve also been working to achieve:

• Increased fidelity of use: By analyzing usage data, the district could identify schools and teachers that needed additional support or training for specific tools.
• Cost savings: The RCEs helped the district identify underutilized tools, allowing them to reallocate resources more effectively.
• Improved collaboration: LearnPlatform facilitated communication and collaboration between curriculum, technology, and administration departments.

"LearnPlatform gives us valuable data and fosters better collaboration between departments. Instead of fragmented communication, we now have a shared digital space where curriculum, technology, and administration can all be on the same page. It's bringing us closer together and improving our efficiency, ” Carnes said.

Sumter School District plans to continue its journey with LearnPlatform and focus on:

• Expanding RCEs: To evaluate additional edtech tools and support school-level decision-making.
• Refining workflows: To further streamline and automate evaluating and recommending edtech tools.
• Understanding ROI: To ensure that they’re allocating the appropriate resources to the tools that have the most impact on student achievement.
• Empowering teachers: To provide an avenue for teachers to understand the most effective tools to bring into the classroom.

“We’re looking forward to teachers being able to go on LearnPlatfrom, look at the products that have been approved, and analyze them for themselves before they submit a request, ” Carnes explained.

By implementing LearnPlatform, Sumter School District transformed its approach to edtech evaluation. When asked about any advice she’d give to fellow schools figuring out how to evaluate their edtech better, Carnes closed with the following:

“Instructure is an amazing company to work with. Know that you will have as much support as needed to get LearnPlatform up and running. ”