The Days of Traditional EdTech Procurement
Educational leaders face a growing challenge of keeping up with instructional materials that are making a difference for teaching and learning. EdTech usage in K-12 schools has increased 99% since 2020 and EdTech offerings are growing at the rate of 3.9% per year, so it is the job of school leaders to stay apprised about which programs are working best for improving learning and teaching.
Traditionally, educators do this by attending conferences, reading journals, attending webinars, and meeting with sales reps. With travel constraints, increasing costs, staff shortages, and an ever-expanding market of resources, educational leaders simply don’t have the time or capacity to hunt for and thoroughly vet all programs, collaborate with stakeholders for the best fit, and negotiate purchases for all the content areas and tools needed in a given school and district each year. A one-stop curriculum shop has never been more valuable to instructional leaders than now–a statement that Beacon Network Schools in Denver, Colorado can attest to.
Beacon Network Schools’ Math Program Dilemma
The Beacon Network Schools in Denver, comprising Grant Beacon Middle School and Kepner Beacon Middle School, needed a math program that allows students to work in a self-paced manner to match the network’s personalized learning priority. Beacon Network Schools’ Executive Director, Alex Magaña, and his team had tried three other programs: one that was too expensive, one that was frustrating for students, and one that was difficult to monitor at a network level. Ready to turn a new leaf, Magaña reached out to EdCuration to support his Director of Academics, Jennifer Kent, in a search for a new math program.
Finding a Solution to Meet All Their Needs
In conversation with EdCuration, Alex Magaña and his team defined the following criteria for their math program:
- Implementation: easy to implement as a network and does not require teachers to input all the student information
- Integration: able to incorporate into their LMS (Moodle)
- Flexibility: teachers can assign sessions or students can pre-test and be placed in sections so they find success
- Acceleration: students can move forward and are incentivized (badges, points, etc.)
- Self-Paced: does not require parent support at home
- Data Collection: at the network level, they can see the progress students are making at the school, teacher, and student level; also able to access the data so they can share customized reports with their families
- Support: initial PD support that ties to research and technology support if needed
- Innovative: it motivates students and staff to use the program
EdCuration immediately narrowed Alex’s search to six programs, which Alex and Jennifer were able to save to their EdCuration dashboard to review with staff. They submitted questions for clarification, requests for further information, and downloaded price quotes through the vendor pages on EdCuration in a matter of minutes.
From Pilot to Immediate Adoption
After the greatly expedited process of review and dialogue facilitated through EdCuration, the Beacon Network Schools ultimately chose Mathletics from 3P Learning. EdCuration arranged a meeting for the two teams to discuss details and next steps for a pilot of Mathletics, allowing new teachers in particular to “wade in gently,” saving weeks or even months of research and correspondence. After reviewing Mathletics, however, Magaña decided to encourage a full adoption for their 900 students, noting they had no time to waste when it comes to increasing students’ math abilities and test scores. Mathletics offered free professional development for the Beacon Network teachers and the program was implemented in the very beginning of the school year. From search to decision to purchase to implementation, the entire process took less than 2 months.
Explore EdCuration for Your Next Curriculum
High-quality curriculum has been proven to help students outpace their peers by up to four years of learning. With the rapid expansion of education technology and educators’ increased need for digital/hybrid delivery, the EdCuration marketplace is becoming the go-to place for instructional resource research and purchasing.
EdCuration has experienced a 310% growth in registered users since its launch in November 2019, and has flourished through the pandemic, demonstrating the need for, and value of, such a marketplace for educators. Through EdCuration, the resource adoption/pilot/purchase process has been shortened, and more importantly, educators are able to find resources they may not have ever known about otherwise to fill the needs of their particular population, budget and priorities.
Take a quick tour of EdCuration and search for programs by subject, grade level and resource type. 🤍 your favorites, and then compare them on your customized “My Favorites” page.
For a personalized curated list, contact Educator Engagement Coordinator Erica Vuolle who will short-list recommended programs for you.
Photo credit: NPR
