Product Certification Provides Transparency to the Edtech Marketplace
April 2023 | Washington, D.C.
Handwriting Heroes has earned the Research-Based Design for Instructional Learning Products: Product Certification from Digital Promise. This Product Certification underscores Handwriting Heroes’ reputation for providing schools with trusted, evidence-based literacy programs. It serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school leaders, educators, and families looking for edtech products with a confirmed basis in research about learning.
To earn the certification, Appy Therapy LLC submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming the connection between research on how students learn and the product’s design. The company also demonstrated its commitment to making their research basis clear and accessible to the public. That research base starts with how children learn to form letters, and why it shapes how they read, spell, and write. We unpack the science in Letter Formation: The Secret to Better Writing and Reading.
“There are more than 8,000 products used in K-12 schools and fewer than 1 percent have earned this recognition,” said Rachel Schechter, Ph.D., Learning Experience Design (LXD) Research, the independent research firm that helped prepare the application.
“Educators and researchers continue to uncover important insights about how people learn,” said Christina Luke Luna, Chief Learning Officer, Pathways and Credentials 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 Handwriting Heroes for demonstrating that research informs product design!”
Handwriting Heroes has also earned an ESSA Level 3 (Promising Evidence) designation, based on an independent case study conducted by LXD Research. In the study, first graders mastered an average of 18 additional lowercase letters in five weeks. Read the full findings in Handwriting Heroes Earns ESSA Level 3 Evidence: Inside the Research.
About the Certification
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 only 70 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 reports, Designing Edtech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications (2020) and An Overlooked Indicator of Edtech Quality: The Use of Learning Sciences Research (2022).
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 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.
About LXD Research
LXD Research is an independent evaluation, research, and consulting division within Charles River Media Group focusing on educational programs. We design rigorous research studies, multifaceted data analytic reporting, and dynamic content to disseminate insights. Visit www.LXDResearch.com.
About the Author: Cheryl Bregman, OT, M.S.
Cheryl Bregman is an occupational therapist with 25+ years helping children overcome handwriting challenges and the founder of Handwriting Heroes. She holds a Master’s in Technology in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University.