Age of Learning
and Instructure

• Standing Out in a Crowded EdTech Market:
  With countless programs making bold claims, Age of Learning needed a way to cut through the noise with real learning outcomes.
• Showing, Not Just Telling, That Their Programs Work:
  Engagement alone was not enough. The challenge was to demonstrate measurable academic growth and lasting impact. 
• Helping Districts Understand Valid Evidence: 
  Many districts were unsure what ESSA-aligned research meant in practice. Educating them about evidence-based standards became as critical as conducting the research itself.

• Embedded efficacy research across all stages of product development
• Third-party validation by Instructure for math and literacy programs
• Transparent sharing of research results with educators and decision makers

• 30 ESSA Evidence Badges across My Math Academy, My Reading Academy, and My Reading Academy Español – spanning ESSA Levels I, II, III, and IV, making all programs eligible for federal funding.
• 100,000+ children in diverse states, settings, and student populations, including multilingual learners and students with individualized education programs

Before launching My Math Academy and My Reading Academy, Age of Learning had already built one of the most widely used and beloved educational programs in the country—ABCmouse, used by millions of children, families, and teachers across homes, libraries and classrooms.

With that foundation of success, the team saw a new opportunity: to bring the same level of engagement, expert-designed curriculum, and research grounding to schools. The vision was clear: if they could create school-facing programs that were just as engaging and rooted in learning science, they could help every child build a strong foundation for academic success and a lifelong love of learning.

As these programs launched, Age of Learning recognized a challenge in the crowded EdTech space: many products made bold claims, but few offered real-world evidence of learning impact. Unlike many competitors who treat research as an afterthought, Age of Learning embeds efficacy into every stage of product development – from curriculum design grounded in empirical evidence, to iterative testing with real users, and rigorous validation studies. This research-driven approach meant that when My Math Academy or My Reading Academy were ready for market, they were not just engaging, they were designed from the ground up to deliver measurable learning outcomes.

Rather than rush to market with marketing claims, Age of Learning committed early to independent validation through third-party partners like Instructure. The goal was to prove not just that the programs were engaging, but that they delivered the measurable learning outcomes they were designed to achieve.

The challenge was particularly acute given the market landscape. Districts were under increasing pressure to simplify and optimize their tech ecosystems to maximize value and learning impact. What was needed was research that not only proved effectiveness, but also met the federal evidence standards that districts were increasingly requiring in RFPs and purchasing decisions.

That need for rigorous, third-party confirmation led Age of Learning to partner with Instructure, and to prioritize evidence-based impact from the start.

From the outset, Age of Learning made a deliberate decision to prioritize research over marketing. Even before My Math Academy and My Reading Academy had gained national traction in schools, the team was already investing in efficacy studies. Because efficacy had been built into the product development process from day one – informing everything from curriculum design to feature selection – the programs were positioned to generate the kind of robust evidence that districts need.

The goal was to demonstrate that these programs didn’t just engage students. Rather, they delivered measurable academic growth, especially for early learners. To gain this credibility, Age of Learning sought a trusted third-party partner: Instructure. Known for its rigorous evaluation process aligned to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Instructure offered an objective framework to assess whether the programs met the criteria for evidence-based interventions.

The validation process was comprehensive. Age of Learning submitted detailed internal research, usage data, and supporting documentation. The Instructure Research Team evaluated the submissions against multiple federal and research-based frameworks, including those from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; statute and non-regulatory guidance); Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR); Standards for Excellence in Education Research (SEER); and the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), focusing on study design, implementation quality, and measurable outcomes.

This represents the full spectrum from strong experimental evidence (level I) through quasi-experimental designs (level II), to well-designed correlational studies (level III), and a logic model (level IV). This significant milestone confirmed the impact of Age of Learning’s programs on student learning across multiple contexts and populations. And because the review came from independent research, districts could move forward with confidence knowing that the claims were research-backed and transparently verified, not self-reported.

The validation process examined studies involving tens of thousands of students across diverse contexts – from Title I schools in Texas with 82 percent Hispanic population to rural districts in Florida, to large urban schools in Oklahoma implementing the programs virtually. The research demonstrated consistent positive outcomes. For example:

Age of Learning entered the partnership with Instructure with a clear understanding: third-party validation matters. From the beginning, the team knew that internal research, no matter how rigorous, would only go so far in an environment where districts need evidence they can independently trust.

That’s why partnering with Instructure early was essential. Instructure’s independent, ESSA-aligned framework provided not only validation, but a shared language that school districts, federal program directors, and instructional leaders were already using to make purchasing and implementation decisions.

What set Instructure apart was its PK-12 research expertise. Its team of WWC-certified researchers understood not just research methodology, but how districts actually make decisions. They made ESSA requirements accessible while bringing deep expertise in both policy and classroom practice, making the validation process faster and more affordable than traditional research firms, without sacrificing rigor.

That shift created clarity and built confidence, especially for districts looking to use federal funds or align with MTSS and intervention frameworks.

The partnership also created a valuable feedback loop. Instructure’s validation not only confirmed what worked, but also provided insights about implementation contexts and what drove outcomes in different settings. These learnings fed back into Age of Learning’s ongoing product optimization work, reinforcing the research-driven development cycle that had shaped the products from the beginning.

The process also reinforced strong research practices internally. It helped prioritize which metrics matter most to district stakeholders, encouraged improved data documentation, and laid a clear path toward ESSA validation studies. The commitment to building evidence across all three programs demonstrated Age of Learning’s dedication to serving diverse learner populations with research-backed solutions.

The number of EdTech tools with published ESSA research has grown in recent years, signaling a fundamental market shift. By prioritizing validation early – and pursuing it comprehensively across the products – Age of Learning positioned itself ahead of the curve, ready for districts’ growing evidence requirements.

Ultimately, Instructure wasn’t just a validator, it was a partner in building trust, credibility, and long-term research alignment with the needs of K–12 districts.

With 30 LearnPlatform-validated ESSA Evidence badges in place, Age of Learning is better equipped to support school districts not just with powerful learning experiences, but with the confidence that comes from evidence-based decision-making.

For many districts, ESSA alignment is non-negotiable. Whether they’re applying for federal funding, building MTSS frameworks, or making curriculum decisions that must stand up to audit, having an independently validated program removes a major barrier. My Math Academy and My Reading Academy offer that assurance – with a depth of evidence that few edtech providers can match. But the benefits go beyond compliance.

The Instructure process has madeit easier to speak directly to what districts care about: impact, transparency, and trust. Age of Learning’s teams can now point to externally verified evidence that aligns with district goals, without relying on assumptions or marketing language.

The impact extends across the entire district relationship. When districts evaluate My Math Academy, My Reading Academy, or My Reading Academy Español in LearnPlatform’s Community Library, they see the ESSA evidence badges immediately. This visibility, combined with detailed research briefs, transforms initial conversations from “tell me why this works” to “help me understand the implementation.” The 30 badges signal sustained commitment to evidence across multiple contexts, grade levels, and student populations.

The partnership has also strengthened internal processes. Instructure’s partnership has strengthened Age of Learning’s research-driven development cycle. Validation insights about what works, for whom, and under what circumstances feed back into ongoing product optimization. With clear benchmarks and a shared understanding of ESSA tiers, Age of Learning is continuing to expand its research portfolio, actively pursuing additional studies across diverse contexts. The focus remains on what has guided Age of Learning from the start: delivering products that are not only engaging and well-designed, but also proven to work for real students in real classrooms. Research isn’t something added at the end – it’s embedded in how we build, test, and continuously improve every program.

As Age of Learning continues to grow its impact in schools, the partnership with Instructure ensures that evidence isn’t an afterthought, it’s a foundation