Independent Study Shows Nearpod Satisfies Level III ESSA Requirements and Leads to Positive Student Outcomes

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (July 18, 2023) – Nearpod, a Renaissance company and a teacher-centric, interactive instructional platform that gives teachers real-time insights into student learning, announces the efficacy results of an independent study conducted by LearnPlatform by Instructure. The research indicates that Nearpod satisfies Level III ESSA requirements and leads to positive student outcomes. Conducted during the 2021–2022 school year, the third-party study included 28,968 students and 1,029 teachers across 24 elementary schools, five K–8 schools, 10 middle schools, and nine high schools in Texas.

Teachers—especially those at the beginning of their careers—often struggle to design, locate, or implement high-quality lessons that incorporate best teaching practices. According to the Voices from the Classroom 2023 Survey from Educators for Excellence, just 36% of teachers report that they have the curricular materials needed for effective instruction. As a result, teachers often search for resources outside of their district-provided resources, which research shows leads to less effective instruction and prevents content-embedded professional learning.

“Nearpod makes it easy for teachers to source high-quality and pedagogically-sound resources for the whole class, small groups, and 1:1 instruction,” said Todd Brekhus, Chief Product Officer at Renaissance and General Manager of Nearpod. “We know educators value evidence-based instructional materials. A key part of the Renaissance ecosystem, Nearpod ensures that teachers have the tools and resources necessary to transform the instructional experience and get students excited about learning.”

In the independent study, Nearpod implementation was positively associated with student performance across multiple grade levels and subjects. On average, students in classrooms where teachers used Nearpod more frequently received higher scores on end-of-year STAAR assessments—Texas’ annual state exam. Implementation of Nearpod was most strongly associated with English Language Arts (ELA) and math outcomes in grades 3–8.

In addition, the research team found:

• More consistent and frequent weekly Nearpod usage was associated with better ELA scores and better end-of-year math scores among elementary students.
• More consistent Nearpod usage was associated with better end-of-year ELA scores among students in grades 7,8,9, and 10.
• Higher weekly frequency of Nearpod sessions was associated with better end-of-year ELA and end-of-year math scores among students in grades 6 and 8.
• Among grade 5 math students, English learners were more likely to outperform their English-fluent peers when educators launched 10 or more sessions per week.
• Launching more Nearpod sessions per week was associated with a smaller gap between English learner and English-fluent students’ end-of-year ELA scores in grade 9.

Nearpod joins a small cohort of the most-popular edtech solutions publishing ESSA-aligned research to prove efficacy. According to LearnPlatform’s EdTech Evidence: 2023 Mid-Year Report, 26% of the 100 most-accessed edtech providers have research aligned to ESSA, with 4 providers meeting the Level III threshold.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) encourages state and local education agencies to utilize the school improvement cycle and ESSA’s four tiers of evidence provide a framework for education leaders to determine which solutions will work for their student populations. Level III is referred to as “Promising Evidence” and reaffirms that solutions are supported by one or more well-designed and well-implemented correlational studies. LearnPlatform’s independent study confirms that Nearpod satisfies Level III ESSA requirements, including proper design and implementation, statistical controls through covariates, and at least one statistically significant, positive finding.

To learn more about Nearpod and to explore the full study, please visit https://nearpod.com/blog/learn-platform-essa-evidence-tier-3.

About Nearpod

Nearpod is the leader in providing interactive and high-impact instructional experiences inside and outside of the classroom. The company’s award-winning interactive, instructional platform merges formative assessment and dynamic media for live and self-paced teaching and learning that empowers teachers with real-time insights into student understanding through interactive lessons, interactive videos, gamification, and activities created in partnership with leading brands like Common Sense Education and Smithsonian—all in a single platform. In 2019, Nearpod acquired Flocabulary, a learning platform that engages students in academically rigorous K–12 curriculum while promoting literacy through music videos. Together, Nearpod and Flocabulary reach educators in the 100 largest school districts in the U.S. In 2018, Nearpod was named EdTech Digest’s Company of the Year. In March of 2021, Nearpod was acquired by Renaissance, a global leader in assessment, reading, and math solutions for pre-K–12 schools and districts. To learn more about Nearpod, visit https://www.nearpod.com.

About Renaissance

As a leader in education technology, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. For more information, visit https://www.renaissance.com.

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