The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) released guidance in February designed to help state and district leaders evaluate and select high-quality educational technology (edtech) products based on a rigorous set of criteria.
The new resource, Easing the Burden on Schools: Integrating the Five EdTech Quality Indicators Into State Procurement Processes, offers detailed strategies for embedding five indicators — safe, evidence-based, inclusive, usable and interoperable — into state procurement processes. It also includes models from states that have successfully implemented strong procurement practices as well as adaptable questions and examples of third-party validators.
“As educational technology continues to be an integral part of today’s classroom experience, school districts need reliable strategies to select products that best serve their students and educators,” SETDA Executive Director Julia Fallon said in a statement. “This guide equips decision-makers with actionable insights to navigate the complexities of evaluating edtech, ensuring that products are safe, effective, and inclusive.”
The proliferation of edtech tools has been significant, with the average number accessed by districts increasing from 841 in 2018–19 to 2,739 in 2023–24, and has created both opportunities and challenges for local educational agencies, according to the guidance. While some of these tools have enabled innovative approaches to teaching and learning, they also come with the “daunting task” of vetting tools, which is especially difficult for smaller and rural LEAs that have less capacity.
The latest guidance from SETDA includes sample questions that can be tailored and incorporated into different policies, processes, requests for proposal (RFPs) or state-level guidance and support tools.
In addition to model questions related to each indicator, the guidance also includes examples of third-party validators.
Key indicators
Indicator one: Safe
With the rise in cybersecurity incidents in recent years, it’s vital that edtech products “follow robust data privacy and security measures to protect student and educator data and safeguard against unauthorized access or data breaches,” the guidance states.
Among other things, LEAs should ask vendors to describe their product’s data security measures to help determine if they’re consistent with industry standards and best practices related to protecting data from unauthorized disclosure, use, acquisition, destruction, and modification — including unauthorized access and use by third-party contractors, service providers and researchers.
Indicator two: Evidence-based
According to the guidance, providers should engage in research-driven design, empirical validation, and seek demonstrated effectiveness and alignment with established educational standards. LEAs should ask vendors to supply independent research that has been produced about the effectiveness of their product, including any longitudinal impact data, in contexts similar to the LEA’s own.
Indicator three: Inclusive
Edtech tools must prioritize accessibility, inclusivity and equitable design across an array of measures “to ensure they are acceptable to learners from diverse backgrounds and with a broad range of learner variability,” the guide states. For example, products must be accessible for all learners — including English learners and students with disabilities — not promote existing or create new stereotypes, and not prevent students from acquiring accurate information as a result of biased algorithms.
Indicator four: Usable
Ease of use is crucial both for students and teachers. According to the guidance, while a well-designed product can reduce the need for extensive training and help streamline tasks like grading, lesson planning and communication with students, “products that are not intuitive or easy to use can place additional pressure on teachers, particularly in districts where educators already face significant demands on their time or where staff shortages exist.” If an edtech tool is difficult to use, students are more likely to give up using it altogether.
Indicator five: Interoperable
Interoperability, the ability of a product or system to work with other products or systems, is especially important for schools. The guidance states that “edtech products must seamlessly and securely connect to other technologies within a school’s digital ecosystem. With both increased demands on teacher time and some districts experiencing staffing and resource shortages in some subject areas, edtech tools must be able to readily aggregate student data in an interoperable manner, allowing teachers to identify gaps and personalize learning experiences.”
