Edgenuity, formerly Education2020, is a standard-based online learning resource for school districts, which teaches kindergarten through 12th-grade in core, elective, credit recovery, technical, and career subjects, through both remedial and accelerated work. As of 2019, Edgenuity serves more than four million students in the United States.
History
Edgenuity was founded in 1998 as Education2020 Inc.. In 2011, Edgenuity was purchased by the company Weld North for an estimated 50 million dollars. Edgenuity was a popular tool for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, but even though the company has been around for 22 years, it still has its flaws. It was unable to maintain the sharp increase in usage, and many schools using the software reported problems with it.
Education style
Edgenuity mainly focuses on engaging content, primarily working with productivity and efficiency of struggling students, and working with them at their own pace. Edgenuity engages with the student using interactives, manipulations, and real-world problems. In addition to helping students who need extra support, the software is often used by schools to help students who have failed courses get the credits they are missing.
Criticism
Edgenuity has been criticized for the standardization of their test questions. This makes it easy for students to find test answers online while taking a test. In addition, the nature of the standardization causes students who fail a test to receive a very similar test the second time, making it easy to guess answers based on trial and error. A study published by Slate Magazine showed that students using Edgenuity received on average 37 out of 50 identical questions during their second attempt to pass a test. Parents on social media platforms also complain about how Edgenuity can be frustrating, stating how there are difficulties in loading, understanding concepts, and the inability to skip newly presented content. Edgenuity also has a habit of re-teaching material to students and sometimes it can be difficult to understand what they are saying due to using low quality microphones.
