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SETDA Releases Free EdTech Quality Action Toolkit

Key Takeaways

  • SETDA releases free K–12 EdTech Quality Action Toolkit: The toolkit provides a framework for evaluating ed tech products along with guidance on regulatory compliance, vendor communication templates, and training resources.
  • Toolkit centers on Five EdTech Quality Indicators: The indicators — Safe, Evidence-based, Inclusive, Usable, and Interoperable — guide evaluation of classroom-level digital tools.
  • Framework supports decision-making in a fast-moving ed tech market: The indicators provide a common framework for assessing tools supporting instruction, assessment, and student well-being.

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has put together a free K-12 EdTech Quality Action Toolkit that provides a framework for evaluating education technology products as well as guidance on regulatory compliance, templates for communicating with vendors, training resources, and more.

The toolkit was created by members of SETDA's State Action Committee, shared Ji Soo Song, director of projects and initiatives at SETDA, in a LinkedIn post. Its guidance revolves around the "Five EdTech Quality Indicators" developed in 2024 by SETDA's EdTech Quality Collaborative:

  • Safe: "Ed tech products must follow robust data privacy and security measures to protect student and educator data and safeguard against unauthorized access or data breaches."
  • Evidence-based: "Ed tech product design, implementation, and claims of effectiveness need to be grounded in rigorous research and evidence-based practices."
  • Inclusive: "Ed tech products must prioritize accessibility, inclusivity, and equitable design to ensure they are acceptable to learners from all backgrounds."
  • Usable: "Ed tech products must be designed for educators and students to easily use them to ensure a seamless digital experience."
  • Interoperable: "Ed tech products must seamlessly and securely connect to other technologies within a school's digital ecosystem."

"Education leaders today face a fast-moving marketplace," the toolkit notes. "Districts access thousands of digital tools and applications per year, and the pace of product development, accelerated by artificial intelligence (AI), can make it hard to tell which technologies actually support learning and which add burden to teachers, carry risks to students, or cause staff confusion. Therefore, the Five EdTech Quality Indicators … provide a common framework for evaluating classroom-level digital tools, such as those supporting instruction, assessment, and student well-being."

"The 'K-12 EdTech Quality Action Toolkit' empowers states, districts, and solution providers to further leverage the Five EdTech Quality Indicators (FEQI) — Safe, Evidence-based, Inclusive, Usable, and Interoperable — across broader contexts including communication strategy, professional learning, and product marketing," commented Song.

The toolkit is openly available here on the SETDA site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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