Edgenuity

Edgenuity was founded in 1998 as Education2020 Inc. (E2020),[6] and in 2011, was purchased by the company Weld North for an estimated 50 million dollars.[6] In 2014, Edgenuity launched My Path, a program learning path alternative for reading and math grades 6-12th. The same year, Edgenuity partnered with SOPHIA Learning to offer additional credit options.[7]

Edgenuity was a popular tool for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9][10] It was unable to maintain the sharp increase in usage, and many schools using the software reported problems with it.[11] The amount of new users caused a lack of course instructor employees, but was later resolved.[12]

Edgenuity is a virtual alternative, and uses pre-recorded videos and primarily focuses on struggling students, and sticking at pace.[13][14] Along with pre-recorded lecture, Edgenuity uses interactives and real-world problems.[15] 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.[16]

In 2020, Digital Promise awarded Edgenuity's Courseware, Mypath, and Pathblazer services with the Research-Based Design Product Certification.[17][18]

Parents and students complain about how Edgenuity can be frustrating, stating how there are difficulties in loading, understanding concepts, and the inability to skip newly presented content.[19][20] Most of the pass/fail majority comes from the quizzes at the end of each lesson, and parents complain how students aren't learning the material, but rather memorizing it in hopes they pass the quiz.[21] Edgenuity has been criticized for the standardization of their test questions,[22][23] and how it is 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.[24] Another study from The Verge discovered short answer questions are graded through Artificial Intelligence, and students have found ways to cheat using keywords the AI is looking for to grade.[25][26]