Easing the Burden on Schools: Integrating the Five EdTech Quality Indicators Into State Procurement Processes

The rapid increase in the availability of educational technology (edtech) tools has created both opportunities and challenges for schools and districts. Data from Instructure shows that the average number of edtech tools that each district accessed skyrocketed from 841 in 2018-2019 to 2,739 in 2023-2024. While this surge in edtech has enabled more innovative approaches to teaching and learning, it has also presented districts—especially smaller or rural ones—with the daunting task of vetting and selecting tools that are both effective and necessary. Smaller districts, in particular, often struggle to find the capacity to internally evaluate the usefulness of new tools. In response, SETDA has partnered with leading edtech nonprofit organizations to address these concerns and ease the burden of evaluating and vetting edtech applications and products. seven key organizations have jointly developed five Edtech Quality Indicators. These indicators serve as a framework for evaluating and procuring effective edtech tools.