IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Penda Learning to Add Standards-Aligned Scantron Assessments

The ed-tech company will incorporate over 14,500 assessment items into its digital science curriculum for grades three through eight, giving teachers data on student mastery of physical, environmental and biological sciences.

Closeup of a pencil filling in a scantron form.
The Colorado-based ed-tech company Penda Learning is adding Scantron assessments to its game-based digital science curriculum for elementary and middle schoolers, aligning it with state-specific standards as well as Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Penda Learning’s parent company Learning 2020, which focuses on improving K-12 teaching and learning notably in STEM subjects, said in a news release this week that a new agreement with the assessment technology company Scantron will incorporate over 14,500 assessment items across more than 10 science disciplines into Penda Science lessons for grades three through eight. Covering physical, environmental and biological sciences, Penda’s digital curriculum allows students to customize personal avatars and open virtual worlds of game-based science activities. Additionally, the release said, educators and school district administrators will be able to tap into data from quick-check assessments to identify any learning gaps with their students and alter their instruction accordingly through the digital platform, to help those students catch up.

Based in Loveland, Colo., Learning 2020 acquired Penda Learning three years ago with the expressed intent of expanding its science and math content. Now, with the subsidiary’s agreement with Scantron, Learning 2020 President and Chief Executive Brad Baird expects Penda Science assessments to develop at a faster, more efficient pace.

“High-quality, validated assessments are critical for teachers to make informed decisions about instruction and intervention in order to support science learning success for all students,” Baird said in a public statement.

The new Penda Learning diagnostic, formative and summative assessments, in partnership with Scantron, are being developed with completion estimated for next spring.