Kitchener-Waterloo-based EdTech startup Knowledgehook has partnered with the Ontario Ministry of Education and to deploy its newly-launched remote learning platform in all 72 school districts in the province.
“It is also our attempt to maintain normalcy… during a time where at-home learning is the only learning.”
The platform, called Knowledgehook Open Access, is targeted to students in Grades 3 to 10, and helps them continue mathematics education from home through various lessons and exercises. Knowledgehook Open Access assesses student performance against the province’s learning objectives, and provides insights and progress reports to teachers and parents.
“This platform is a continuation of our mission to advance math education, and inspire the problem solvers of tomorrow,” said Travis Ratnam, CEO of Knowledgehook. “It is also our attempt to maintain normalcy for students and families, during a time where at-home learning is the only learning.”
Knowledgehook’s flagship platform analyzes student understanding through assessments and offers personalized solutions to close learning gaps between classroom teaching and at-home learning.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools across Canada to close for the last three months. Publicly-funded schools in Ontario have been closed since March 14 on a ministerial order from Education Minister Stephen Lecce.
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Since then, the province has worked to secure partnerships with the private sector to support home learning during the school closures. Before endorsing Knowledgehook’s platform, the province partnered with Rogers Communications and Apple to purchase iPad devices with free Rogers LTE wireless data that allows students to access the province’s at-home learning curriculum, which launched April 6.
“As students become more digitally-inclined, our ministry has been investigating EdTech tools to support teaching and learning,” said Lecce. “Learning online is vital which is why we’re proud to partner with Knowledgehook, an Ontario-based company trusted by many educators and school districts across the province, to provide more educational opportunities to even more students.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that his government will make announcements “early next week” about when licenced childcare and public schools can reopen.
Image source Unsplash. Photo by Annie Spratt.