Product Certification Provides Transparency to Edtech Marketplace
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The VariQuest® Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite has earned the Research-Based Design: ESSA Tier 4 product certification from Digital Promise. This product certification serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school leaders, educators, and families looking for edtech products with a confirmed basis in research about learning.
VariQuest submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming a link between research on how students learn and the product suite's theory of change, aligning with Tier 4 of the ESSA Tiers of Evidence. VariQuest also demonstrated their commitment to making their research basis clear and accessible to the public.
"We are incredibly honored to have our product suite validated by Digital Promise. This ESSA product certification affirms our deep commitment to grounding every aspect of our design in empirical research and to building tools that meaningfully support educators and learners," said Jason Butts, CEO of VariQuest. "This milestone reinforces our mission: to create evidence-informed solutions that help all students thrive."
"Digital Promise is uniquely positioned to actively guide educators and developers to build upon our research-informed insights about how people learn with emerging technology tools and products," said Dr. Pati Ruiz, Senior Director of Edtech and Emerging Technologies at Digital Promise. "Our Research-Based Design product certification recognizes the edtech products that incorporate research about learning and technology integration into their design and development. Congratulations to the VariQuest team for demonstrating that research informs product design!"
Through product certifications, consumers can narrow their options as they select products based on research about learning before trying it out in their classrooms. Digital Promise launched the Research-Based Design product certifications in February 2020 and has certified over 100 products to date.
The Research-Based Design product certification uses a competency-based learning framework, developed in consultation with expert researchers in the Learning Sciences field and dozens of educators across the United States. Further detail about its development can be found in Digital Promise's post "How Do Education Leaders Know if an Edtech Tool is Likely to Work?"
Check out how districts are leveraging product certifications to inform edtech decisions. More information on Digital Promise's product certifications can be found at productcertifications.digitalpromise.org.
Press Contact:
Katie Crawford
VariQuest
Alisha Workman
Digital Promise
About VariQuest
VariQuest is a leading partner for K-12 educators across the United States, empowering schools to engage every learner with a comprehensive suite of visual and kinesthetic learning tools and content. The VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite includes innovative solutions such as touchscreen design workstations, full-color poster design and print systems, die-cut machines, specialty printers, and cold laminators—all designed to help educators create vibrant instructional materials with ease. Backed by thousands of custom-crafted educational templates and graphics spanning a wide range of subjects and learning focuses, VariQuest helps teachers save time, boost student engagement, and transform learning environments with a deep understanding of today's classrooms. For more information about the VariQuest Visual & Kinesthetic Learning Suite, visit https://www.variquest.com/.
About Digital Promise
Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates.
Media Contact
Katie Crawford, VariQuest, 1 800-328-0585 6447, [email protected], https://www.variquest.com
SOURCE VariQuest
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