Exploring the Evolution of Study Island

The year was 2000, and the place was Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That’s where it all started for Study Island.

The year 2000 was marked by more than just a presidential election, the Sydney Summer Games, and the eventual Academy Awards Best Picture winner, Gladiator. It was also marked by the conclusion of a year and a half of research about learning modalities, instructional models, and engagement methods, paired with countless classroom visits. Thanks to that hard work, Study Island was born.

Study Island did more than just put worksheets online—it made learning fun during a time when the Internet was still in its infancy and Google was only two years old. In fact, “Google it” wasn’t even a recognized term yet! Study Island’s first reading and math programs, launched in Ohio, took a uniquely different perspective on educational technology than what was in the market at that time. They took the perspective of the student. The company’s founders explored questions like: how can we use technology to engage a student who may not like school and how can we make learning rigorous, standards-based material fun? Study Island’s unique structure was designed to be easy for educators to implement, and the program’s real-time reporting was developed to inform instruction in the classroom and monitor student progress. Most importantly, it was designed to be something students would be excited to use.

Study Island’s programs for one state quickly became 50, and in the last 17 years, math and reading have grown to cover all four core subjects (and then some) for kindergarten through adult learners—all with the same commitment to standards alignment. From the very beginning, our in-house curriculum development team, led by former educators, researchers, and subject matter experts, has been focused on developing meaningful content built from the ground up to align with each state’s unique standards.

Study Island is now leading the way in offering high-quality practice and assessment solutions that present focused instructional support and educator resources, while providing opportunities for students to learn in the style that works best for them. In the same time that it takes a baby to become a high school graduate (yes, babies born in 2000 are now entering college!), Study Island has become the industry leader in delivering built-to-standards content that maintains that same commitment to offering a robust, engaging platform that makes learning fun. And, as Study Island has evolved, we’ve embraced the value of flexibility in the classroom. We are laser-focused on both helping students prepare for rigorous end-of-year exams AND driving meaningful formative assessment—always keeping in mind the unique needs of the educators and students who work every day to move education forward. 

Ready to learn more? Check out the blog posts below to find out more about Study Island’s powerful features, or start a FREE trial to see the program in action! 

• 10 Study Island Features You Need to Know About
• Research at Edmentum: Teaming Up with Marzano Research to Understand How Study Island Drives Student Growth
• [Study Island Feature Focus] Create Customizable Built Tests
• [Feature Focus] Discover Study Island Printable Worksheets to Continue Learning Offline
• [Feature Focus] Improving the Teacher Experience in Study Island
• [Feature Focus] Exploring the New Study Island Student Dashboard
• [Feature Focus] Study Island’s New Approach to Cumulative Scoring
• [Study Island Updates] Time-on-Task Tracking, Built Test Enhancements, and NWEA Reports