At a time when teachers are facing bigger time crunches than ever, it’s critical that the digital learning solutions teachers and administrators choose are evidence-based and proven to support student learning. This is why we’re so pleased to share that a recent independent study from LearnPlatform by Instructure has confirmed that Kahoot! satisfies the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Level III evidence requirements, showing Kahoot! as an effective solution for driving positive student learning outcomes.
With over 8 million educators active on Kahoot! in the last 12 months, Kahoot! is already a familiar feature of many classrooms and schools. LearnPlatform has ranked Kahoot! as one of the most widely used digital learning platforms in U.S. K-12 schools, and teachers around the world know how the interactivity and playful learning of Kahoot! can supercharge student engagement. Now, with Level III certification in the ESSA evidence standards, teachers and administrators can be even more confident that using Kahoot! not only gets students excited about learning, but also improves students’ academic performance.
“Promising evidence” of enhancing student learning outcomes
The ESSA evidence standards, which include four levels of evidence, help school districts choose interventions that are shown through robust research to improve learning. In 2023, Kahoot! announced it had earned Level IV certification, demonstrating a “well-defined logic model based on rigorous research.” Kahoot!’s ESSA Level III certification now confirms that Kahoot! is supported by a properly designed and implemented correlational study, statistically controlling for selection bias, and showing a statistically significant positive effect on student learning outcomes. Kahoot! is also in the process of being validated for ESSA’s Level II.
To achieve this latest certification, Kahoot! collaborated with LearnPlatform by Instructure, a third-party educational research company, to review an independent study for evidence that using Kahoot! improves student learning. As LearnPlatform shared, “The correlative study met 8 of 8 indicators related to ESSA’s Level III ‘Promising Evidence.’ Usage of Kahoot! showed a positive, statistically significant relationship with students’ academic outcomes (i.e., course exam scores) in a correlative study using statistical controls (e.g., GPA, year in school, and major).”
Through this study, the researchers found that compared to traditional lecture-based instruction, using Kahoot!’s poll questions to create an interactive learning experience sparked greater student engagement.
Evidence-based solutions to power up learning and engagement
While this study and Kahoot!’s Level III ESSA certification represent an important step, Kahoot! has long been backed by research showing its positive impact on student learning. For example, a literature review of 93 academic studies exploring the learning benefits of Kahoot! found that using Kahoot! improved learning performance, student attitudes and anxiety, attendance, participation, and classroom dynamics. 70 percent of studies including statistical significance tests showed that Kahoot! significantly raised students’ final grades or test scores, compared to other teaching methods.
As a learning solution developed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Kahoot! was founded on powerful pedagogy, and we continue to be fully committed to designing solutions that students love and educators and administrators can trust to support learning.
Ready to elevate student engagement and learning outcomes at your school or school district? Sign up for Kahoot! EDU today to get started with Kahoot!’s evidence-based solutions and make learning awesome in every classroom.
