EdTech StartUp Trackosaurus Seeks To Assist Teachers In Tracking Each Learner’s Developmental Progress
EdTech StartUp Trackosaurus Seeks To Assist Teachers In Tracking Each Learner’s Developmental Progress. With just one tablet per classroom, Trackosaurus helps teachers track the developmental progress of each individual child in their class. Teachers are able to identify which young children need help in which learning areas so they can intervene to get those kids back on track.
Unfortunately, current formative assessment options just aren’t working for most preschool teachers. ‘Direct’ assessments are too taxing on teachers’ time or too pricey due to third-party assessor costs. At the same time, ‘observational’ assessments are known to produce shaky results. With Trackosaurus, children unknowingly self-assess by playing tablet-based games that require little to no adult supervision. This innovative approach is fueled by a combination of behavioral insights and light machine learning. The net result is that teachers receive reliable, real-time information on how each child is progressing across a range of developmental skills without having to sacrifice valuable class time.
Trackosaurus games use light machine learning to tailor each child’s assessment experience. Additionally, each Trackosaurus game is psychometrically validated to make sure it’s producing reliable results. However, the key ingredient that allows Trackosaurus to work effectively across different learning environments is that all of its games are super fun. The Trackosaurus teacher dashboard is remarkably streamlined. For each skill assessed, a teacher is able to view a simple distribution of the ability levels within their class. (This is important since different kids progress at different speeds from skill to skill). Children at the lower end of a distribution may be in need of extra support on that particular skill, whereas children at the higher end may be pining for more challenging material.
Elastic cloud computing helps ensure the models behind this analysis are kept up to date. Importantly, the Trackosaurus teacher dashboard presents data for a single classroom of children – which is the space where a teacher can make an impact. The company’s goal is to track the progress of kids, not invite comparisons between educators.
