Envision a classroom where every lesson and assessment is compared, in real time, to a standard that illuminates each student's true potential. A school where program consistency and unique instruction co-exist. Picture an education system where progress is no longer measured by report cards but by meaningful conversations, insightful feedback, and clear standards guiding every step of the learning journey. Where education that transcends grading and every student feels valued, every teacher empowered, and every parent engaged in their child's educational journey.

Say hello to Feedforward.

The Team

Andrew Morris

Andrew is a teacher of 8 years with experience in elementary and middle school education in Ontario. He is also a student in the Master of Educational Technology program at University of British Columbia. 

Andrew’s interest in assessment and artificial intelligence stems from his work in the school system. Over the last 8 years, he has worked diligently to improve assessment practices, integrate AI into lessons, and maintain focus on protecting student privacy and safety. His extensive experience in assessment adds significant value to this venture, playing a crucial role in establishing partnerships and prioritizing the appreciation of both teachers and students consistently.

Advisory Board

Feedforward is championed by a small team of educators, school administrators, and a senior user experience manager. We are looking to break the market wide open and are seeking an hands-on investor with artificial intelligence experience for the financial and strategic experience required for the next steps in scaling, marketing, and implementation. With the right investor, we are hoping to be entering the market within the next year.

Problem

As a team with experience teaching students from lower elementary through to high school we know the difficulty of assessment. Current assessment is tailored to the group of students in the classroom, but as each teacher employs differentiated methods, the result is a variation in grading outcomes that are not equitable across the whole student body. Reporting of achievement is static, stale, and one-dimensional. Coupled with the difficulty of ensuring curriculum fidelity between schools and school districts, traditional grading and reporting methods have the potential to stunt the growth of future generations. Nationally, there struggles to be a standard to align all Canadian students. 

Current Student Reporting

  • Grading practices in traditional report cards are usually subjective, influenced by factors such as the teacher's personal biases, varied grading standards across different classes or schools, and inconsistencies in assessment methods.

  • Traditional report cards often provide limited feedback, typically focusing on letter grades or numerical scores without detailed explanations of a student's strengths, areas for improvement, or progress over time.

  • Emphasis on letter grades or numerical scores in traditional report cards can prioritize achievement over actual learning, leading to a focus on "getting good grades" rather than understanding concepts deeply.

  • Report cards are issued at the end of three grading periods (usually November, February, and June), which results in delayed feedback for students and parents. This delay may hinder timely interventions or adjustments to support student learning.

Image of Ontario Elementary Report Card

Current Assessment Challenges

Ineffective Standardized Testing

Provincially, standardized testing varies. The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an independent agency in Ontario, Canada, responsible for assessing the academic achievement of students in elementary and secondary schools. Current standardized testing results in:

  • Limited feedback for improvement

  • Narrowing of curriculum focus

  • Potential for biased assessment practices

  • Delayed feedback for timely interventions

  • Equity concerns for marginalized students

  • Lack of consideration for diverse learning styles

  • Impact on teacher autonomy and creativity

Although standardized tests have been used to inform professional development and gather big picture data, they have a reputation of failing to prove useful. In fact, Ontario’s own government released a report recommending the phasing out of standardized testing.

Validity of Daily Assessments

In Ontario classrooms, day-to-day assessment practices are guided by Growing Success, which outlines principles and practices for assessment and evaluation. Teachers use the provincial curriculum as a foundation to design universal assessments that meet the diverse needs of all students. Autonomy is given to teachers and schools to design assessments that align with the curriculum while accommodating students' individual strengths, needs, and learning styles. 

This autonomy leads to varied assessment practices across classrooms, schools, and school boards. It is very difficult to balance varied assessment with validity of assessment, but it is not impossible (Hickey et al., 2006).

The inclusion of diverse assessment methods and teaching approaches is paramount for fostering success among our learners. However, this diversity can also present challenges in obtaining an accurate and objective picture of students' relative growth.

That’s where Feedforward comes in.

Solution

Feedforward is an innovative solution that is designed to enhance K-12 educational practices by promoting standard alignment through a gradeless approach, while continuing to foster creativity and personalization in lessons. Using real-time standards-based analysis of teacher lessons and student products, it provides teachers, parents, and their school boards with the confidence that classrooms are curriculum-aligned and achievement is equitable and accurate.

Educators are encouraged to differentiate lessons and assessments because the adaptive tool can effectively match the teaching practice and outcomes to accurate curriculum and grade-level standards in real time. With Feedforward, the human element of teaching is preserved while boosting teachers' superpowers. The result is timely feedback, data driven insights, and an improved educational experience for all.

How Feedforward Is Used:

  1. The teacher creates a lesson plan, including assessment criteria tailored to the unique needs of their students.

  2. Using Feedforward, the teacher imports assessment criteria (e.g., upload pictures, documents, or type it out) 

  3. During/after the lesson, the teacher will add student assessments (e.g., upload pictures of work, documents, or audio files).

  4. Feedforward uses its trained model to generate feedback regarding the student's ability to meet the teacher's success criteria, the curriculum expectations, and comparative information to standards.

  5. Feedforward offers optional feedback suggestions for next steps for both the teacher and the student to enhance learning outcomes.

  6. Organizations have the option to access real-time, large-scale data through Feedforward, allowing them to track student achievement across classrooms, grades, schools, and regions. 

How Feedforward Works:

  1. Feedforward is trained using current and widely recognized standardized testing methods, both at the local and national levels.

  2. Feedforward processes and interprets curriculum data, comparing it to the assessment and its respective success criteria.

  3. Student work undergoes comparison with curriculum and national standard expectations, with customized weighting based on the student's prior achievements and overall learning profile.

  4. Feedforward continuously learns from students' progress across the curriculum at a broader scale, offering macro-level insights to teachers and organizations.

Investor Report

Market Readiness

According to market research, the K-12 testing and assessment market is ready for innovative solutions like Feedforward. With a strong year-over-year growth trajectory, fueled by the increasing adoption of AI and analytics, this market presents open opportunities for technological advancements in education and assessment.

The surge in analytics usage is a key driver of market expansion. Schools in North America and worldwide are beginning to embrace assessment software that integrates learning analytics, tapping into the power of Big Data. The rise of learning analytics is a notable trend in the K-12 testing and assessment sector, propelled by technological advancements and the growing utilization of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data resources in education.

The incorporation of learning analytics and adaptive learning features within the testing framework empowers schools to deliver personalized learning experiences tailored to individual student needs. This shift towards personalized learning is reshaping the educational landscape, offering a more effective and engaging approach to student assessment and achievement. Feedforward is well positioned to utilize this shift.

Key Market Players

Pearson Education

Pearson Assessments is a division of Pearson Education, a global leader in education and learning solutions. Pearson Assessments specializes in developing and providing a wide range of assessment tools and services for educators, schools, and educational institutions. These assessments are designed to measure student learning, progress, and achievement across various subjects and grade levels.

EQAO

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an independent agency in Ontario, Canada, responsible for assessing the academic achievement of students in elementary and secondary schools. EQAO conducts standardized tests in key subjects like mathematics, reading, and writing at specific grade levels, typically in grades 3, 6, 9, and 10.

McGraw Hill

McGraw Hill is a major publisher of educational materials and assessments, offering a range of assessment tools and platforms for K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and professional development.

Anticipated Market and Venture Challenges

  • The procurement processes in school boards can be lengthy (bidding processes), bureaucratic, and subject to strict regulations and compliance requirements. This can prolong the sales cycle and require navigating various stakeholders and decision-makers.

  • Education systems, including school boards, may exhibit resistance to change, particularly when it comes to adopting new technologies or disrupting established practices. Convincing stakeholders of the benefits and value proposition of the product or solution is crucial but can be challenging.

  • School boards often operate within tight budgetary constraints, making it challenging to allocate funds for new technologies or solutions, especially if they require significant upfront investment. Selling to school boards typically involves longer sales cycles due to the thorough evaluation, testing, and approval processes required.

  • Navigating the dynamics between public school boards and teachers' unions can present challenges in adopting and implementing technology solutions in education, especially in Ontario.

  • Ensuring the privacy and security of student data will be of the highes importance. Schools and organizations will need to have full confidence in the tool’s ability to safeguard student data while still delivering quality data-driven results. Feedforward will store servers in their respective countries to comply with stringent privacy regulations, including Canada's PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act).

Overcoming Obstacles

The unique value proposition of Feedforward lies in the significant benefits it offers to teacher and organizations.

Built by teachers, one of the key promises we make to educators is that Feedforward will not undermine their crucial role within the education system. Instead, it empowers them by providing valuable tools and insights that enhance their teaching effectiveness, curriculum fidelity, and support student learning outcomes. Our tool is designed to complement and amplify teachers' expertise, not replace or diminish it.

Additionally, we are committed to safeguarding teachers' data privacy and ensuring that organizations cannot use this data punitively. We will work with unions and school boards to protect sensitive information and preserve the human element of teaching. Teachers can trust that their data will be used anonymously, ethically, and responsibly - solely for the purpose of improving educational outcomes and supporting professional development. Starting with Canadian adoption and eventually expanding to the American market, Feedforward will store servers in their respective countries to comply with stringent privacy regulations, including Canada's PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) and any provincial and municipal laws.

By addressing these concerns and offering tangible benefits to teachers, we create a win-win scenario where technology enhances teaching practices, supports student success, and maintains the integrity and importance of educators within the education system.

Who Are We Looking For?

We are seeking an active investor for Feedforward who not only brings capital but also values forming strong relationships with key partners, especially in securing access to standardized testing. This includes large companies like Pearson and McGraw Hill. We believe in the power of collaboration and strategic partnerships to drive the growth and success of Feedforward in the K-12 education market. Our ideal investor would be someone who shares our vision for revolutionizing education through innovative technology and is committed to actively engaging with us and our partners.

We are offering equity in Feedforward for an investor who can provide:

  • Capital (seeking $350,000 for Phase 1-3 anticipated costs)

  • Strong track record in building relationships with key stakeholders

View the projected costs for the completion of Phases 1-3 on the roadmap below.

What Is The Future Of Feedforward?

In terms of financial gains for the investor, there are several potential revenue streams.

Subscriptions.
Subscriptions from school boards and educational institutions could be a significant source of revenue as Feedforward gains traction and becomes a preferred solution for assessment and learning analytics.

Premium Insights.
Additionally, there may be opportunities to monetize certain features or services within Feedforward, such as premium analytics insights, personalized training programs, or additional modules that cater to specific educational needs.

Upselling and Cross-selling.
Offering additional features, services, or modules within the Feedforward platform can lead to upselling opportunities. For instance professional development offerings can be monetized to increase average revenue per user/organization. 

Benefit to Investor

Equity Appreciation.
As Feedforward grows and adoption increases, investors who hold equity in Feedforward will benefit.

Dividends or Distributions.
Investors holding preferred shares and participating in profit-sharing agreements may receive dividends or distributions.

Exit Events.
In the event of a successful exit, an acquisition by a larger company or an IPO, investors will realize benefits through the sale of their equity holdings.

Roadmap

Starting with Ontario, Feedforward has the opportunity to provide services to 76 public school boards with over 2 million students. We believe that targeting smaller to medium-sized school boards for pilot projects would be crucial to getting quick adoption while keeping scaling costs down. London and Waterloo district school boards, for instance, are medium-sized opportunities that also offer a bit more diversity than northern Ontario schools. This diversity will help make Feedforward more adaptable to larger, diverse markets like TDSB and PDSB.

Phase 1 - In Progress
System Development
(Months 1-3)

  • Develop relationships with educational testing companies

  • Onboard developers, data scientists, and AI experts.

  • Develop and refine algorithms for standards-based analysis.

  • Establish data collection protocols and privacy measures.

Phase 2: 
System Training/Testing
(Months 4-6)

  • Train the Feedforward system using diverse datasets and curriculum standards.

  • Conduct extensive testing and validation to ensure accuracy and reliability.

  • Gather feedback from pilot users and make iterative improvements.

Phase 3: 
Bias Removal & Fairness
(Months 7-8)

  • Implement protocols and testing to identify and mitigate bias in Feedforward's assessment processes.

  • Conduct thorough bias audits and ensure fairness in algorithmic decision-making.

Phase 4: 
Market Launch & Adoption
(Months 9-12)

  • Plan and execute a comprehensive marketing and outreach strategy.

  • Launch Feedforward in select pilot schools/districts for initial adoption (London or Waterloo).

  • Gather user feedback, monitor system performance, and make refinements.

Phase 5: 
Scalability and Growth
(Months 12-24)

  • Scale up infrastructure to support increased user base and data processing.

  • Expand market reach to new schools, districts, and educational organizations.

  • Forge strategic partnerships with education stakeholders and technology providers

Phase 6:
Investor Re-engagement & Growth
(Months 25-36)

  • Engage with investors for additional funding rounds to fuel growth and expansion.

  • Explore potential acquisition opportunities or strategic partnerships.

  • Continue product innovation and development based on market feedback and trends.

Let’s give superheroes, super tools.

Embracing the past to shape the future - using feedback to Feedforward. Envision a transformative system that propels our learners into uncharted territories, updating existing standards with innovative benchmarks, and empowering students to realize their full potential. Come join us on this journey!

Interested?
We’d love to talk.

Sources Consulted:

CBC News. (2018, April 27). Report recommends phasing out Ontario’s standardized tests. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/eqao-test-report-ontario-1.4636822

Hickey, D. T., Zuiker, S. J., Taasoobshirazi, G., Schafer, N. J., & Michael, M. A. (2006). Balancing varied assessment functions to attain systemic validity: Three is the magic number. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 32(3), 180–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2006.08.006

King's Printer for Ontario. (2022). Assessments. EQAO. https://www.eqao.com/the-assessments/

Kohn, A. (2000). The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools (pp. 1-25). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

McGraw Hill. (2019). McGraw-Hill | PreK-12 | Home. McGraw-Hill. https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/home-guest.html

OpenAI. (2024, March 10). Chat - Venture Plan Examples. Chat.openai.com. https://chat.openai.com/share/6e567704-b405-4549-bd0e-a00da6be0ead

Pearson. (2019). Pearson assessments. Pearsonassessments.com. https://www.pearsonassessments.com/

Think Inclusive. (2024, March 14). Breaking the Curve: How Standards-Based Grading is Transforming Education | Think Inclusive. Shows.acast.com. https://shows.acast.com/think-inclusive/episodes/breaking-the-curve-standards-based-grading