AI Tools Scoring Methodology 2026

Every product in the Top 100 is scored across 10 categories, each with 5 sub-signals scored 0–2 (max 10 per category, 100 overall).

10 Categories

Market Adoption — district contracts, renewal rates, enterprise customers, procurement, international presence
AI Capability — adaptive learning, personalization, tutoring, grading, real-time feedback
AI Governance — model transparency, bias policy, human oversight, hallucination controls, ethical framework
User Experience — teacher usability, student engagement, ease of implementation, mobile support, customisation
Support — onboarding, customer success, documentation, response times, training resources
Pricing — free tier, transparent pricing, district licensing, non-profit discount, trial availability
Integration — LMS, SIS, SSO, API access, ecosystem breadth
Curriculum — evidence base, standards alignment, learning outcomes, IEP support, ELL support
Compliance — FERPA / COPPA, SOC 2, GDPR, data retention policy, student data never sold
Accessibility — WCAG 2.1, multilingual, screen reader, SEND support, device compatibility

EdTech Evidence Exchange, RAND Corporation, EdSurge, Common Sense Education, ISTE, ed.gov, vendor disclosures, and public procurement records.