What is FERPA compliance in EdTech?

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) requires EdTech vendors that handle student education records to implement appropriate data governance — including data processing agreements, limited disclosure, and student data access/deletion controls.

What is COPPA and why does it matter for K-12 software?

COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) restricts collection of personal data from children under 13. K-12 schools must ensure tools used with younger students are COPPA-compliant or operate under a school-consent exception.

What do SOC 2 Type I and Type II mean for an EdTech vendor?

SOC 2 Type I evaluates whether controls are suitably designed at a point in time. SOC 2 Type II evaluates whether those controls operated effectively over a defined period, commonly 6-12 months. Schools should request the vendor report to confirm the type and scope.

EdTech Product Certifications

A guide to the certifications and compliance standards that matter most in K-12 and higher education technology procurement — covering student data privacy, security, research quality, accessibility, and interoperability.

Browse products by compliance standard

Explore filtered Ednology product directories for each reported compliance certification or recognition.

FERPA-Compliant EdTech Software COPPA-Compliant EdTech Software Accessible EdTech Software SOC 2 Type I & Type II EdTech Software Project Unicorn Certified EdTech Data Privacy Certified EdTech ESSA Tier III EdTech ESSA Tier IV EdTech Student Privacy Consortium (CSPC) Verified EdTech ATLIS Certified EdTech STEM Excellence Recognised EdTech

Privacy & Data Protection

FERPA — Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Required for any tool that processes student education records.
COPPA — Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Applies to tools used with children under 13.
iKeepSafe / Data Privacy Certified — Third-party verification of student data privacy practices beyond FERPA minimums.
CSPC — Student Privacy Consortium, a district-led verification framework from CoSN.

Security

SOC 2 Type I & Type II — Type I assesses control design at a point in time; Type II assesses operating effectiveness over a defined review period.

Research Quality (ESSA Evidence Tiers)

ESSA Tier I — Strong: randomised controlled trial evidence of effectiveness.
ESSA Tier II — Moderate: quasi-experimental study evidence.
ESSA Tier III — Promising: correlational study with positive outcomes.
ESSA Tier IV — Demonstrates a rationale: logic model grounded in research.

Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 AA — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Required under Section 508 for federally-funded schools.

Interoperability

Project Unicorn — District-led interoperability certification verifying LTI, OneRoster, and Ed-Fi implementation.
ATLIS — Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools recognition for independent-school EdTech.

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