Ava
This app has not yet been evaluated against our instructional invariants. The analysis below is based on independent research.
The Bottom Line
Partially. While The Learning Standard has not yet formally evaluated Ava, its game-based environment offers a safe space for neurodiverse students to practice social-emotional skills. It leverages play-based scenarios to model interactions, though its reliance on simulation means real-world transfer requires active facilitation from educators or parents.
Pros
- Uses role-play mechanics to allow safe failure and repetition of complex social interactions.
- Models social-emotional scenarios through interactive gameplay rather than passive video consumption.
- Designed specifically around neurodivergent learning profiles to reduce the cognitive overload associated with traditional social-emotional instruction.
Cons
- Requires significant adult facilitation to ensure skills transfer from the game to real-world interactions.
- Lacks built-in spaced retrieval practice to reinforce social concepts over long-term intervals.
- Pricing structure is geared heavily toward institutional purchasing rather than individual families.
Does Ava Actually Teach?
Ava provides an effective, low-stakes environment for neurodivergent middle-grade students to practice social-emotional skills, though it requires active adult involvement for real-world application. Your child will navigate narrative-driven scenarios that require them to make social decisions, see the consequences, and try again without the stress of real-world repercussions. This approach leverages experiential learning, which is critical for students who may struggle with abstract social concepts. Because the game acts as a simulator, your child can test boundaries and explore empathy in a structured way. However, parents and educators should understand that digital social-emotional learning rarely transfers automatically to physical environments. You must bridge the gap between the game's scenarios and your child's daily life by discussing the choices they make in the app. The program is currently awaiting formal evaluation by The Learning Standard, but its foundational use of cooperative and play-based learning aligns with established frameworks for neurodiverse education. It is best utilized as a supplementary tool alongside structured, real-world social coaching rather than a standalone curriculum.
How Does Ava Help Students Learn?
Ava relies on game-based, narrative role-play to model social-emotional learning concepts for neurodivergent students. Your child assumes the role of a character navigating a science-fiction world, where they must solve problems by making social and emotional choices. The mechanics focus on experiential learning. Students encounter a scenario, choose a response, and immediately observe the narrative consequence of that choice. If a choice leads to a negative outcome, the game allows the student to rewind and attempt a different strategy. This promotes psychological safety and encourages learners to explore various social strategies without real-world anxiety. The platform also incorporates cooperative learning elements, providing discussion prompts that educators or parents can use to guide post-game reflections. By anchoring abstract social rules in concrete gameplay mechanics, the app attempts to reduce the cognitive load often required to process complex interpersonal dynamics.
Where Does Ava Excel and Fall Short?
Ava's biggest strength is its use of safe, simulated environments for social-emotional trial and error, while its biggest weakness is the inherent difficulty of transferring screen-based social skills to real-world interactions. Strengths: The app excels at providing a low-stakes platform for social modeling. By allowing students to make dialogue and action choices within a game, it uses experiential learning to demonstrate cause and effect in relationships. This is particularly effective for neurodivergent learners who benefit from explicit, visual representations of social dynamics. The ability to fail safely and retry scenarios builds competence without triggering anxiety. Weaknesses: Social-emotional learning relies heavily on context, body language, and unpredictable human variables that a digital game cannot fully replicate. Ava does not utilize formal spaced repetition or retrieval practice to ensure students remember the social rules they learn in the game. Furthermore, the skills acquired in the digital environment will likely remain siloed there unless an adult actively bridges the gap. Parents and teachers must facilitate discussions to connect the game's lessons to the student's actual life, making the app highly dependent on external instruction.
Is Ava Right for Your Child?
Ava is best for neurodivergent students in grades 4 through 9 who benefit from practicing social-emotional skills in a low-anxiety, digital environment. The narrative and gameplay mechanics are specifically tailored to middle-grade cognitive levels, making it ideal for late elementary and middle school classrooms or therapy settings. Because the pricing and structure are designed primarily for cohorts, it is an excellent fit for special education teachers, school counselors, or dedicated parents who are willing to use the game's cooperative learning prompts to facilitate deeper real-world discussions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ava
Is Ava evaluated by The Learning Standard?
Not yet. Ava is currently pending evaluation by The Learning Standard. Our team has not yet formally rated its learning efficacy against our rubrics. You can read more about how we rate educational tools in our [methodology](/methodology).
Is Ava free?
No, Ava is a paid platform. It costs between $5.00 and $6.00 per student per month, depending on the number of students enrolled. Annual billing options are also available at a slightly discounted rate.
Is Ava good for elementary students?
Ava is designed primarily for upper elementary and middle school students. The reading level, thematic elements, and social scenarios are optimized for children in grades 4 through 9. It may be too complex for early elementary students.
What does Ava teach?
Ava teaches social-emotional learning skills. The game focuses on concepts like empathy, emotional regulation, self-advocacy, and social problem-solving by placing students in narrative scenarios where they must navigate interpersonal challenges.
Is Ava safe for kids?
Yes, Ava provides a closed, secure environment. It does not feature open multiplayer chat rooms with strangers, focusing instead on single-player narrative choices and facilitated discussions with trusted adults or peers in a classroom setting.
Can a child use Ava entirely on their own?
While a child can physically play the game independently, the learning will not be fully effective without adult involvement. The app requires a parent or educator to facilitate discussions to ensure the social skills transfer to the real world.
Data Transparency
26 of 35 checks passed
Evaluated April 2026
View privacy policy →View all 35 checks
Parent Access8/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“Our products can be signed up for by teachers... as well as parents for their children”
Can parents view their child's data?
“Adult Users may contact us at any time to request that we provide for their review... any information they have provided about child/student users”
Can parents modify their child's data?
“Parents have the right to request that we delete personal information or make changes to records at any time.”
Can parents delete their child's account?
“Adult Users may contact us at any time to request that we provide for their review, or delete from our records, any information they have provided about child/student users”
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
“There is a section titled 'Children’s Privacy and Parental Consent' and another titled 'Children’s Privacy'.”
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
“Parents & the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)”
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
“Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)”
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
“We will obtain parental consent before collecting any Personal Information on our Services”
Data Portability2/5
Can users access their personal data?
“You may also access and correct some of your Personal Data by logging into your online account”
Can users download/export their data?
“The policy does not mention users being able to export or download their data.”
Is there a self-service data access tool?
“Each educator has access to a dashboard that allows them to create, update, review, modify, and delete accounts.”
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
“There is no mention of a specific data export format.”
Is there an API for data access?
“The policy does not mention an API for accessing user data.”
Data Minimization4/6
Is data collection itemized?
“we collect information that identifies you (“Personal Data”), such as your: ● Name... ● Email address... ● Payment information”
Can the app be used without a real name?
“we have taken steps so that information about a child/student requested from a parent/teacher is non-Personal Information such as a nickname or child’s first name and last initial only.”
Can the app be used without an email?
“Students are only identified by a nickname, first name, or student ID and then associated with the teacher”
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
“We do not condition a child’s participation in our Services on the disclosure of more Personal Information than is reasonably necessary”
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
“We collect your IP address when you login to our services. The policy does not state it is anonymized or truncated.”
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
“The policy does not exclude location tracking; it mentions providing 'location-based services'.”
Third-Party Protection5/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“No Sale of Personal Data We will not sell your Personal Data to third parties, including third party advertisers.”
Are third-party providers named?
“The Social Cipher Subprocessor List identifies subprocessors... Brevo, Mixpanel, Inc, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hubspot”
Are providers contractually restricted?
“Third parties with whom we share your Personal Data have agreed to be bound to maintain and use it securely and only in accordance with this Privacy Policy.”
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
“we may use third-party services and advertising networks... to deliver online behavioral advertising that serves ads to you”
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
“The policy does not address data sharing for AI/ML purposes.”
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“Student Data is not shared with third parties for marketing or to serve ads to students.”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
“Many of the third party technologies that enable targeted banner advertising also allow you to opt out.”
Deletion & Retention5/5
Can users delete their account?
“If you would like to delete your account... please send an email to privacy@socialcipher.com”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
“Each educator has access to a dashboard that allows them to create, update, review, modify, and delete accounts.”
Specific data retention timeline?
“we may retain it for 5 years from the date we last received confirmation of your Personal Data.”
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
“We will delete an account and all content associated with the account if the account has not been accessed for more than 7 years.”
Post-deletion handling described?
“If we delete content, please note: (1) there might be some latency in deleting this information from our servers and back-up storage; and (2) we may retain this information if necessary”
Advertising2/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
“we may use third-party services and advertising networks... to deliver online behavioral advertising that serves ads to you on our behalf on other sites”
Free from third-party advertisements?
“The policy does not state the platform is completely free from third-party advertisements for all users.”
Children excluded from ad targeting?
“Student Data is not shared with third parties for marketing or to serve ads to students.”
Ad-free option available?
“The policy does not mention the availability of an ad-free option.”
What This Means
This app does not provide adequate data transparency for parents. This may mean you cannot easily access your child's data, understand what information is collected, or request deletion of personal information. We recommend considering alternatives that provide better data transparency, or using our template letters to request your data rights be honored.
About this evaluation: Based on automated analysis of Ava's privacy policy using the Common Sense Privacy Program framework. Evaluation covers 35 binary checks across 6 dimensions. Privacy policies can change — this evaluation reflects the most recent version we analyzed.
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For Ava
If you represent Social Cipher and believe this evaluation is inaccurate or outdated, we welcome the opportunity to re-evaluate your product.
Request Re-evaluationDetails
- Pricing
- 1-10 Students: USD $6/mo/student or $43/yr/student. 11-20 Students: USD $5.60/mo/student or $40/yr/student. 21+ Students: USD $5/mo/student or $36/yr/student.
- Platforms
- Web Browser, Android (Google mobile), Chrome OS (Google)
- Grade Levels
- 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade
- Website
- Visit site