DoodleMaths
Product by Discovery Education, Inc.
The Bottom Line
Partially. While DoodleMaths has not yet been formally evaluated by The Learning Standard, its design suggests a strong foundation in adaptive learning and regular retrieval practice. It offers structured daily math practice aligned with specific curriculum standards, but independent verification of its long-term pedagogical effectiveness remains pending.
Pros
- Utilizes daily retrieval practice to help students retain mathematical concepts over time.
- Features an adaptive algorithm that adjusts question difficulty based on individual performance.
- Aligns practice exercises directly with standard educational curricula for targeted reinforcement.
- Encourages distributed practice through short daily usage rather than massed cramming sessions.
Cons
- Lacks independent evaluation data verifying long-term knowledge transfer and mastery.
- Requires a paid subscription after the initial free trial to access full content.
- Relies heavily on multiple-choice formats which may not fully assess deep conceptual understanding.
What Do We Know About DoodleMaths?
DoodleMaths is likely effective for reinforcing your child's math skills through consistent, short-burst daily practice, though it is currently pending formal evaluation by The Learning Standard. The app is built around the concept of distributed practice, a learning science principle demonstrating that studying in small chunks over time yields better retention than long, infrequent sessions. Your child will encounter thousands of interactive exercises designed to adapt to their current skill level. When your child struggles, the app adjusts the difficulty to prevent frustration, and when they excel, it introduces more complex numerical reasoning tasks. This adaptive pacing helps maintain the optimal challenge level, known in learning science as the zone of proximal development. However, because the platform relies heavily on gamified repetition, it should be viewed as a supplement to foundational instruction rather than a complete replacement for a math teacher. You will need to monitor your child's progress to ensure they are actually grasping the underlying concepts rather than just learning how to guess the correct multiple-choice answers. A free trial is available, but ongoing use requires a paid subscription.
How Does DoodleMaths Work?
DoodleMaths uses an adaptive, spaced repetition approach to deliver short, daily math drills tailored to the user's specific ability level. Upon initial setup, the app assesses your child to determine their baseline mathematical competency. Based on this data, the algorithm creates a personalized work program called the DoodleMaths age. Each day, your child is prompted to complete a targeted set of questions. These exercises employ retrieval practice, forcing the user to recall previously learned information to strengthen neural pathways and long-term memory. The questions cover a wide range of topics, including numerical reasoning and problem-solving, aligning broadly with formal curriculum standards. As your child answers questions correctly, they earn virtual rewards to incentivize continuous daily use. If they input an incorrect answer, the system recalibrates future question sets to provide targeted remediation on that specific skill before moving forward to more advanced topics.
Strengths and tradeoffs of DoodleMaths
The biggest strength of DoodleMaths is its reliance on distributed practice for skill retention, while its primary weakness is the potential lack of deep conceptual instruction when a student gets stuck. By encouraging just a few minutes of daily use, the app effectively utilizes spacing effects, which learning science dictates is far superior to massed practice for long-term memory formation. The adaptive algorithm ensures that the difficulty scales appropriately, minimizing cognitive overload for struggling learners while maintaining engagement for advanced students. On the downside, apps of this nature often lack comprehensive worked examples or detailed explanatory feedback. If a student does not understand why an answer is incorrect, simple drill-and-practice mechanics can lead to rote memorization without true conceptual mastery. Furthermore, while the app claims alignment with major educational standards, the reliance on interactive digital inputs can sometimes fail to translate to written, multi-step problem-solving skills required in traditional academic environments. Since The Learning Standard has not yet formally evaluated the app, empirical claims regarding its long-term efficacy remain unverified.
Who Might Benefit From DoodleMaths?
DoodleMaths is best for elementary and middle school students who need structured, daily math reinforcement alongside their formal classroom instruction. Designed for children ages 4 to 14, the app is particularly well-suited for students who struggle with math anxiety and benefit from low-stakes, adaptive pacing. Because it focuses on numerical reasoning and basic problem-solving in short bursts, it serves as an excellent supplemental tool to combat summer learning loss or to solidify foundational skills during the school year.
Data Transparency
Does Not Meet Data Transparency Standard
DoodleMaths does not meet our data transparency standard. Its privacy policy does not document basic protections, including a commitment against targeted advertising and a COPPA or FERPA commitment.
19 of 35 checks passed
Level 1 · Basic protections
Does not sell data or target ads at students, limits sharing, and lets parents see and delete their child's data.
Not documented: a commitment against targeted advertising, a COPPA or FERPA commitment
Level 2 · Parent control (meets the standard)
Families can get their data out, know who processes it, and know how long it is kept.
Not documented: self-service deletion
Level 3 · Direct data access
Families or schools can pull their own data through an API, in a stated format.
Not documented: an API for retrieving their own data, a named export format
View all 35 checks
Parent Access5/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“Parents can view, through the Parent Dashboard, information with respect to the Student users associated with their account”
Can parents view their child's data?
“Please contact Discovery Education at any time regarding privacy questions or concerns, or to request to review what personal information we have collected from a child.”
Can parents modify their child's data?
The policy lets parents review or delete a child's information but does not say parents can correct or modify it.
Can parents delete their child's account?
“Parents may also contact us at any time to request that we delete the personal information of a child or a parent and/or refuse to permit further collection or use of a child’s information.”
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
“Children’s Personal Information”
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
The policy does not mention COPPA.
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
The policy does not mention FERPA.
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
“Doodle Math and Pivot Interactives allows students and children twelve (12) years old and younger to create an account only if the student receives an invitation from the student’s teacher and parental consent has been obtained by the student’s school, or if the parent creates an account for their child.”
Data Portability3/5
Can users access their personal data?
“For any of the processing described above, you have the right to ask us for copies of your personal data.”
Can users download/export their data?
“You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data you gave us from one organization to another or give it to you.”
Is there a self-service data access tool?
“If you have an online account with us, you have the ability to review and update your personal information online by logging into your account.”
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
The policy refers only to a portable, readily usable format and names no specific export format.
Is there an API for data access?
The policy does not mention an API for data access.
Data Minimization1/6
Is data collection itemized?
“When a Student uses the Learning Apps, we will track all questions answered (and whether correct or not), the time taken per question, the number of correct answers to questions for each area of curriculum, and the number and frequency of logins to the Learning Apps”
Can the app be used without a real name?
The policy says the student's first name is collected when a Student account is created.
Can the app be used without an email?
The policy says teachers may give the vendor a student's email address.
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
The policy limits how children's data is used but does not say collection is limited to what is necessary.
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
The policy says IP addresses are collected and does not mention anonymizing or truncating them.
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
The policy says location data is collected, including location determined from the IP address.
Third-Party Protection5/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“We do not sell personal information.”
Are third-party providers named?
“We use Stripe as our third-party payment processor.”
Are providers contractually restricted?
“we have put in place appropriate safeguards to protect the personal information that is transferred to, stored and/or processed in other countries, by contractually obligating these service providers to adhere to the terms of our”
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
The policy makes no commitment against targeted ads and describes serving ads based on visits to the Learning Apps.
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
The policy does not address sharing data for AI or machine learning.
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“Except as provided in this Section, we do not share personal information collected from children under sixteen years old with any third parties.”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
“You may withdraw your consent at any time with effect moving forward by managing your Cookie Preferences by clicking the Cookie Settings link in the footer of our homepage https://doodlelearning.com.”
Deletion & Retention4/5
Can users delete their account?
“If you are a user of the Services, you may request to have your personal information that you provided when you subscribed along with the information relating to your use of the Services removed from our databases by submitting a request to our contact information set forth at the end of this Policy”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
The policy provides deletion only by request, not through a self-service tool.
Specific data retention timeline?
“Doodle Math retains the information it collects until a user is inactive and no longer has a paid subscription. Thereafter, Doodle Math deletes information from parents and teachers after six months and information from students after twenty-four months.”
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
“Doodle Math retains the information it collects until a user is inactive and no longer has a paid subscription. Thereafter, Doodle Math deletes information from parents and teachers after six months and information from students after twenty-four months.”
Post-deletion handling described?
“We will remove such information as soon as practicable for us, however, we may still retain certain information associated with your account for analytical purposes and record keeping integrity, as well as to prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, enforce our terms and conditions, take actions we deem necessary to protect the integrity of our Websites or our users, or take other actions otherwise permitted by applicable law.”
Advertising1/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
“We utilize Google Ads to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to our Websites and Learning Apps.”
Free from third-party advertisements?
The policy does not say the product is free of third-party ads.
Children excluded from ad targeting?
The policy does not explicitly exclude children from ad targeting.
Ad-free option available?
The policy does not describe an ad-free option or say the product has no advertising.
What This Means
The policy review did not meet our data transparency standard. The checks above show the documented findings and unknowns. A missing statement does not establish how the app handles data in practice.
About this evaluation: Based on automated analysis of Privacy policy and Privacy Policy using the Common Sense Privacy Program framework. Quoted text is copied from the policy; unquoted notes are our summary. Results describe the policy disclosures we assessed; unknown checks are excluded from scores. Privacy policies can change. This review reflects the version we analyzed and does not determine legal compliance.
Sources and review method
TLS combines product information and editorial analysis to explain how DoodleMaths works, its tradeoffs, and the questions to ask before choosing it. Product features, an instructional rationale and evidence of learning outcomes are different kinds of information.
Formal Learning Standard assessment: not yet completed. Data Transparency findings are reported separately and do not establish learning effectiveness. Read our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions About DoodleMaths
Is DoodleMaths free?
No, DoodleMaths is not entirely free. While the developer offers a brief free trial to allow parents and educators to test the interface, ongoing access requires a paid subscription. This subscription unlocks the app's full adaptive learning algorithm, daily personalized exercises, and detailed progress dashboards for parents. Relying solely on the free version will prevent your child from experiencing the spaced repetition mechanics necessary for long-term mathematical retention, so be prepared to pay if the app fits your child's needs.
Is DoodleMaths good for elementary and middle school students?
Yes, DoodleMaths is highly effective for elementary and middle school students between the ages of 4 and 14. The app's interface and adaptive difficulty algorithms scale appropriately across this wide age range. For younger learners in kindergarten or early elementary grades, it keeps them engaged with virtual rewards and highly visual interactive elements. For older students in middle school, it provides appropriately challenging numerical reasoning and problem-solving tasks without feeling overly childish, keeping them in their zone of proximal development.
What does DoodleMaths teach?
DoodleMaths teaches foundational mathematical skills, numerical reasoning, and practical problem-solving. The application specifically aligns with standard educational frameworks, including the UK's EYFS, KS1, KS2, and KS3 curricula. Your child will practice specific topics like basic arithmetic, fractions, geometry, and foundational algebra. Rather than serving as a primary instructional tool to introduce entirely new concepts, it focuses heavily on reinforcing pre-existing knowledge through daily retrieval practice, ensuring students do not lose their foundational math skills over time.
Has The Learning Standard evaluated DoodleMaths?
TLS has not yet completed a Learning Standard evaluation of how well DoodleMaths teaches. Its privacy policy has been reviewed for Data Transparency and does not yet document the basic protections (Level 1).
Is DoodleMaths COPPA compliant?
A COPPA reference was not found in the reviewed privacy policy. This does not determine whether the app complies with COPPA. Policy review note: The policy does not mention COPPA.
Is DoodleMaths FERPA compliant?
A FERPA reference was not found in the reviewed privacy policy. This does not determine whether the app complies with FERPA. Policy review note: The policy does not mention FERPA.
Does DoodleMaths have a children's privacy policy?
The reviewed policy includes a dedicated children's privacy section. Policy review note: There is a dedicated section headed Children's Personal Information.
Does DoodleMaths sell student data?
The reviewed policy states that the app does not sell data. This is a policy statement; actual data practices were not verified. Policy review note: The policy states the vendor does not sell personal information.
Can you delete your data from DoodleMaths?
The reviewed privacy policy describes account deletion. We have not tested the deletion process. Policy review note: Users may ask for their data to be removed.
Follow TLS Research
Subscribe to future TLS research updates: app reviews, findings, and what the evidence shows.
Screenshots
Latest News
All DoodleMaths NewsTake Action
For DoodleMaths
If you represent Discovery Education, Inc. and have a correction or new evidence, send the relevant source so we can review and update this page.
Submit a correctionDetails
- Pricing
- Free Trial
- Grade Levels
- Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade
- Website
- Visit site