Study Island
Product by Edmentum, Inc.
The Bottom Line
Partially. Study Island provides extensive standards-aligned retrieval practice, which effectively reinforces previously introduced concepts. However, it relies heavily on multiple-choice formats rather than deep instructional scaffolding, making it better for assessing knowledge than introducing new material. Since The Learning Standard has not yet formally evaluated this program, definitive efficacy claims remain pending.
Pros
- Delivers robust retrieval practice aligned directly to specific state and national academic standards.
- Provides immediate corrective feedback on practice questions to prevent the consolidation of incorrect knowledge.
- Uses gamification elements interspersed with formative assessments to sustain student engagement during repetitive drill sequences.
- Offers granular data reporting that allows educators to pinpoint exact gaps in standards mastery.
Cons
- Relies primarily on multiple-choice formats, limiting opportunities for constructed response or deep conceptual explanation.
- Lacks comprehensive instructional scaffolding necessary for teaching entirely new concepts to struggling learners.
- Requires an institutional license, making it largely inaccessible for individual parents seeking supplemental home use.
What Do We Know About Study Island?
Study Island is effective for reinforcing classroom instruction through standards-based practice, but it is not designed to teach your child entirely new concepts from scratch. As an institutional tool typically provided by your child's school, it functions primarily as a formative assessment platform. The program relies heavily on retrieval practice: a proven learning science principle where the act of recalling information strengthens memory. When your child logs in, they will answer questions tied directly to their grade-level state standards in math, science, and the humanities. If your child answers correctly, they move forward; if they answer incorrectly, the system provides immediate feedback. This immediate correction prevents students from internalizing false information. However, the instruction within the platform is minimal. It consists mostly of brief text-based lessons or flashcards before transitioning into multiple-choice quizzes. Therefore, if your child is fundamentally struggling with a topic like algebraic equations or reading comprehension, Study Island will identify that struggle but won't provide the interactive, step-by-step tutoring needed to bridge the gap. It is best viewed as a digital workbook that tests mastery rather than a primary teacher.
How Does Study Island Work?
Study Island uses a mastery-based formative assessment model that heavily leverages targeted retrieval practice. Students begin by selecting a specific academic standard or topic assigned by their teacher. They are first presented with a brief lesson, usually a static text overview or a short video, followed immediately by a practice set. The core learning mechanic relies on multiple-choice questioning. As students answer questions, the system tracks their accuracy against the designated standard. Earning a passing score, often denoted by a "Blue Ribbon," signifies mastery and unlocks subsequent, more complex topics. To mitigate the fatigue of continuous testing, the platform incorporates game-based elements. Students can opt into "Game Mode," where answering questions correctly provides short bursts of arcade-style gameplay. This interleaving of assessment and play helps maintain task persistence during repetitive skill drills. Teachers monitor this progression in real time, using the dashboard to identify which students require targeted intervention.
Strengths and tradeoffs of Study Island
Study Island's biggest strength is its precise alignment to state standards for targeted retrieval practice, while its biggest weakness is the lack of robust instructional scaffolding for initial learning. From a learning science perspective, the platform excels at formative assessment. By forcing students to continuously retrieve information from memory, it strengthens neural pathways and improves long-term retention of classroom material. The immediate feedback loop ensures that misconceptions are corrected in real time. Additionally, the platform's data analytics provide educators with highly actionable insights into exactly which sub-skills a student lacks. Conversely, the reliance on multiple-choice questioning limits deeper cognitive processing. Students can often guess the correct answer through elimination rather than generating the solution independently. Furthermore, when a student fails a topic, the platform's primary remediation strategy is to present the same brief text lesson and offer another quiz. Without worked examples or dynamic, step-by-step tutoring features, students who lack foundational knowledge will likely experience frustration. It identifies where learning breaks down but requires a human teacher to step in and rebuild that understanding.
Who Might Benefit From Study Island?
Study Island is best for K-12 students who need structured, standards-aligned practice to reinforce material already taught in the classroom. It is highly effective for educators seeking to track benchmark progress and prepare students for state standardized tests. Because the platform spans grades 1 through 12 across all core subjects, it serves as a versatile district-wide tool. However, it is not ideal for parents seeking a primary homeschooling curriculum or a standalone tutoring app, as the instructional content is too thin to teach complex concepts without an accompanying teacher.
Data Transparency
Does Not Meet Data Transparency Standard
Study Island reaches Level 1 of 3 (Basic protections), below our data transparency standard. Reaching Level 2 needs the policy to document named service providers and self-service deletion.
21 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.
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: named service providers, 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 Access8/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“Our Services support our educational institution and organizational partners (“Institutional Customers”), their administrators and educators, parents (which, in this Privacy Policy, includes legal guardians), and the students we collectively serve (“Institutional Services”).”
Can parents view their child's data?
“If you are a parent of a student using the Individual Services, you may request to access, modify, or delete your Personal Information or your student’s Personal Information, or revoke the consent you have provided for our collection of Personal Information from your student by contacting us at”
Can parents modify their child's data?
“If you are a parent of a student using the Individual Services, you may request to access, modify, or delete your Personal Information or your student’s Personal Information, or revoke the consent you have provided for our collection of Personal Information from your student by contacting us at”
Can parents delete their child's account?
“If you are a parent of a student using the Individual Services, you may request to access, modify, or delete your Personal Information or your student’s Personal Information, or revoke the consent you have provided for our collection of Personal Information from your student by contacting us at”
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
“Children’s Privacy: Students Under Age 13”
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
“We operate in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).”
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
“We agree to be bound by all relevant provisions of FERPA, including that we remain under the “direct control” of the Institutional Customer with respect to our use and handling of student Personal Information”
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
“For our Institutional Customers who are not educational institutions and for our Individual Services, we require the parent or legal guardian to consent to our collection of Personal Information from students under the age of 13 before we collect Personal Information from students.”
Data Portability3/5
Can users access their personal data?
“**Right to Know and Access Information**: You have the right to request access to the Personal Information we maintain about you in the ordinary course of business and to receive it in a machine-readable format.”
Can users download/export their data?
“**Right to Know and Access Information**: You have the right to request access to the Personal Information we maintain about you in the ordinary course of business and to receive it in a machine-readable format.”
Is there a self-service data access tool?
“If you are an administrator or educator, you may access your Personal Information directly in the Services.”
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
The policy says only "machine-readable format" and does not name a specific file format.
Is there an API for data access?
The policy does not describe an API for users, parents or schools to retrieve their data.
Data Minimization1/6
Is data collection itemized?
“This information may include the student’s first and last name, email address, username and password, school name, and grade level.”
Can the app be used without a real name?
The policy says schools and parents supply the student's first and last name.
Can the app be used without an email?
The policy says the student's email address may be collected from schools.
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
The policy limits how student data is used and shared to what is necessary but never says collection is limited to what is necessary.
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
The policy says IP addresses are collected and does not say they are anonymized or truncated.
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
The policy says it collects location data precise enough to identify a user's city or country.
Third-Party Protection5/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“We do not sell or rent Personal Information.”
Are third-party providers named?
The policy lists only categories of providers and links to a separate subprocessor page for their names.
Are providers contractually restricted?
“When we share Personal Information with service providers, those service providers are contractually prohibited from using the Personal Information for any purpose other than to provide us with their Services.”
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
“Any such profiling is limited to supporting the Customer’s educational objectives and the operation and enhancement of the Services on the Customer’s behalf, and is not used for advertising or other unrelated commercial purposes.”
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
The policy does not address sharing data with AI or machine learning systems.
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“We use internal employee training, preventive and process controls such as limitations on access to the Personal Information, along with contractual limitations on vendor data use to ensure that the persistent identifiers described above are not used or disclosed for purposes except those listed above without prior, verifiable parental consent.”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
“Most browsers can be set to detect browser cookies and to let a user reject them, but refusing cookies may impact how the Services function.”
Deletion & Retention3/5
Can users delete their account?
“Students or parents who are interested in accessing, modifying or deleting Personal Information from their education Institutional Services account should contact the Institutional Customer with the request.”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
The policy offers deletion only by request by email or through the school, not through a self-service tool.
Specific data retention timeline?
“For other Institutional Services and our Individual Services, student Personal Information is retained no longer than 90 days following contract termination, or is deleted within 30 days of receipt of a written request from the Customer”
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
The policy ties deletion to contract termination or a request, not to account inactivity.
Post-deletion handling described?
“For all Services, we may create and retain de-identified information to use for legally permissible purposes, including to develop and improve our educational products and services and demonstrate the effectiveness of our educational products and services, provided that the information does not identify any individual or customer.”
Advertising1/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
The policy does not state whether the product shows advertising.
Free from third-party advertisements?
The policy does not state that the product is free of third-party ads.
Children excluded from ad targeting?
“We do not build profiles of users except as necessary to provide, maintain, and improve the Services for the Customer’s educational use. Any such profiling is limited to supporting the Customer’s educational objectives and the operation and enhancement of the Services on the Customer’s behalf, and is not used for advertising or other unrelated commercial purposes.”
Ad-free option available?
The policy does not state that the product has no ads or offer an ad-free option.
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 Product Privacy Policy and Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act 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 Study Island 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 Study Island
Is Study Island free?
No, Study Island is not free. It is an enterprise educational product purchased by school districts and educational institutions, usually through an annual per-student license or site license.
Is Study Island good for elementary students?
Yes, Study Island is effective for elementary students when used for short practice sessions. The platform incorporates game-based elements that help sustain engagement for younger learners during repetitive skill drills.
What does Study Island teach?
Study Island covers K-12 math, science, social science, humanities, and applied sciences. The content is explicitly mapped to specific state and national academic standards to prepare students for standardized testing.
Has Study Island been evaluated by The Learning Standard?
No, Study Island has not yet been formally evaluated by our research team. While this editorial overview relies on learning science principles, a definitive pedagogical rating is pending evaluation. Please see our [methodology](/methodology) for more details.
Has The Learning Standard evaluated Study Island?
TLS has not yet completed a Learning Standard evaluation of how well Study Island teaches. Its privacy policy has been reviewed for Data Transparency and reaches Level 1, Basic protections.
Is Study Island COPPA compliant?
The reviewed privacy policy references COPPA. A policy reference alone does not establish COPPA compliance. Policy review note: The policy states it complies with COPPA.
Is Study Island FERPA compliant?
The reviewed privacy policy references FERPA. A policy reference alone does not establish FERPA compliance. Policy review note: The policy commits to following FERPA.
Does Study Island have a children's privacy policy?
The reviewed policy includes a dedicated children's privacy section. Policy review note: The policy has a section headed for children under 13.
Does Study Island 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 Edmentum does not sell personal information.
Can you delete your data from Study Island?
The reviewed privacy policy describes account deletion. We have not tested the deletion process. Policy review note: Users can ask for deletion, directly or through their school.
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- Pricing
- Edmentum programs are generally priced per student (as an annual program license) to give districts elasticity if numbers remain relatively consistent while ensuring schools only purchase the license counts they need. We also offer site license options for certain products based on building enrollment. Our virtual academy, EdOptions Academy, offers monthly, semester, and yearly pricing options by full-time enrollment or by semester-course enrollment. In summary, we aim to provide pricing options that fit our customer’s specific needs and project purposes.
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