Seesaw Impact Report

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Impact Report

Addressing Important Topics Facing Administrators Today

The Power of the Learning Loop

Seesaw, a Learning Experience Platform trusted and loved by 25 million educators, students, and families worldwide, is making a profound impact on some of the most important topics school administrators are facing today. Tailored for PreK6th grade students, Seesaw enables schools to actively involve parents, guardians, and family members in what we call “the learning loop”, fostering a collaborative partnership in their child’s educational journey. Engaging students in these crucial developmental years can yield positive and enduring effects academically, socially, and emotionally, instilling a lifelong love of learning.

This impact report includes testimonials from educators and school leaders across the United States, highlighting successful strategies they are employing to implement Seesaw and the positive impact it’s having on their school community and student achievement.

Seesaw’s Learning Experience Platform supports the four guiding principles from the U.S. Office of Educational Technology, Guiding Principles for Use of Technology with Early Learners.

Guiding Principle #1: Technology—when used appropriately—can be a tool for learning.

Guiding Principle #2: Technology should be used to increase access to learning opportunities for all children.

Guiding Principle #3: Technology may be used to strengthen relationships among parents, families, early educators, and young children.

Guiding Principle #4: Technology is more effective for learning when adults and peers interact or co-view with young children.

*Source: https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/principles/

Table of Contents

Family Engagement & Communication

Seesaw helps schools develop strong family relationships as partners in their child’s learning. This is particularly critical for supporting families of all types including immigrant families, divorced families, families overseas, and those with nonEnglish speaking family members. This helps foster a sense of belonging, provides support, bridges geographical gaps, and ensures inclusive participation in their child’s education. Parent-teacher conferences, translation assistance, and involving extended family members all contribute to building a strong foundation that lays the foundation for a child’s success in life.

“At least 10% of my students have parents who speak little or no academic English. These same parents do not show up to Meet The Teacher events or Parent Conferences most likely because they anticipate being unable to communicate with the teachers who don’t appear to be bilingual. When I found out that Seesaw messaging was instantly translated for parents, it was a game changer. I began messaging my students’ parents who fit the profile above, and I sent word home with my students to have their parents open the Seesaw message on their phones. It was AMAZING! I got responses back!”

“Seesaw has been an essential tool in helping my families connect with our classroom. Many of my students come from families where the parents may not live in the same house or where family members live overseas. Being able to connect those families to our classroom via Seesaw ensures they get updated information about their students and can be a part of celebrating their student’s learning successes!”

“I had a family last year where the parents were recently divorced and the dad was living in another state. Seesaw allowed the dad to stay connected to his son by not only being involved in his learning by “seeing” his learning, but also by staying connected to his son through daily comments on his son’s work.”

“Seven years ago I was a second grade teacher implementing a 1:1 iPad initiative in my classroom. I remember my student who had written a poem about life and how she enjoyed nature. I remember perfectly when her father sent a message (during the day) to his daughter through Seesaw commenting on her poem. He said to her “You are the box of crayons in my life that gives color to everything”. She looked at me with her eyes wide open at that moment after listening to her dad’s message and cried tears of joy.”

“The digital portfolios allow my students and their families to engage with the work they are doing in the classroom in real time. When I approve a child’s work, I know that I am sharing a little bit of our world with the moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, and host of other family members who don’t get to witness the growth and learning I see each day.”

“My school has experienced a large influx of immigrants throughout this past school year. Having the ability to communicate with families without needing to use a third party translation tool has been so beneficial to myself and my fellow teachers. In addition, Seesaw has been a great way to show growth, specifically in language abilities, as families and teachers have real time and archived videos and voice recordings that show their student’s acquisition of the English language!”

- Kelley Torres, Elementary Teacher, Illinois

“Seesaw’s digital portfolios have touched the lives of split or unconventional student families. It has allowed parents and guardians to actively engage in their child’s education, regardless of physical distance. Through the platform, families can share photos, videos, and written assignments, fostering a sense of connection and involvement. Seesaw has become more than just a tool; it is a source of support and inclusivity for these families.”

“I love the idea of interacting with families and the school community through school-wide events. When you aren’t able to get everyone into the building or to an event, video options can provide that “wow factor” of building relationships with your families.”

“Seesaw has allowed me to witness not only what my PreK son was doing in their general education classroom, but during his speech class. There would have been no other way for me to practice his sounds the way that his teacher taught him without the video guidance that I received through Seesaw.”

- Brittany Jones, District Instructional Tech Trainer, Texas

“When one of our parents saw that Seesaw messages were translated to their native language on their phone, it brought tears to their eyes. It was the first time they felt such a strong connection to their child’s classroom.”

- Sheila Teri, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Virginia

“We want all our students to have equity and we want all our families to be in the loop of what’s happening at school. We want school to be a transparent place where a family member knows what’s happening. We can do that with Seesaw.”

- Joni Quintavelle, Technology

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02 | Family Engagement & Communication 04 | School Participation & Attendance 05 | Student Achievement 07 | Teacher Support, Retention & Positive School Culture 08 | Student Engagement 10 | Equity & Access

School Participation & Attendance

Students are much more likely to participate in school when they feel supported by their family and school staff. Seesaw helps increase school participation by creating joyful and inclusive experiences that engage all types of students to have a positive learning experience. This helps teachers effectively reach new students, shy or reserved students, and facilitate remote learning for sick or injured students. These factors help foster improved attendance rates and continuous learning experiences for all students regardless of their situation.

“Teaching multilingual students, and developing oracy skills is HUGE. Seesaw provides a safe space for my introverted students to record their voices. So often I have students who do not participate in class discussions but shine in their recorded assignments. Seesaw allows them to practice using new vocabulary as well as share their understanding of the material. As a result, it builds their confidence!”

“As a first grade teacher, we have a lot of assessments and assignments that need to be read one on one. When students are absent it is often hard to sit with students one on one, it is helpful having Seesaw where we can record myself reading assignments and assessments so they can access the learning when they are at home or when they return to school.”

“I had a student who was non-verbal and had limited mainstream instruction. The family was connected to Seesaw and although growth was slow and small Seesaw made it easy for me to catch those new moments of growth. New found language, participation, use of his iPad for communication, or even participating in an art/ sensory project; Seesaw was available, and I was able to capture those moments to share with this family.”

“Seesaw has helped my most shy students who are reluctant to participate in class. One little girl was very shy and you could barely hear her when she talked in class. But throughout the year she started reading and sending me messages on Seesaw. By the end of the year, her confidence had grown tremendously.”

- Alyssa Rush, Second Grade Teacher, California

“I had a student this past year who was extremely nervous for the first day because he had transferred from a different district. His parents were also anxious about the change. On the first day, I was able to take photos of him interacting with other students in class and I sent a quick message letting his parents know the day was going smoothly for him. His parents were so happy to see and read that their child was safe and comfortable in the new environment. It also allowed him to see photos of the friends he was making.”

- Carly Weiler, Second Grade Teacher, Michigan

“Seesaw supports classroom collaboration by providing an easy-to-use digital platform where students can share their work, ideas, and progress with peers. It encourages interaction and feedback among students, fostering a collaborative learning environment. Teachers can monitor and facilitate discussions, making it a valuable tool for group projects and peer-to-peer learning. It enhances the sense of community within the classroom, promoting teamwork and active participation.”

“I had numerous EL students who struggled to speak in class. They were learning English, shy, and not confident in themselves. Having the option to record responses in their Seesaw account (rather than in front of other students) made participation more comfortable for them. We were able to share their work with other teachers and family members. This provided more opportunities to celebrate their hard work and build their confidence.”

“I am the first school experience for my students and their families, so feeling connected to their experience is important to the parents and me! One of my favorite connections is that I send a video of our “Well Wishes” to parents each morning. We send these to our friends who are not at school. It gives parents a moment to see their kiddo is ok, and is being kind, and we send those well wishes through Seesaw to the absent student. Parents have told me how much this has meant to them and the absent student!”

Student Achievement

Seesaw’s Learning Experience Platform correlates with improved end-of-year assessment outcomes by focusing on elementary learners’ unique needs. Unlike other products, Seesaw enhances the elementary student, teacher, and classroom experience with age-appropriate solutions. It equips teachers with tools and curriculum to maximize students’ potential during their crucial foundational years. Seesaw fosters critical thinking, comprehension, and fluency assessment, facilitating tailored interventions. It promotes collaboration between families and teachers, aligning strategies with classroom curriculum and by empowering both educators and families alike to drive academic growth and student success through joyful and dynamic learning environments.

“I am excited about my teachers utilizing Seesaw to work within our MTSS framework. We have really used the platform to collaborate as classroom teachers and specialists. This year, I had a third grader student who struggled to read. I found he was very insecure about his reading level. I discovered that while he didn’t thrive when I met with him in class, he did very well when I recorded things through Seesaw and his teacher sent them out. He finally made some good progress once we figured this out.”

“Years ago, I was presenting my experience using Seesaw to my colleagues to get them on board. I shared an example of how I used this amazing tool with my RTI reading group to help them expand their learning by labeling parts of sharks and share information the students read in the book from the group. I played one student’s video and two teachers started crying. After the video ended I asked if my crying colleagues were ok. They said they were crying happy tears seeing their previous student who struggled with reading and processing information do an outstanding job on those skills in one small classroom activity.”

“There are so many tools in Seesaw that allow teachers to meet the needs of their students. Visuals and recorded directions help make the content accessible!”

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“One of my favorite times to use Seesaw is when my students are working on inferencing and predicting with fiction texts. After reading, we upload images of the book’s pages and students can zoom in, circle, highlight, or make arrows pointing to the illustrationbased or text-based evidence - then record their voices explaining their inference/prediction and the evidence they noted. It’s awesome!”

- Anne Kozisek, First Grade Teacher, Illinois

“I had a student who was reluctant to talk to the Speech Teacher so I recorded the student so the Speech Teacher could evaluate the student. Having her see all the student work helped her develop a connection to the student, which encouraged the student to start talking to her. Also the beginning of the year and end to the year recordings were priceless tools to show progress.”

“For many teachers, adding computer science (CS) to their day felt overwhelming. Fortunately, Seesaw’s CS curriculum is on a platform teachers already know and love, so there was much less overhead to get started. They didn’t need to learn a new tool on top of learning how to teach CS. And the lessons themselves include scaffolds and supports, so the barriers to teaching CS for the first time were reduced as well.”

“I had a little girl who was struggling to learn sound blending. She videotaped herself showing how she could blend sounds together to make words. The priceless part was seeing the huge smile and sense of accomplishment on her face.”

“When another teacher comes up to me and asks, “How do you get your oral language scores so high?” My response is Seesaw! My students have mastered the voice recording button.”

“I remember a time when one of my students recorded themselves reading a passage for fluency. The child never raised their hand in class. She never wanted to read out loud. It was very difficult for me to do one on one fluency with her because she was so soft spoken and would get nervous. I assigned a fluency story to be read on Seesaw audio. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard her read the story with no mistakes and with expression. She was very comfortable with using the Ipad and Seesaw and loved using the audio tool to record. I was so proud of her and she allowed me to share it with her parents too!”

“I love that when teachers use Seesaw to its fullest capability, then failure isn’t an option for students. They can try again until they’ve mastered the skill. It changes the culture of the classroom and brings joy back in when kids know failure isn’t an option. All kids can succeed.”

Teacher Support, Retention & Positive School Culture

Schools across the United States are facing teacher shortages, with estimates of around 55,000 total vacancies at the end of 2023 (https://www.teachershortages.com/). In light of this reality, keeping existing staff happy and engaged while developing teachers who are new to the profession are critical drivers of positive school culture and academic achievement. For experienced teachers, Seesaw helps to alleviate their workload and enhance their productivity with easy-to-administer assessments, ready-to-teach lessons aligned to their standards, multiple ways to differentiate, and parent communication tools that are seamlessly connected to student learning. For teachers new to the profession, Seesaw provides tools that align with effective teaching practices like promoting student voice and choice, providing scaffolds and opportunities for differentiation, and lessons based on effective teaching methods (gradual release of responsibility, for example).

“Seesaw has been a total game changer for me. I am so pleased and honored to be a Seesaw Ambassador for my school and share with my fellow educators how awesome Seesaw is in our classroom. I have had so many teachers come to me in the beginning being so scared and hesitant and by month two they come back telling me how AWESOME seesaw has been and how it’s changed their way of teaching.”

- Victoria Davis, Kindergarten Teacher, Georgia

“Seesaw has completely transformed my teaching. One of my favorite ways to use Seesaw is for STEM Fridays. Students work in collaborative groups to create a design plan. After hands-on time to create, students are able to upload pictures and/or videos of what they have created. They are able to reflect on what worked well and areas they can improve. Students are able to edit the people to reflect their STEM team and all students have access to the cooperative activity.”

- Erin Buening, First Grade Teacher, Indiana

“I love assessment and data in Seesaw. I love seeing inside students’ minds and analyzing their learning. Seesaw allows me to see what students are thinking through the recording features. I can track growth over the year and share this growth with students’ families. Through Seesaw activities, I can truly see my students’ learning. The best part is the random videos, pictures, or recordings that students post on Seesaw. Like when they send a special message to you, or share a little bit about their lives at home. You really get to connect with students on a deeper level.”

“Seesaw is a game changer when it comes to delivering high-quality instruction to ALL learners. Whether students are in kindergarten or fifth grade, there are thousands of activities that meet each individual’s learning needs. Seesaw provides educators access to a wide range of standards-based assignments that align with curriculum and most importantly, are fun for students to engage with! Seesaw is unmatched when it comes to a learning platform that allows students to show their understanding of concepts.”

“One of the benefits of using Seesaw in my class is the way that it allows me to “clone” myself. Using the tools within Seesaw I can create videos, QR codes, and pictures that students can refer to when working independently. This might be as simple as a video of me explaining how to play a word or numbers game. Instead of students approaching me during center work, they can refer to the video, pause, and play it as many times as needed to learn how to play. Another way to “clone” myself is by making running records an independent center. Students can take a photo of their sight words or fluency passage and record themselves. Without taking up class time, I can listen to those recordings, evaluate them, and move a student onto the next passage or leave feedback to have them try again. This is a great way to have a digital record of student progress. I collect the data to drive my instruction and parents get to share in their child’s progress regularly. “Cloning” allows me to work face-to-face with students who need that support while providing instruction for independent centers.”

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“I always knew that Seesaw was a great tool for formative assessment but a few years ago I put it to the test! I taught first grade at that time and my students were really struggling with some math concepts. I decided to try a new approach- small group math stations. My students completed Seesaw activities based on the whole group lesson taught that morning. When I pulled students to my table, I quickly reviewed their Seesaw activities (using my iPad) and checked for understanding. I could see their errors almost instantly! Students had their own iPads at the table and corrected their work with my support. I had the chance to reteach quickly before they practiced a skill 10 times incorrectly. Seesaw helped me use formative assessment in a more efficient way, which resulted in better support for my students.”

“One of the things I love most about Seesaw is that it allows me to stay connected with my students, even if I am not in the classroom. When I am absent, I often leave my students activities to complete in Seesaw. These activities often include videos or voice messages that I have recorded for them so that they can still feel connected to me in my absence. Using Seesaw when I am out of the classroom also takes a little pressure off of the substitute because I am still leading the instruction. My students never miss a beat!”

Student Engagement

- Rachel Boyum, Fifth Grade Teacher, Minnesota Seesaw is instrumental in promoting student engagement through its versatile features tailored to support diverse learning needs and preferences. Seesaw’s “Daily Check-Ins” enable educators to gain insights into students’ interests, well-being, challenges, and situations, fostering a supportive and empathetic learning environment. Seesaw also enhances learning experiences by animating diagrams, incorporating audio elements, and allowing for annotations, making complex concepts more accessible and engaging for students. Whether documenting a science experiment or a STEM project, Seesaw facilitates hands-on learning experiences, promoting active participation and deeper understanding. Seesaw supports joy and celebration in the classroom, reinforcing positive behavior and creating memorable learning moments that inspire students to thrive academically and emotionally.

“I use a Daily Feeling Check-In every day. The students indicate how they’re feeling with an emoji. Share how they’re feeling in a sentence or two and tell me something they did the evening prior. I have had so many parents respond with “I’m sorry you had a tough morning. What can we do to make tomorrow better?” “It sounds like we need more sleep (or a better breakfast) let’s work on that today/tomorrow.” It opens up communication for all of us to work together to get our day off to a good start!”

“Seesaw provides my students with accountability, creativity, and engagement. Seesaw meets students where they are at. The user-friendly digital platform gives my students the power to engage in their own rights as digital citizens. Students learn to receive and give positive feedback.”
- Tonya Kelly M.Ed, Fourth Grade Teacher, Ohio

“I had a student who didn’t like to talk in front of the class. I think I only heard her say “yes” or “no” a handful of times. Then we did a Seesaw activity where she had to use the microphone tool to share some facts she learned about an animal. She talked and talked into that microphone! I couldn’t believe it! Seesaw gave her the safe space she needed to share her ideas.”

“Science experiments and STEAM projects have drastically improved because students can document every step of the process with pictures and videos, explain each step with the test, drawing, or recording tool, and reflect on their learning with any of the multimodal tools. Now that project doesn’t have to live at school or simply in our memories. We can keep these projects alive in their digital portfolios for families to view, interact with, and join in on the learning process.”

- Caitlin Arakawa, Third Grade Teacher, California

“Seesaw brought months of work together with Seesaw posts and QR codes. 75+ second grade students were able to share their culture and identity through our amazing ‘LAUNCH at the Louvre’ museum. Guests came to the museum with phones and earbuds in hand to enjoy our students’ amazing creations.”

- Robin Schuhmacher, Second Grade Teacher, Colorado

“I had a young lady in class that sat in the back, didn’t speak during class, and often doodled during instruction. No matter how hard I tried to connect with her, she just politely smiled and kept to herself. By allowing my students to sit on the floor and ‘hide out’ when doing their Seesaw assignments, this young lady found her comfort zone. She and her work came alive! She continued to be introverted but was able to show off her drawing skills while speaking/explaining her learning. This breakthrough would not have happened with any other digital tool.”

- Maria Spentzos, Sixth Grade Teacher, Illinois

“The impact was astounding! With Seesaw, our students could showcase their work in ways they hadn’t imagined before. Photos, videos, and written assignments came to life on this platform, allowing for a comprehensive view of their progress. Not only that, but Seesaw also opened up seamless communication channels between students, parents, and teachers.”

“It never gets old. That moment when you see a child’s eyes light up when they receive Feedback from a family when they upload their work on Seesaw. It is such a powerful and rewarding experience to see the pride students take in their work when they know their families are engaged in their work even from afar.”

“As a gifted teacher, I spend multiple years with the same children, and one student in particular has always been quiet and reserved when sharing with the class. Seesaw journals have given him a voice! During one journaling activity, he shared that because he is quiet, he often feels as though he isn’t as “smart” as the rest of his classmates. This journal response opened the door for us to have a conversation about something that was weighing on him that I might not have known otherwise.”

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Equity & Access

Seesaw serves as a powerful tool for promoting equity and access in education by addressing the diverse needs of all students, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities. Seesaw is designed to meet WCAG content accessibility guidelines and equip teachers with the resources and tools they need to implement UDL, multiply their reach, and personalize learning to ensure that every learner receives the assistance they need to succeed. Seesaw also serves as a source of motivation for populations with ASD and ADHD, and facilitates the documentation of learning for students with special needs, supporting educators in implementing individualized education plans (IEPs) and 504 accommodations effectively. Moreover, Seesaw breaks down barriers related to poverty, educational challenges, and language barriers by providing equitable and accessible access to educational resources to students and their families. For example, Seesaw supports multilingual students and their families by providing resources in multiple languages and fostering inclusive learning environments. By ensuring equitable support and attention to all students, Seesaw promotes inclusivity in education, ultimately empowering every learner to achieve at their fullest potential.

“Seesaw has enabled our district to reduce the impact of traditional barriers of language and poverty by making strong school to home connection possible.”

“My co-teacher and I differentiate and send work to different groups and the kids don’t realize their work is different. Students have increased motivation and it can help with our ASD and ADHD population.”

- Christine Elliott, Third Grade Teacher, New York

“Seesaw’s digital student activities have revolutionized my work as a Dyslexia Therapist through individual student digital assessment responses, progress tracking, IEP Goal tracking, and collaboration across involved SpEd departments, teachers, and parents regarding IEPs. Seesaw is a SpEd game changer!”

- Pamela Hinton, Special Education Teacher, Texas

“I have a new ESOL student this year. She speaks only Spanish. I was under the impression that she probably could not understand anything in the English language. I added an alphabet assignment for her in Seesaw to start. I sat with her, and was surprised to see that while she may not speak our language yet, she understood more than we initially thought.”

- Valentina Jackson, Technology Lab K-5, Georgia

“I teach preschool students with disabilities. My students are primarily nonvocal and are not able to use many of the Seesaw tools, such as video recording, independently to explain their thought processes. While many might think that Seesaw would not work for this group, I use it daily. Students complete errorless and easy matching activities on a daily basis to build confidence and independent work skills. We often tie these activities into a theme we are working on, for example, an errorless activity where students are dragging and dropping caterpillars onto a leaf while we are raising monarch caterpillars in our classroom. The activity itself is simple, but the students are building critical skills for working independently as well as built-in opportunities for vocabulary practice and real-world connections.”

- Meredith Thorn, Preschool Teacher, New Jersey

“I love being able to assign different activities to my students according to their needs and abilities. While some of my students need to be challenged with more difficult lessons, others need practice with foundational skills. I can assign several activities to individual students or groups of students, and I can also ask some students to take a leadership role in assisting those students who may not be as familiar with using Seesaw.”

“When you have students that are unable to type or write, the availability of recording their thinking is amazing. One of my students this year said to me, “Look I can do it! I can answer the questions all by myself.” This really made me think about how reaching all learners in your classroom is so important.”

- Hope Hirsh, First Grade Teacher, Florida

“I am able to use Seesaw to teach, model learning, and differentiate for all of my students. It allows me to be in many places at one time while giving my students a safe and comfortable platform to share their learning.”

- Robin Schuhmacher, Second Grade Teacher, Colorado

“It’s a great enabler for our students with accessibility needs and beyond. It enables every kind of learner because it’s visual, kinesthetic, auditory, tactile — it’s got all the learning modalities. Seesaw also enables teachers to have a one stop shop to find everything they need. It’s a whole record of what students are doing, all in one place.”

- Kathi Kerznowski, Tech Integration Specialist, New Jersey

“There are so many tools in Seesaw that allow teachers to meet the needs of their students. Visuals and recorded directions help make the content accessible!”

- Martha Thomas, Technology Curriculum Specialist (TK-8), California

“Seesaw gives all parents a direct window into their child’s classroom to see the great things that are happening in Virginia Beach schools. One component of gifted and special education resource specialists’ roles is documenting evidence for special supports and accommodations. Seesaw’s portfolios have saved teachers time in documenting these supports throughout the year.”

- Sharon Shewbridge, Direction of Instructional Technology, Virginia

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Keeps everyone in the learning loop

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