Lawsuit spotlights popular tablet-based learning system and technology in classroom

If you have kids in school, you probably know all about i-Ready.

It’s a learning system that uses computers, tablets and booklets to help students in language arts, math and other subjects. i-Ready is used in Broward County Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and many other school districts and private schools nationwide. 

Parents often have mixed opinions about the platform. 

“For them to be in a school, with a computer, doing I-ready, and then come home and no, I have to do the I-ready’s for the week, it’s a lot,” said Analie Ladner, a parent and former PTA president. 

Now the company that makes i-Ready, Curriculum Associates, is fending off a lawsuit claiming that i-Ready steals student data. Curriculum Associates says the lawsuit has no merit, that it does not sell student data, use it for marketing or build commercial profiles on students. 

The lawsuit doesn’t mention anything about what level of screen time is appropriate for kids in school. We asked a group of 8th graders from iPrep Academy what they thought about using tablets and laptops as part of their classroom experience. 

“We’re using a lot of new things and they, like, tend to fail often,” Valentina Carmona said.

“We’re looking at screens too much, and also, there’s a lot of benefits to writing on paper, because you’re critically thinking more than if you’re using a screen,” Enzo Ponzano said.

“The technology, it can really be a problem because some kids aren’t good at learning with that,” Kai Borja said.

Broward School Board chair Sarah Leonardi has been doing roundtable discussions with students, teachers, and parents about the use of technology in school. 

“A lot of the technology we’re using in schools does not really demonstrate proven results,” Leonardi said. “You know, we heard from parents especially, they’re very concerned about how much time their children spend on screens at school, they really wanted more information on that so they can also regulate the amount of time they’re spending on screens at home.”

Leonardi said she would like to reduce the reliance on tablet or laptop-based instruction, especially in the early grades, without sacrificing the tech skills students need to be successful. 

i-Ready is ubiquitous in K-8 classrooms because school districts see it as a reliable instructional and diagnostic tool. 

“I always think technology has a place, but we also need to be very cautious on how much screen time our students are having, and that’s something we’re evaluating not only here in the district but across the nation,” said Roberto Alonso, a Miami-Dade School Board member. 

Another board member, Steve Gallon, has a daughter in seventh grade and says he appreciates I-Ready. 

“It gives me an opportunity as a parent to see how my daughter is performing, how she is monitoring her progress across different skill sets throughout the year,” Gallon said. “Technology has been a tremendous asset in the classroom, but it does not substitute for direct instruction.”