Real gains in access and equity are at risk, and institutions are grappling with questions of sustainability and focus over longer time horizons. Here at NROC, we have kept our focus on being an effective institutional partner, where we try to provide a measure of stability and a basis for ongoing innovation in the face of uncertain times and a rapidly changing technological landscape.

EdReady works at any scale, from small programs to statewide initiatives. As such, we're doubling down on EdReady as a solution, as opposed to emphasizing its capabilities as a platform for experimentation.

Despite the sensation of our lives still being on hold (at least somewhat), we’ve witnessed a number of newsworthy events across our community. We’re growing, and we’re continuing to document positive outcomes. Today, we have 200 sustaining and strategic partners, representing over 1,700 separate educational institutions and one million students with current access to NROC technologies.

If anything, the pandemic has heightened the need for all educational institutions to reorganize their policies and procedures to focus squarely on facilitating student success. We’ve now surpassed a major milestone: over one million students have actively engaged with the EdReady platform, and the usage statistics continue to rise.

Over the course of this past year, we have seen substantial gains in the numbers of students we have been able to serve, and in the successes those students have achieved, all across the country. Major new efforts, such as Texas College Bridge, as well as the Career and College Ready Graduate initiative in North Carolina, are up and running.

The process of continuous, formative assessment, with an emphasis on improving knowledge and skills (as opposed to simply flagging students as deficient), has historically been dismissed as too difficult or impractical. But things have changed.

It has been more than a month since we were asked to ‘shelter in place’ here in California. In some ways, it feels like we have been living this way for a much longer time than that, yet in other ways, I still have a hard time believing that this is our ‘new normal’. I hope that you are staying safe, staying sane, and finding time for your families, your colleagues, and yourselves.

Dr. Ahrash N. Bissell, recently promoted to President of The NROC Project, reflects on the people behind the organization and how collaboration with education leaders drives a continuous cycle of improvement.