Edgenuity vs Apex Learning: how the two online course platforms differ

Who makes Edgenuity and Apex Learning?

Edgenuity is sold today as Imagine Edgenuity by Imagine Learning, which lists it under “Courseware / Grades 6–12” as “Initial credit and credit recovery courses” (Imagine Learning). Its catalog has “400+ interactive courses covering core, electives, world languages, test prep, career and technical education (CTE), and Advanced Placement®.”

Apex Learning is owned by Edmentum. Edmentum announced on July 28, 2021 that it had completed its acquisition of Apex Learning, “a Seattle-based industry leader in 6–12 digital curriculum” (Edmentum newsroom). Edmentum now describes Apex Courses as “Digital curricula for grades 6–12 learners” that are “now available through Courseware’s award-winning platform” (Edmentum).

How are lessons built on each one?

Edgenuity is video-led and sequential. The student quick start guide says “Lessons include activities such as Warm-up, Instruction, Summary, Assignment, and Quiz,” and “You must complete the entire activity to be able to move on to the next one.” It suggests pausing the video when you need more time and estimates about 60 minutes per lesson. Imagine Learning says instruction is “led by expert, on-screen teachers” (Imagine Learning).

Apex Learning can shorten a unit for students who already know it. Apex’s data and reporting guide says some courses let students take “a computer-scored pretest at the beginning of each unit. If the student scores high enough on the pretest, they do not have to complete every activity in the unit.” An individualized learning plan then points to the material still to master, though “the entire course is always available for the student to access.”

What happens if you fail a quiz or test?

On Edgenuity, you usually get another try: “If you fail an assessment, you can access an additional attempt to raise your score” (student guide). Imagine Learning’s educator guide lists “Student failed all assessment attempts and is out of retakes” as an alert, with “Add retake for failed assessment to unblock student” and “Unlock test or exam to unblock student” as the teacher’s actions. A district can also set how many retakes are allowed, and with automatic progression Edgenuity records “the student’s highest score in the gradebook once the maximum attempts are met” (Imagine Learning).

On Apex Learning, the school decides. Apex’s academic integrity guide tells schools to “Limit Assessment Attempts” and to “communicate your policy for the maximum number of teacher resets.” With auto-proctoring, “Once a proctored computer-scored assessment is unlocked, students must complete the assessment within the same session,” and “assessments will automatically re-lock after 30 minutes of inactivity and after 90 minutes if the student has not begun.”

How is your grade shown on each one?

On Edgenuity, your course tile shows your grade, percent complete and progress status if a target date is set (student guide). Imagine Learning’s educator guide says the course start and target dates “are essential to generate pacing, target progress, and actual grade,” and its gradebook shows a “Grade average for completed activities to date” (educator guide). In our reading, that is why falling behind your target date can change the grade you see. Ask your teacher which grade your school reports.

On Apex Learning, your dashboard shows Grade to Date, a progress bar and overdue activities. “The Progress Bar changes color depending on the number of overdue activities” (see what green, yellow and red mean in Apex Learning), and Grade to Date links to a report of every scored activity, due date, points possible and score (Apex guide).

What do Edgenuity and Apex Learning record?

Both track time and pace closely. Edgenuity’s session log separates active time from idle time, and its student guide asks for “at least 60 minutes of active time per day with less than 15% of idle time in each course” (student guide). Imagine Learning’s Speed Radar “helps you see when students are progressing through activities more quickly than expected,” which “could indicate the use of scripting software,” and its Proctorio lockdown “blocks userscripts and bots on Edgenuity and EdgeEX assessments” (Imagine Learning).

Apex Learning’s guide says “Students may not sign in to more than one computer at a time,” that questions are “randomly selected from question banks for each learning objective,” and that students are prevented from copying answers while an assessment is active. Its guide lists signs teachers look for, such as “Unusually short assessment durations” and “Disproportionate time spent on assessment vs. instruction” (Apex guide). Its Weekly Progress Report shows time spent each day and on each activity (Apex guide).

Is Edgenuity the same company as Edmentum?

No. Edgenuity belongs to Imagine Learning. Edmentum is the company that owns Apex Learning, and it also sells its own Courseware platform, which now offers Apex Courses. If your school says “Edmentum,” your courses may be Apex Courses or Edmentum Courseware.

Who pays for Edgenuity or Apex Learning?

Schools and districts. Neither product page lists a student price. Imagine Learning’s page asks schools to contact it, and its integrity flyer says add-on features are activated through “your Imagine Learning Account Executive” (Imagine Learning). Edmentum’s page offers “Get a Quote” (Edmentum). If you take a course through your school, ask the school about costs.