{"id":3741,"date":"2025-01-08T09:59:25","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T14:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cutheme.local\/ips\/?p=3741"},"modified":"2026-03-17T12:44:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:44:31","slug":"carletons-early-math-assessment-tool-a-success-story-in-innovation-and-licensing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.carleton.ca\/ips\/2025\/carletons-early-math-assessment-tool-a-success-story-in-innovation-and-licensing\/","title":{"rendered":"Carleton\u2019s Early Math Assessment Tool: A Success Story in Innovation and Licensing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Carleton\u2019s Early Math Assessment Tool: A Success Story in Innovation and Licensing\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Carleton\u2019s Early Math Assessment Tool: A Success Story in Innovation and Licensing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever thought about enhancing the impact of your research through commercialization? At the Carleton University Innovation Transfer Office (CITO) within Industry and Partnership Services (IPS), we specialize in helping faculty license their innovative work to achieve this goal. A prime example is the Early Math Assessment at School (EMA@School) tool, developed by Dr. Jo-Anne LeFevre<\/a> and Dr. Heather Douglas<\/a> in the Department of Cognitive Science. This copyrighted tool is helping teachers and school districts identify children in need of extra help in mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Response to the Pandemic: The Birth of the EMA@School<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, as COVID-19 disrupted schools across the world, Alberta Education saw an urgent need to address students’ numeracy gaps. The Carleton MathLab, led by Dr. LeFevre, was asked to create a solution. With a deep understanding of how early numeracy skills develop, the team at the MathLab crafted the EMA@School\u2014a grade-specific numeracy screener designed to assess foundational math skills in children from kindergarten to Grade 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. LeFevre explains, \u201cEarly mathematics is the building block for long-term success. Gaps in understanding basic concepts can prevent students from mastering more advanced topics, like fractions and algebra.\u201d<\/em> The tool aims to close those gaps early, ensuring students don\u2019t fall behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tool’s success was immediate. Alberta Education licensed EMA@School as the Provincial Numeracy Screening Assessment (PNSA), and it has been used with over 120,000 students. By helping teachers identify students who need support and pinpoint exactly where they struggle, EMA@School is playing a critical role in closing the achievement gap and enhancing equity for all students in Alberta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Concept to Licensing: The Role of Carleton\u2019s Industry and Partnership Services <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To support the tool\u2019s potential, IPS facilitated a research agreement with Alberta Education, safeguarding the intellectual property rights of the creators from the start. This critical move not only protected the tool but also opened the door to future commercial opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creators of EMA@School are part of a larger educator-researcher partnership, the Assessment and Intervention for Mathematics (AIM) Collective. The AIM Collective (www.aimcollective.ca<\/a>) is partially funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Membership in the AIM Collective facilitates connections between educators and researchers to support evidence-based applications of research to solve problems identified by educators. Through the AIM Partnership, the EMA@School has become available to educators outside of Alberta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To further expand its reach, Carleton’s IPS negotiated a royalty-bearing licensing agreement with Vretta (www.vretta.com<\/a>), a Canadian educational technology company. Vretta is converting EMA@School into a digital platform, making it even more accessible for teachers and students across Canada and the world. The digital version will enhance the tool\u2019s impact by simplifying data collection, reporting, and student tracking. These enhanced functions and the greater ease of administration will increase the value of the assessment for teachers and other school board personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning Research into Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The story of the EMA@School goes beyond improving math outcomes for students\u2014it highlights how researchers can protect their intellectual property and generate revenue through licensing. This tool’s success is a powerful example of how academic research can be commercialized, creating benefits for both society and the researchers involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EMA@School is a testament to the importance of early learning, ensuring that every child can build a strong foundation in mathematics. For researchers aiming to bring their innovations to market, Carleton\u2019s IPS provides a clear path to transform ideas into products that benefit society while generating financial rewards for their creators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carleton\u2019s Early Math Assessment Tool: A Success Story in Innovation and Licensing Have you ever thought about enhancing the impact of your research through commercialization? At the Carleton University Innovation Transfer Office (CITO) within Industry and Partnership Services (IPS), we specialize in helping faculty license their innovative work to achieve this goal. A prime example […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"yoast_head":"\nCarleton\u2019s Early Math Assessment Tool: A Success Story in Innovation and Licensing - Industry and Partnership Services (IPS)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/research.carleton.ca\/ips\/2025\/carletons-early-math-assessment-tool-a-success-story-in-innovation-and-licensing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Carleton\u2019s Early Math Assessment Tool: A Success Story in Innovation and Licensing - Industry and Partnership Services (IPS)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Carleton\u2019s Early Math Assessment Tool: A Success Story in Innovation and Licensing Have you ever thought about enhancing the impact of your research through commercialization? 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